The Hawkevk Ornithologist and Ooi.ogist. 



specimens in almost any other branch 

 of natural history. While the botan- 

 ist, and generally speaking, the zo- 

 ologist, at home is satisfied as long as 

 he receives the specimens in good 

 condition, with labels attached giv- 

 ing a few concise particulars of when 

 and where they were obtained, it 

 should be always borne in mind that 

 to the oologist, such facts, and even 

 the specimens themselves, are of very 

 slight value unless accompanied by a 

 statement of other circumstances 

 which will carry conviction that the 

 species to which the eggs belong has 

 been accurately identified, and the 

 specimens subsequently carefully au- 

 thenticated. Consequently precision 

 in the identification of his specimens 

 should be the principal object of an 

 egg-collector, to attain whieh-all oth- 

 ers must give way. There are per- 

 haps few districts in the world, and 

 certainly no regions of any extent, 

 whose faunas are so well known that 

 the most rigid identification may be 

 dispensed with. N/ext to identifying 

 his specimens, the most important 

 duty of an egg-collector is to authen- 

 ticate them by marking them in 

 some manner, and on some regular 

 system as will leave no doubt, as long 

 as they exist, of their having been 

 obtained by him. and of the degree 

 of identification to which they were 

 subjected. Neatness in the mode of 

 emptying the shells of their contents, 

 and other similar matters, are much 

 to be commended; they render the 

 specimens more fitted for the cabinet. 

 But the main points to be attended 

 to, as being those by which science 

 can alone be benefited, are identifi- 

 cation and authentication. 

 IDEN'TIB'ICATIOX. 

 Of course the most satisfactory, 

 and often the simplest, way of identi- 

 fying the species to which a -nest of 

 eggs, when found, belong, is to ob- 

 tain one of the parents, by shooting, 

 snaring or trapping. But it some- 

 times, in practice, happens that this 

 is found to be difficult, from one 



cause or another— such as the wary 

 instincts of the birds, or the necessi- 

 ties of his position compelling the 

 traveller to lose no time, or the 

 scarcity of the species making him 

 unwilling to destroy the individuals. 

 In any of these cases there is nothing 

 to be done but to make as careful an 

 examination as circumstances will 

 admit, of the precise situation of the 

 nest, the materials of which it is com- 

 posed (supposing the collector can- 

 not bring it away with him), and ac- 

 curately to survey the surrounding 

 locality, to observe by what species it 

 is frequented; all the particulars of 

 which examination should be fully 

 noted down at the earliest opportu- 

 nity possible. Should, however, 

 either or both birds be killed, they 

 should be skinned, or at least some 

 characteristic part of the bird pre- 

 served, and duly labelled to corres- 

 pond with the inscriptions subse- 

 quently put upon the eggs, and al- 

 ways with a reference to the collect- 

 or's journal or note-book, wherein 

 fuller details may be found. 



The oologist is especially warned 

 not to be misled by the mere fact of 

 seeing birds around or near nests. 

 Many of the crow family (Corvidce) 

 are great eaters of eggs, and mis- 

 takes are known to have originated 

 from birds of that kind being seen near 

 nests of which they were certainly 

 not the owners. Others, such as the 

 titmice (Paridce), though not plun- 

 derers, obtain their food by inces- 

 santly seeking it even in the very lo- 

 calities where many species build, 

 It often happens, also, that two dif- 

 ferent birds have their nests situated 

 very close to one another, and if they 

 be allied species, the collector may be 

 easily deceived. Thus, it has come 

 to the writer's knowledge that the 

 dunlin (Tringu. alpina) and the pur- 

 ple sandpiper (Tringa maritima) have 

 had their nests only a few feet apart. 

 At first a pair of the latter only were 

 seen, which by their actions betray- 

 ed their uneasiness. A short search 

 discovered a nest with four eggs. 

 The observer was one of the best 

 practical oologists then living, and 

 his eye at once saw that it was not 

 the nest which he wanted; but a less 

 experienced man would doubtless 

 have immediately concluded that he 

 had found the eggs of the rarer 

 species. 



[TO BE CONTINUED.] 



