the year. "Full" data is very desirable, especialy 

 of rare sets, even if you write on the back of the label. 

 A photograph of nest will add to its value. 



It may be trite to mention packing, but in shipping 

 eggs wrap each one separately in raw cotton (the 

 finest quality is not so good) with packing in top and 

 bottom (some make little bundles of tissue paper of 

 each egg) , and be sure that while not too loosely packed 

 there is sufficient "give," for tightly packed egg shells 

 will break from concussion incident to mail. With a 

 strong box »re-inforced cigar boxes are handy) there 

 is comparative safety. Where difference in price is 

 small better use" express, marked "Fragile." Very 

 large eggs are sometimes wrapped in paper, etc. 



Having devoted so much space to boxing eggs, and 

 boxing the oological compass, the main issue — prices 

 — is apt to be forgotten. It is about eight years since 

 there was issued, in New York City, where I was at 

 the time publishing The Nidologist, the first edition of 

 this Catalogue. The first edition eliminated many 

 tim -worn blunders and fell into others nearly as bad 

 («V e the prices on some very rare waders), but it sup- 

 plied a want as the first catalogue of exchange valua- 

 tions not issued by a dealer, and is still in use. 



Supply and demand have caused a fluctuation in 

 many prices and the need of a second edition was ap- 

 parent. In compliance with many requests the task 

 was undertaken five or six months ago, and with the 

 generous assistance of many discerning Oologists, the 

 editor and publisher ventures to believe that in this 

 new edition, largely improved, the results are suffis 

 cient requital for the labor expended. 



There were over two hundred changes in nomencla- 

 ture, additions or corrections to be made to bring 

 the A. O. U. list herein .up to date, so that a concep- 

 tion may be formed of the labor involved, and excuse 

 found for some little delay in publication. "Prices" 

 fixed in the ONLY "standard" Catalogue (and the 

 gentle reader may draw his own conclusions as to one 

 meant), although they represent toilsome hours (sic), 

 are not copyrighted. If any publisher should venture 

 to take an easv cut by utilizing them in a subsequent 

 Catalogue, the compiler humbly expresses the hope 

 that such errors as may have naturally crept into this 

 work will not be incorporated into a new one. 



The preparation of such a work is not a "snap." 

 The scale of relative valuations must be worked out 

 with careful consideration of the abundance or rarity 

 of a given species, the question of a restricted range, 

 demand, supply, European importations, recent ex- 

 plorations, and the numerous circumstances which 

 must, as far as is possible, be reviewed in arriving at a 

 judgment somewhere nearly correct. In this country 

 where private collections are almost a necessity in 

 many instances for advanced students a "Catalogue," 

 while it may always fall short necessarily of perfec- 

 tion, is almost indispensible as a guide in the exchange 

 of specimens; while, in general, the prices indicated in 

 the compendium may be said often to give concretely 

 a fair idea of the relative abundance of species — at 

 least of such as are readily obtainable. 



