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Don't kill a rare local bird of which you could procure a 

 Continental specimen, or specimen from its habitat where it is 

 abundant. Don't, if you intend to study birds, have them set 

 up in cases. Such things are best left to museums. For the 

 worker a series of skins is better and more useful. 



Of eggs, don't rob rare local species for the sake of getting 

 British specimens of eggs. A Continental clutch of Falco 

 peregrinus will answer your purpose as well as a clutch taken 

 in Britain, where this noble bird is struggling hard to maintain 

 a footing against the senseless criminal persecution of the game- 

 keeper and the collector. 



Don't bribe other persons to procure eggs and birds you 

 ought to help protect, the receiver is worse than the thief. It 

 is no good comforting yourself by saying : Well, the eggs are 

 taken now, I might as well have them. The thief will speedily 

 drop his thieving if his proceeds of theft find no market. No 

 man will risk his neck for rare birds' eggs after he gets a clutch 

 or two left on his hands unsaleable. 



Don't use big shot, the smaller the shot that are serviceable 

 the better. 



Don't use a small bore gun, the smaller the bore the more 

 the gun cuts. A bigger bore with a very light charge of shot 

 and powder will get better specimens. You will miss more birds, 

 but it is better to kill one out of five clean than maul four out 

 of five. Thin central wads and thin card wads between the layers 

 of shot ensure a wide pattern, and enable you to kill your 

 specimens clean. 



Don't take short clutches of eggs and odd eggs, take a full 

 clutch or leave the eggs alone. Taking short clutches is to spoil 

 the nest and then get eggs that are of little utility, odd eggs are 

 nearly useless since they illustrate so little. Taking a few out 

 of a nest means either desertion, in which case you might as 

 well take the clutch, or rearing a short brood, which is undesirable. 

 Take early clutches and the birds will nest again and rear full 

 broods ; if it can be avoided don't take incubated clutches or 'ate 

 clutches. The bird's ovaries have usually then become quiescent, 

 and she will not lay again that year. 



Don't handle nests, the birds will desert; if you must, rub 

 your hands in the earth first, it kills the smell of humanity so 

 offensive to the avian world. 



Don't waste the contents of your birds' stomachs. If you have 

 the perseverance and patience the contents of a single bird's 

 stomach will often furnish you with material for months of micro- 

 scopic work. I may say this particular branch of work is much 

 neglected. It is a subject of the highest scientific and economic 

 irnnortance to know what our birds, especially our insectivorous 

 birds eat. You also in doing such work wi 1 ! run a grave risk cf 

 distinguishing yourself by the discovery of new and interesting in- 

 sects. A number of our more minute species have only been met 

 with in the stomachs of insectivorous birds. 



