NATUKAL SCIENCE NEWS. 



if not, No. 12 will answer. No. 8 

 will do for Ducks and large birds. 

 For Hawks and Eagles, wire cart- 

 ridges are the best. 



In shooting small birds, load as 

 lightly as possible. Put in no more 

 shot than is required to kill the 

 bird. As you can approach very 

 near most small birds, you will find 

 by experiment, that you can kill 

 them with very little shot. If too 

 much powder is used, it will impel 

 the shot with so much force as to 

 send it completly through the bird, 

 thereby making two holes, when 

 less powder, by causing less force, 

 would have made only one, and the 

 bird would have been killed just 

 as effectually. When shot goes into 

 the body of a bird, it generally 

 carries feathers with it, and in a 

 measure plugs the hole; but when 

 it is forced through and comes out, 

 it often carries away a small patch 

 of feathers and skin, leaving an 

 open wound, from which the blood 

 flows freely. 



If the bird is not instantly killed 

 by shooting, the thumb and fore- 

 finger should be placed with a firm 

 pressure on each side of the body 

 under the wings, when it will soon 

 die. This operation compresses 

 the lungs and prevents the bird's 

 breathing. Besides mercifully end- 

 ing its suffering, its death causes 

 the flow of blood in a measure to 

 cease, for this reason it should be 

 killed as quickly as possible. 



The mouth, nostrils and vent 

 should now be plugged with cotton 

 or tow. By blowing aside the 

 feathers the shot holes may be de- 

 tected; if they bleed, or are in the 

 abdomen or rump, a pinch of cal- 

 cined plaster* should be placed up- 

 on them; this absorbs the blood, 

 or any fluid that may ooze out. 

 When shot enters either the abdo- 

 men or rump, it is apt to cut the 

 intestines and set free the fluids 

 contained therein. If the blood 

 has already soiled the feathers, re- 

 move as much as is possible with 

 a knife, then sprinkle plaster on 

 the spot, and rub the soiled feath- 

 ers gently between the thumb and 

 fingers; this, if repeated, will gen- 

 erally remove any spots of blood, 

 etc., if the operation is performed 

 before the blood becomes dry. 

 When the blood is dry, it is remov- 

 ed after the bird is skinned, as will 

 be hereafter described. 



Next make a note of the color of 

 the eyes, feet, and bill of the spec- 

 imens, also note the color of the 



* This is burned plaster or gypsum, and is 

 used by stucco-makers. If it cannot be pro- 

 cured, the unturned plaster or common ground 

 gypsum used by farmers, or air-slacked lime, 

 pulverized chalk, or ashes.— in fact anything 

 that will absorb the blood,— will answer. 



cere in birds of prey, and the na- 

 ked skin of the lores and about the 

 bill of the Herons, also about the 

 heads of the Vultures. After 

 smoothing the feathers carefully, 

 place the bird in a paper conef 

 head first, then pin or twist up 

 the larger end, taking care not to 

 injure the tail-feathers. The 

 blood can be washed from the 

 feathers of all the swimmers, but 

 the bird in this case, should be al- 

 lowed to dry before packing in 

 paper. If grease or oily matter 

 has oozed out upon the feathers, 

 the bird should not be washed, 

 but the plaster be used as before, 

 only in larger quantities. 



All traces of blood should be in- 

 stantly removedfrom white feathers, 

 as it is very apt to stain them if it 

 remains upon them long. The pa- 

 per containing the bird should be 

 placed in a light basket, — a willow 

 fish basket is the best for this pur- 

 pose, — suspended by a strap over 

 the shoulder, and resting upon the 

 hip. If there are but one or two 

 birds in the basket, it should be 

 filled with grass, or loose paper, to 

 keep them steady, as otherwise they 

 might receive injury by rolling from 

 side to side. In packing birds, 

 avoid putting the largest at the top, 

 as their weight will cause the 

 smallest to bleed. Do not hold a 

 bird in the hand any longer than 

 is necessary; if possible, take it by 

 the feet or bill, for the perspiration 

 from the hand tends to impair the 

 gloss of the plumage. 



A good collector must practice, 

 in order to become a good shot. 

 He must always keep his gun in 

 readiness, for at any moment a 

 bird that he desires may start up 

 at his feet, or peer out from the 

 bushes for only an instant before 

 flying away; by being ready, he 

 will thus secure many birds that 

 he would otherwise loose. 



To be in readiness at all times, 

 the gun should be carried in the 

 hollow of the left arm, with the 

 the muzzle pointed backwards, or 

 with the stock under the right arm, 

 with the muzzle pointed towards 

 the ground which is undoubtedly 

 the safest way, especially if you 

 are hunting with a companion. 

 Too much caution cannot be used 

 in handling a loaded gun, espec- 

 ially by a professional collector, 

 who may spend two-thirds of his 

 time with a gun in his hand. A 

 gun should never be carried in 

 other than three ways, — the two 

 above mentioned and directly over 

 the shoulder. If the collector be- 



t The leaves of an old pamphlet are about 

 the right size for making cones for small birds, 

 and can be easily obtained. 



comes accustomed to these ways, 

 which are all perfectly safe, he will 

 never think of any other. Surely, 

 this caution is necessary to one 

 who is traveling through all sorts 

 of places, when a slip or a fall with 

 a carelessly held gun might cripple 

 him for life, by an accidental dis- 

 charge. 



While passing through thick 

 bushes, always carry the gun under 

 the arm, as this prevents its acci- 

 dental discharge by the bushes 

 catching the trigger or hammer. 

 Never allow the muzzle of the gun 

 to point at any one, even for an in- 

 stant. All these things depend 

 upon habit, and will cause a thought- 

 ful man, who has handled a gun 

 for a long time, to be much more 

 careful than a person who seldom 

 takes one in his hands. The 

 thougtful man prefers rather to 

 avoid accidents to himself and oth- 

 ers — by care in advance — than to 

 risk the chance of having to mourn 

 his carelessness afterwards. The 

 various devices for snaring birds 

 are undoubtedly the best ways to 

 secure them without injuring their 

 plumage. But the collector will 

 have to rely mainly upon his gun; 

 and by following the above instruc- 

 tion regarding the light charges, 

 he will find that he will generally 

 kill a bird without injuring its 

 plumage seriously. If he carefully 

 attends to it afterward in the way 

 described, he will save himself 

 much trouble when he wishes to 

 preserve it. 



In an old French cook-book may 

 be found a receipt for a rabbit-stew, 

 commencing with, "First catch 

 your rabbit," etc., — which rule is 

 applicable to the collector. First, 

 study with attention the art of col- 

 lecting. Many and long have been 

 the lessons in collecting that I have 

 taken in long tramps through sun- 

 shine and storm, in the bracing air 

 among the mountains of Northern 

 Maine and New Hampshire, on 

 sandy islands and rocky shores, 

 amid the luxuriant forests and 

 along the rivers and lagoons of 

 semi-tropical Florida. Hours of 

 danger and perplexity have been 

 mingled with days of inexpressible 

 pleasure, which all must experience 

 who study from the Great Book of 

 Nature. Not easily, then, I may 

 add, have I learned what I am try- 

 ing to .impart to others in these 

 pages. 



Since writing the preceeding, I 

 have been informed by my friend, 

 Mr. W. Brewster, of Cambridge, 

 that in collecting such small birds 

 as the Warblers, Sparrows, Wrens, 

 etc., he has used a "blow-gun" to 



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