HOW TO DETERMINE THE SEX 
OF A BIRD. 
The body having been removed from the skin, make a long incision 
down one side with a pair of scissors, and gently force the cut edges 
apart ; then with the handle of a scalpel force the intestines gently 
away so as to expose the wall, or rather the roof, of the cavity in 
which they rest. If there is much blood, wash it away with a little 
water, to which, if possible, should be added a little salt. All this 
must be done very gently : the water should be poured in. and then 
soaked up by a piece of sponge ; or if this is not to be had in the 
field, drain off the water by overturning the body. Never use the 
sponge to rub with. As soon as the roof of the body-cavity is 
thoroughly exposed, the sexual organs may be sought for, but, except 
in the breeding-season, the search must be conducted with much care. 
Attention must first be directed to an examination of the organs 
lying at the upper end of the kidneys, which are the dark red masses 
forming the roof of the cavity. 
In the male will be found two egg-shaped, white, or sometimes 
black bodies lying side by side, just over the arch formed by the 
convergence of two large blood-vessels, which can be seen running up 
from the tail end of the kidneys — these are the testes (fig. 4, t.). In 
the breeding- season there can never be any doubt about these ; but 
in young birds, and in old ones also after the breeding-season, the 
testes can often hardly be made out. In such cases the greatest care 
must be taken lest two other small yellowish bodies, known as the 
" adrenals " or " suprarenals " (fig. 4, s.r.), lying a little higher up — ■ 
at the extreme edge of the front border of the kidney — be mistaken 
for the testes. 
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