24 
FIELD ORNITHOLOGY. 
face of a lalDel ; the rest are commonly written on the back. Labels should be of light card- 
board, or very stiff writing paper ; they may be dressed attractively, as fancy suggests : the 
general items of a large number of specimens are best printed ; the special ones must of course 
be written. Shape is immaterial, small ''cards" or ''tickets" are preferred by some, and 
certainly look very well when neatly appointed ; but I think, on the whole, that a shape 
answering the idea of a " slip " rather than a ' ' ticket " is most eligible. A slip about three 
inches long and two thirds of an inch M^de will do very well for anything, from a hawk to a 
humming-bird. Something like the " shipping tag " used by merchants is excellent, particu- 
larly for larger objects. It seems most natural to attach the string to the left-hand end. The 
slip should be tied so as to swing just clear of the bird's legs, but not loose enough to dangle 
several inches, for in that case the labels are continually tangling with each other when the 
birds are laid away in drawers. The following diagrams show the face and back of the last 
label I happened to write before these lines were originally penned ; they represent the size 
and shape that I find most convenient for general purposes; while the " legend " illustrates 
every one of the twelve items above specified. 
% Explorations in Dakota. Dr. Elliott Coues, U. S. A. 
S No. 2655. Buteo borealis (Gm.) V. 9 juv. p 
x3 . M 
g Fort Randall, Missouri River. Oct. 29, 1872. § 
m 
Obverse. 
23.00 X 53.00 X 17.50. — Eyes yellowish-gray ; bill liorn-blue, 
darker at tip ; cere w^ax-yellow ; tarsi dull yellowish ; claws 
bluish-black. Stomach contained portions of a rabbit ; also, a 
large tapeworm. 
Reverse. 
Directions for Measurement may be inserted here, as this matter pertains rightfully to> 
the recording of specimens. The following instructions apply not only to length and extent, 
but to the principal other dimensions, which may be taken at any time. For large birds, a 
tape-line showing inches and fourths will do ; for smaller ones, a foot-rule graduated for inches 
and eighths, or better, decimals to hundredths, must be used ; and for all nice measurements 
the dividers are indispensable. " Length : " Distance between the tip of the bill and end of 
the longest tail-feather. Lay the bird on its back on the ruler on a table ; talce hold of the bill 
with one hand and of both legs with the other ; pull with reasonable force to get the curve all 
out of the neck ; hold the bird thus with the tip of the bill flush with one end of the ruler, and 
see where the end of the tail points. Put the tape-line in place of the ruler, in the same way, 
for larger birds. Extent Distance between the tips of the outspread wings. They must 
be fully outstretched, with the bird on its back, crosswise on the ruler, its bill pointing to your 
breast. Take hold of right and left metacarpus with the thumb and forefinger of your left and 
right hand respectively, stretch with reasonable force, getting one wing-tip flush with one end 
of the ruler, and see how much the other wing-tip reaches. With large birds pull away as 
hard as you please, and use the table, floor, or side of the room ; mark the points and apply 
tape-line. " Length of iving : " Distance from the carpal angle formed at the bend of the 
wing to the end of the longest primary. Get it with compasses for small birds. In birds with 
a convex wing, do not lay the tape-line over the curve, but under the wing in a straight line. 
This measurement is the one called, for short, " the wing." Length of tail: ^' Distance 
