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may be readily taken from the dried skin, there is no particular advantage 
in taking them from the fresh bird. As most research workers prefer to 
make their own measurements when studying the specimens later, many 
collectors have dropped the habit of taking any bird measurements in the 
field. 
As the “ Length " of a bird is frequently given in popular books for 
identification, it is well to record on the label the length of the fresh bird. 
The “ Extent" (E.), or spread of wings from tip to tip, is also of interest, 
particularly in large birds, and is taken by holding the tip of one wing 
down on the floor or the edge of a table and pulling the other wing out to 
its fullest extent and marking the distance. Chapin (1929) recommends 
taking also the ‘'Length of body" — the distance measured with the dividers 
from the anterior surface of the shoulder to the vent, or if the bird is 
skinned, to the tip of the pubic bones. The length of neck can be derived 
when the total length, length of body, and the length of tail are known, and 
the measurements are very useful if the skin is ever mounted. 
Colour Records 
Collectors have always been advised to keep in their notebooks a 
record of colours of iris, bill, feet, and any soft or bare parts of birds, as 
these parts dry out and lose their colours, entirely or in part, shortly after 
death. Some of these colours differ with the sex, and change radically with 
age and season. Some collectors do keep records of such things, but many 
young collectors mistakenly assume that these matters are all known and 
recorded by the pundits of ornithology, and fail to make original records. 
If it happens that all the seasonal colours of a bird are already well known 
to ornithologists, the colour tints may give a clue to the age or sex of a 
specimen when it can not be determined from the plumage. 
Many birds are so rare that only a few specimens have been taken by 
professional ornithologists, and perhaps only in certain stages. As the 
systematist, taxidermist, and bird artist wish to know the colouring of any 
particular specimen, Major Allan Brooks and others have long been 
urging collectors to record the colours of soft parts of birds on the label. 
Every zoologist should be to some extent familiar with colour names, and 
if possible own a copy of Ridgway’s “Colour Standards" (1912), or have 
access to a library copy. Failing this, frequent reading of bird descriptions 
in standard works and comparing of these with specimens will give a 
general idea of the more common shades of colour. At the very least, he can 
record whether the eyes of a young bird are “ brown ” or “ yellow ", or its 
feet “ yellowish " or “ blackish." If the collector has any skill with water 
colours, it is a fine thing to make colour sketches of bill or feet, or a rough 
diagram with coloured pencils. 
SKINNING BIRDS 
When skinning birds or small mammals, place a sheet of newspaper on 
the table and change it for another when it becomes soiled. Immediate 
notes may be jotted on the corner and at the finish the offal and loose 
paper may be rolled up and burned or buried. On long trips away from 
civilization a piece of oilcloth is handy to skin specimens on, and keeps tools 
from getting lost. 
