from the syringe, and left to stand a few hours with the hole upper¬ 
most, after which the contents are found to be soluble, and are easily 
removed by the blowpipe, assisted by one of the hooks. It is almost 
unnecessary to add, except for the benefit of beginners, that the mani¬ 
pulation of the different instruments requires extreme caution, but a 
few trials will give the collector the practice necessary for success. 
Eggs should never be written on until the shells are perfectly dry, or 
the ink will be found to run, and the inscription will be rendered 
illegible. Eggs with chalky shells, such as those of the Anis ( Croio - 
phcuja ), Gannets and Cormorants ( Pelecanidw ), and others may be con¬ 
veniently marked by incising with a pin or the point of an egg-drill, 
so also those of the Ptarmigans ( Lagopu.s ), care being taken in this 
case to select the dark-coloured patches to write upon. The inscriptions 
should always be placed on the same side as the hole or holes, and 
confined within the smallest limits possible. For drilling the hole or 
holes the side presenting the least characteristic markings ’should be 
selected. 
Eggs that are very hard sat upon, of whatever size they be, should 
be treated in the following manner, which is a method superior to any 
other known at present to the writer for preventing injury arising to 
them. The annexed engraving (fig. 21) shows a piece of paper, a 
number of which when gummed on to an egg, one over the other, and 
left to dry, strengthen the shell in such a manner 
that the instruments above described can be 
introduced through the aperture in the middle and 
worked to the best advantage, and thus a fully 
formed embryo may be cut up, and the pieces 
extracted through a very moderately sized hole ; 
the number of thicknesses required depends of 
course greatly upon the size of the egg, the length 
of time it has been incubated, and the stoutness 
of the shell and the paper. Five or six is the least number that it is 
safe to use. Each piece should be left to dry before the next is 
gummed on. The slits in the margin cause them to set pretty smoothly, 
which will be found very desirable ; the aperture in the middle of 
each may be cut out first, or the whole series of layers may be drilled 
through when the hole is made in the egg. For convenience sake 
the papers may be prepared already gummed, and moistened when 
put on (in the same way that adhesive postage labels are used). 
Doubtless patches of linen or cotton cloth would answer equally well. 
When the operation is over a slight application of water (especially if 
