American Association of Museums 
107 
involving points which I venture to offer herewith, trusting that some 
of them may prove new and subject to adoption by others having 
to face the problem. 
There are two sources of bird skins: (1) from gift or purchase from 
collectors, very often amateurs, and (2) as gathered by the trained 
field collector under the direction, and in accordance with the deter¬ 
mined methods, of the museum itself. Of course, practically nothing 
further can be done with the bird skin from the first source. It may 
be made over, if particularly distorted, but I consider this advisable 
only in extreme cases. The original ‘make’ of a skin, however pe¬ 
culiar or inconsistent with current results, gives it individuality; 
and the remaking of it will not only rob it of this interest but is liable 
to obscure or modify some real characters of the species it represents. 
In accessioning such specimens it is my firm belief that the original 
label, and all subsequent labels that have been attached, should be 
retained. A label should be held sacred, never to be separated from 
the specimen. This tenet I should insist upon with no exception 
whatever; not even such as suggested by Osgood in the fourth volume 
of our Proceedings. 1 The original label, no matter how ungainly in 
size or form, or how inconvenient, should be preserved inseparable 
from the skin. Both can be kept together with maximum safety 
as well as either alone. If the label shows signs of disintegration it 
is high time to take special pains to care for the skin also, as by pro¬ 
viding a separate small covered box or wrapper for it. 
In addition to the original tags, a regular museum label will be 
tied to each specimen, upon which is inscribed the department 
number and the current name of the species represented. In the 
case of original tags which are falling to pieces or upon which the ink 
is fading, all of the data should be duplicated upon the newly added 
label. 
A word here as to labels, even though this subject has been so 
exhaustively discussed by Osgood 2 and others previously. Experience 
has led me to prefer a label somewhat larger than that employed 
by the Biological Survey. Our regular label for bird and mammal 
skins measures 63 x 15 mm. (2f x f inches). The only printing upon 
it is the name of the institution in small type centered at the top on 
one side only. The string is attached through two punctures at the 
Osgood, W. H., Labeling Large Collections of Mammals and Birds, Proc. 
Am. Assoc. Mus., IV, 1910, 107. 
2 Ibid., 105-111. 
