American Association of Museums 
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altitude, and general locality; date; measurements; colors of soft parts. 
All of this data is regularly inscribed by hand on one side of the label 
only, as emphasized above. 
Where the museum’s interests lead to field work under its own direc¬ 
tion it is, of course, not difficult to secure an ideal collection of skins. 
With field men employed, a uniform make of skin reaches the museum 
and the style and content of the field label can be dictated in advance. 
Always have the permanent label tied on in the field when the bird is 
skinned , this label bearing the entire field data. It seems to me the 
height of folly to attach a temporary number even though this corre¬ 
sponds to a note-book entry, leaving the full data to be inscribed at the 
museum or even at the end of some days or weeks collecting in the 
field. Serious error is thereby invited. The fully inscribed label, 
attached to the specimen at once, is as essential a part of the whole 
thing as the bill or feet and should be retained inviolate. 
Assuming that the skin has arrived at the museum, whether from 
vagarious source or from the regularly employed field collector, the 
first step is, of course, to thoroughly fumigate. We use the carbon 
bisulphide method in the small zinc cases. This has always proved 
completely effective. The horror of introducing dermestes throughout 
our cases when distributing new accessions leads us to perform the 
duty of fumigation with the greatest conscientiousness. The memory 
of a sad experience has taught us the lesson! 
It is not my purpose to describe here any particular system of cat¬ 
aloging. Suffice it to say that we employ the well-known card 
system under which there are three entries—in the accession catalog, 
the department catalog, and the reference catalog. The depart¬ 
ment catalog, of course, provides every specimen in an accession 
with its running catalog number. The reference catalog is arranged 
alphabetically by genera and under these by specific and subspecific 
names together, subspecific being treated as if specific. By a plenti¬ 
ful use of guide cards the catalogs can be used with ease. 
As to installation, it is of the utmost importance that bird 
skins be not cramped for room. Deterioration is rapid where birds 
are piled in trays one upon another and where they are at the same 
time subject to frequent handling. Wear and tear of feathers then 
becomes great. This can be obviated by providing adequate space. 
Our standard unit zinc case with pulpboard-bottom trays seems to 
be about a duplicate of what has been adopted elsewhere of recent 
years. We use no cotton lining in the trays. The smooth surface 
