sprinkle the spots with dust, sand, powdered chalk, or any other similar substances. These precautions being observed, all stains caused by blood or internal secretions will be prevented.

A paper tunnel should now be made in the same manner as those used by grocers, the bird placed in it with the head towards the point, and the upper part folded over and fixed in this position by means of a pin, taking care not to injure the tail feathers by bending or displacing them. The parcel should then be placed in a box, sufficiently large to accommodate it without crowding, and the remaining space filled with grass, paper, or any substance more easily obtained; this will prevent the specimen from being injured by friction. In our own portion of the country during the colder seasons, also in the more northern latitudes, a bird may be allowed to remain (in extreme cases) forty-eight hours before the operation of skinning is undertaken, but half the time is a safer rule. In the summer season it may be permitted to lie until the blood has coagulated and the limbs have stiffened; but in all tropical countries the operation cannot be effected with too great dispatch. If the specimen is allowed to remain. any length of time beyond that above stated, the feathers about the head and abdomen are apt to fall off, thus rendering it more difficult to remove the skin; and the specimen often becomes unfit for preservation. Before skinning a bird, particular attention should be given to the color of the eyes, bill and legs, because these parts are liable to lose their tints after life is extinct, the color of the feathers upon the various parts of the body. Measurements should also be taken after the following manner, in feet, inches and fractions of an inch:

Total length from the tip of the bill to the end of the tail, the neck being stretched out in a straight line; length of the primary quills of the wing; total length of the bill, measuring either from the feathers on the forehead, following the curve of the ridge down. to the tip, or from the angle of

the mouth in a straight line to the tip; the length of the tail feathers from the extremity to their insertion in the coccyx, together with their number; the length of the tarsus, from the centre of the metatarsal and tarsal joints; length of toes; length and general character of the nails; the distance between the tips of the wings when spread out to their full extent. It should be next observed whether it be male or female, young or adult; also, any change of plumage in winter or summer; the common name given it in the locality where it was collected; the exact date when it was killed, and every fact which can be ascertained concerning its habits. "The sex of the specimen may be ascertained after the operation of skinning has been completed, by making an incision in the side, near the vertebræ, and exposing the inner surface of the 'small of the back.' The generative organs will be found tightly bound to this region (nearly opposite to the last ribs), and separating it from the intestines. The testicles of the male are two spheroidal or ellipsoidal whitish bodies, varying from the size of a pin head to that of a hazel-nut, according to the season. The ovaries of the female, consisting of a flattened mass of spheres, variable in size with the season, will be found in the same region.' All of the above statements should be plainly written upon slips of parchment or pasteboard, with ink, and attached to the corresponding specimen, or recorded in a blank book, with a number corresponding to the one attached to the specimen.

When practicable, nests and eggs should be preserved with the birds to which they belong, and all information concerning dates and places where they were found. Drawings of specimens will also be useful, both in mounting and as a source of reference. Many may consider the above directions, or at least a greater portion of them, of not much importance, but if they are carefully observed and practiced, the value of the collection will be greatly enhanced, since such information is of the utmost importance in scien

*Report of the Smithsonian Institution.

tific researches. Even should they not be destined for these purposes, the amateur will find his collection rendered far more interesting and instructive.

The collector should be provided with a light doublebarrelled gun, the best of powder, and shot of various sizes, No. 10 being used for killing small birds, as it is least injurious to the plumage. Humming Birds should be killed with dust shot. Early in the morning and after sunset are the best periods of the day for procuring birds. If the collector be in any tropical country, he should choose early dawn for his excursions, on account of the coolness of the air. It is also the time when the birds are seen and heard in greatest numbers. Birds in tropical countries are generally so tame, that they can be easily approached and with little skill; a sufficient number can be killed in the space of two or three hours, to occupy the collector during the remainder of the day. It is a good rule never to kill more specimens than can be preserved during the day. In some parts of tropical America, Humming Birds, Creepers, and other small birds are shot with blow-pipes by the natives, and they are killed in this manner without the least injury to their plumage. Many are also caught by means of birdlime, and in springes, and specimens secured by these means are the best for preservation.

The method of skinning a bird.-One of the most important points of taxidermy, is a correct knowledge of the method of skinning a bird, so that when the operation is finished, the skin may be as perfect as possible and free from all stains. It is impossible for any one to mount a specimen neatly and artistically, from a soiled or mutilated skin. There are many instances, however, in which it may be necessary to mount poor skins from their rarity; these should never be rejected, for a specimen badly stuffed is better than none at all, and will answer until a more perfect one can be obtained. There are two things essential to success, viz., patience and practice; and a good store of both will enable

one to perform the operation with ease and dispatch. Care should always be taken not to stretch the skin, in order that its natural dimensions may be preserved.

Before proceeding to work, provide yourself with a cup of Indian-meal, cotton, needle and thread, scalpel and preservative. In the first place examine the bird, and if any spots of blood be discovered, sprinkle them with Indianmeal, and rub it back and forth with the fingers, supplying fresh meal from time to time; this will remove it entirely. If the blood be dry, apply a little warm water with a sponge, and wash the spot gently. In this manner I have cleaned the entire breast of a bird stained with blood. If any of the feathers are bent, they may be restored to position by immersing them in warm water. Remove the cotton from the mouth, nostrils and vent, and replace it with fresh stuffing. A piece of small but strong twine should now be passed from one nostril through the other on the opposite side, and bringing the ends downward tie them beneath the lower mandible, leaving them a little longer than the neck of the bird. This will aid the operator in turning the head back to its natural position after the operation of skinning has been finished. Now take an accurate measurement from the tip of the bill to the end of the tail; also the girth of the body behind the wings. The bird is then ready for the operation. Placing it upon its back with the tail turned towards your right hand, with the left separate the feathers from the lower extremity of the breastbone, quite down to the vent, laying them to the right and left so that the skin beneath is visible. Place the scalpel upon the lower tip of the breastbone and cut the skin from this point in a straight line to the vent, taking care not to sever the thin muscular tissue which covers the intestines; should this have become accidentally cut, thereby exposing the intestines, remove them at once, that they may not soil the feathers. The skin must now be separated from the flesh on either side of the incision by passing the flat portion of the scalpel handle be

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tween the skin and the body. It will be found that some birds have the skin bound much closer to the flesh than others by means of small ligaments; these must be severed with the scalpel. When the skin is loosened from its attachments quite down to the back, and the thigh laid bare, the latter should then be pressed inward and the skin turned back, in order that the leg may be separated from the body at the second joint, or the junction of the tibia with the fibula. Repeat the operation with the other side. Next, the rump, or that part into which the tail feathers are fixed, should be severed from the body at the junction of the last dorsal vertebra with the coccyx, taking care not to cut the skin upon the back. Should blood at any time be discovered, absorb it with Indian-meal, and the oily matter proceeding from the fat (which is to be especially avoided in all the marine species) may be absorbed with a little powdered chalk. If the bird is a large one, it may be now suspended by means of a large fish-hook with the barb filed off, and attached to a strong cord, which will aid greatly in removing the remaining part of the skin; but if it is a small one, it should be placed upright upon its breast, with the head lying backward. In this position the skin should be removed from the back and breast, by using the back of the scalpel as stated before, until the wings are reached upon both sides. These are to be severed from the body at the shoulder-joint. It will be found to be much easier to unjoint them by cutting beneath instead of above the joint. The neck having been reached, must be turned out until the back part of the skull is laid bare. Having separated the cervical vertebræ, or the vertebræ of the neck, close to the head, remove the ear by separating the thin skin by which it is bound to the ear-socket, being cautious not to injure it by tearing or cutting. By close examination it will be seen that the eyelid is bound to the edge of the socket by a thin skin; this should be completely severed, thereby freeing the lid from its attachments. The eyes