Movement of the International Literary Exchanges, between France and North America from January 1845 to May, 1846: With Instructions for Collecting, Preparing, and Forwarding Objects of Natural History Written by The Professors Administrators of The Museum Of Natural History At Paris. And Instructions Relative to Anthropology and Zoology
History
Movement of the International Literary Exchanges, between France and North America from January 1845 to May, 1846: With Instructions for Collecting, Preparing, and Forwarding Objects of Natural History Written by The Professors Administrators of The Museum Of Natural History At Paris. And Instructions Relative to Anthropology and Zoology
Exchange of publications
Hunters ought to take care to proportion their shot to the size of the
birds, so as not to injure them. As soon as a bird is killed, the
blood should be staunched as soon as possible, and a little cotton
placed in the bill and nostrils of the bird, so that the blood that
comes out may not injure the feathers, especially those of the head.
If blood has been spilt on the feathers, dust should be put on them
and renewed until they are dry; they can be made bright by rubbing
them lightly between the fingers. After the bird is cold and the blood
coagulated, it should be taken by the claws and tail, to place it in a
bein of paper; these beins are arranged in a box, so that the feathers
may not rub.
Birds should be skinned like quadrupeds, and care should be taken to
preserve with the same precautions the bills and heads. Birds should
be skinned more promptly than quadrupeds, because as soon as
putrefactions begins, the feathers fall off. In opening the skin on
the belly, care should be taken to separate the feathers _so that they
be not injured_. Plaster or dust should always be put on the skin, in
order to thoroughly absorb the moisture. The coccygis should be left
with the skin; without this, the feathers of the tail are in danger of
falling off. It will be the same with the bones of the extremities of
the wings. If the bird has a fleshy crest, the head should be
preserved in alcohol. When there are several specimens of the same
class, it will always be useful to send one in this liquor.
It is desirable to procure, at the same time, the male and female, and
specimens of the same kind, some young, others old, birds differing
much according to their age. It is well to have also the eggs and
nests. To preserve the eggs, a little hole is made at both ends, they
are emptied and packed in bran or very fine dust. Care should be taken
to indicate by numbers corresponding to those of the skin that laid
them. Without this, these sorts of collections are useless. The same
precaution should be taken with the nests, which should always be
packed in a different box from the eggs.
The skeleton of birds too large to be put in liquor should be sent, if
possible.
It is useless to stuff birds. They take up too much room; and this
operation, which can only be well done by experienced persons, it is
better to postpone till they arrive at the place of their destination.
It is enough that the skins be prepared and well preserved.
After having pointed out, in a general manner, what would enrich our
collections, we think it necessary to specify the animals, whose
existence is known, which the museum is without, or has not in good
order, or desires to procure.
_North America_.--All the mammiferes which resemble our mole preserved
in alcohol.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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