Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-11-08
EGGS AND BIRDS NESTS.
The Biological Collection at the Ma
tional Museum.


From tie Washington S'1~
To count and measure $4,000 eggs, and
enter a record Of each one, is not task
that one would take up for amusement.
A young lady, sitting in one of the smaller
rooms adjoining the exhibition halls of
the National museum, was engaged on
such seemingly endless task when a
reporter looked into her retreat the other
day. The young lady was Miss Il. S. Per-
klns, the assistant to Capt. Bendire, cur
rator OF the section OF Zoology. The term
Zoology is adopted by scientists because it
does not offer so many pegs to hang puns
upon as the plain Saxon word, egg. and
the oolOgist engaged in his absorbing
work can labor on undsturbed by the dis.
fractions OF puusters. When the eggs in
the collection AT the National Museum
were counted last January, Miss Perkins
told the reporter, the number was found
| to be 4O,0l2. Now she thought there were
$4,000 or $4,000 in the collection. These
are packed away In trays that fill cases,
placed along the walls OF the room. Each
tray is prepared with strips Of cotton bat
ting, so arranged that each egg has its
own little apartment with soft walls of
cotton. One who loves beautiful color.
could find a world of pleasure in looking
through these trays. Many of the eggs
are beautifully marked or spotted, others
are uniform in color, but OF exquisite
shades, unrivalled by art. In one case
are number of eggs from South America
which have a bright polish, as if enamel
| led or glazed. Delicate blues and pinks
and greens prevail. Some Of these colOrs
| fade upon exposure to light. Other eggs,
the OOlOgist said, would lose their beauti-
ful luster upon being handled. The mois-
ture of the hand will affect them. 1t is
| really not collection Of eggs, bnt OF
shells. The collector IN the field before
/ sending the trophies of his pTOwess to the
museum prepares the egg by blowing
them. Capt. Bendige, the curator of the
/ section, has prepared a brief pamphlet
containing instructions to collectors,
/ which has been issued by the National
museum. This pamphlet gives directions
\ for blowing eggs. A simple blow-pipe
and drill is all that is required. Many
collectors use very fine glass points at
tached to a rubbe bulb. Others use an
! instrument manufactured especially for
the purpose. a small hole is drilled in the
centre of one side OF the
| egg, and the contents are re-
moved by blowing through this. The egg
! hunter or bird hunter frequently makes
perilOus excursions in search Of nests.
Many birds build their nests i'm almost
/ inaccessible places. and to obtain the eggs
! involves great difficulty and danger. In
/ the collection at the museum is.a traytul
of eggs of the golden eagle, which Miss
! Perkins said are rated in the eRg-colec-
tors catalogue as worth s. a piece. Tne
/ eggs get their value from the difficulty Of
capturing the nests Of these eagles. The
eggs in the collection vary in size from
that of the tiniest humming bird to the
egg of the giant bird whose remains are
found in Madagascar. the latter bird is
represented by the cast Of fossil egg.
The collection includes many curious
things, which have an interest even to the
unscientitic observer. There are a
number Of specimens OF eccentric eggs
/ laid by eccentric hens, which have taken
every strange shapes, twisted and turned
/ like crOOked-neck squashes There is lit
/ tie egg of a tiny hummlng bird lying in a
dminutiye nest. The humming bird that
made the nest and laid the egg il the
smallest bird in the world. Miss Perkins
measured the egg while the reporter was
there. Eggs are measured by means OF a
little gauge having a movable arm, and
have to be handled very carefully. The
measurement is expressed in inches.
The lit egg was found to have length
or long diameter of 80 inch, and a short
diameter Of 10 inch. The nest was 1.20
inch across one way and .92 the other.
Some OF the sea-birds egg are notified very
]
the Pacific coast have odd figures all over
them, some of them assuming funny
shapes OF beasts, or birds, as though they
! had been rudely decorated. These eggs,
which are nearly twice as large as Ordi-
nary hens egg, are sold in the market in
/ San Francisco, and are considered to be
much more delicate in fiavOrthan the eggs
of domestic fowl. Nearly all birds eggs
are edible, said naturalist, at the mus
cum, Some are very strong, rank and
disa greeabie to the taste, and others are
much more palatabIe than hens eggs. He
had, be said. subsisted almost entirely
upon gulPs eggs for weeks. Grinning on a
shelf among a curious collection Of birds
nests is a human skull. A sparrow had
built it's nest in the cranial cavety and
found it very pleasant home, the sockets
! of the eyes making two little doOre. The
skull was sent to the museum and the top
OF itbas been sawed of so as 70 show the
nest inside. A physician in Maryland
put the skull in tree just to see whether
the birds would find out what fine little
bird-hOuse it would make, and sure
enough sparrow soon took possession,
and raised a family in it,. An egg which is
a great curiosity is one which it is calculs-
/ ted was laid 1000 years ago. 1t is the petri-
fed egg OF guanO bird found in gUano
bed 40 feet from the surface. Peruvian
scientists estimate that it required 1000
years TO lay the deposit underneath which
the egg was buried. Beside the eggs there
are boxes upon boxes OF birds nests stored
! away about the museum. Some Of the
more curious, such as the cunningly con
structed nests Of the weaver bird are dis
| PLAYED in a case.