Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-10-30
EGGS AND BIRDS NESTS.
The Biological Collection at the Ma
tiOnal Museum-HOw the Eggs and
Nests are Obtained-CuriOus Things
10 be Seen There-A Bird that Built
ITS House in q skull.

To count and measure 40, 900 eggs, and enter
a record OF each one, is not a 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 a seemingly endless task
when STAR reporter looked into her retreat
the other day. The young lady was Miss ii. 5.
Perkins, the assistant to Capt Bendire curator
of the section of Zoology. The term Zoology is
adopted by scientists because ii does not offer so
many pegs TO hang puns upon as the plain Saxon
word, egg, and the oologist engaged in his alb
sorbing work can labor on undsturbed by the
distractions of punsters. 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,012. Now she thought there were
$4,000 or $4,000 i'm the collection. These are
packed away in trays that fll cases placed
along the walls of the room. Each tray is pre-
pared with strips OF cotton batting SO arranged
that each egg has its own little apartment with
soft walls of cotton. One who foves beautiful
color, could find a world OF pleasure in looking
through these trays. Many of the eggs are
form i'm color, but of exc uisite shades unrivaled
by art. In one case are number OF eggs from
South America which have bright polish, as
il enamelled or glazed. Delicate blues ana
pinks and green's prevail. Some OF these colors
fade upon exposure to light Other eggs.
the ooogist said. would lose their beau
moisture OF the hand will affect them.
1t is really not collection OF eggs, but of shells.
trophies of his prowess to the museum prepares
the egg by blowing them. Capt. Bendire, 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
is required. Many collectors use very fine glass
points attached TO a rubber bulb. Others use an
instrument manufactured especially tor the
purpose. A small hole Is drilled i'm the center
OF one side OF the egg, and the contents are re-
moved by blowing through this. The egg
hunter or bird hunter frequently makes peril
Gus excursions i'm search of nests. Many birds
build their nests ia almost inaccessible places,
and to obtain the eggs involves great
difficulty and danger. In the collection at
the museum is trayful of eggs of
the golden eagle, which Miss Perkins said are
rated i'm the egg-collector's catalogue as worth
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 NADIA
gascar. The latter bird Is represented by the
cast OF FOSSIL egg. Inc collection includes includes
even to the unscientific observer. There are "A
number of specimens OF eccentric eggs laid by
shapes, twisted and turned like crooked-neck
squashes There is little egg of tiny hum
The es lying BIRD that made the
S sird in the world MIS- Perkins measared She
are measured by means of o little gauge having
amovable arm, and have to be handled very
carefully. The measurements Is expressed in
inches. The little egg was found to have "A
length or long diameter of 80 inch, and short
diameter of Il 3 inch. The nest was ]. 20 inch
across one way and 90 the other. Some of the
sea-birds eggs are mottled very peculiarly.
Eggs of the guillemOt, from the Pacific coast,
have odd figures all over them, some of them
assuming mummy shapes of beasts, or birds as
though they had been rudely decorated. These
eggs, which ale nearly twice as large ordinary
hens eggs, are sold in the market i'm San Fran
CISCO and are considered to be much more deli
cate in flavor than the eggs OF domestic fowl.
Nearly all birds eggs are edible, said natural
list, at the museum. Some are very strong,
rank and disagreeable to the taste, and
Others much more palatable than hens
eggs. He had, he said, subsisted almost
entirely upon gull's egEs< fer weeks. Grinning
Oh q shelf among curlDuo- collection Of birds
nests is a human skull. A sparrow had built
its nest in the cranial cavety and found il q
very pleasant home, the sockets OF the eyes
making two little doors. The skull was sent to
off SO as to show the nest inside. A physician
in Maryland put the skull In a tree just to see
whether the birds would find out what fine
little bird-house ii would make, and sure enough
a sparrow soon took possession, and raised a
family i'm ii. An egg which is great curiosity,
is one which it is calculated was laid 900
years ago. 1t is the petrified egg of guano bird
found in a guano bed 40 feet from the surface.
Peruvian scientists estimate that il required
1000 years to lay the deposit underneath which
the egg buried. Besides the eggs there
are boxes upon boxes OF brds'nests stored away
about the museum. Some of the more curious
such AS the cunnIngly constructed nests Of the
weaver bird are displayed In a case.