Identifying Individual Birds for Breeding and for other Purposes by Means of an Improved Wing Badge that the Wearer cannot Displace.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 29th Apr., 1889-Accepted, 15th June, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Identifying Individual Birds for Breeding and for other Purposes
by Means of an Improved Wing Badge that the Wearer cannot
Displace.
1, MAY ARNOLD, of Whitethorns Acton, Middlesex, Spinster, Gentlewoman do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
Whereas in the increased breeding of birds to perfect purity of race the difficulty
of distinguishing those of the samé plumage & parentage has been much felt, 1 have
invented & am in possession of a means of overcoming it. Tattooing the skin of the
birds in points & patterns not only requires special skill, but is indecisive owing to
the small & uneven superficies of bare skin that birds display. Rings or ties of any
material attached to the legs are apt either to cramp or chill the latter in wet weather,
or to check their growth in young specimens, or the bird displaces them when
scratching for its food. By my new method the birds are distinguished by suitable
badges in every variety of colour applied at the only point of the frame where I find
they will retain their position, that is to bind the quill feathers or some of them to the bony
structure at the joint of the wing or wings, as used by me to make one wing inactive.
At this point and in this manner I apply a single or double loop, knot or other tie or
ligature of any material whatsoever, linked, cut, twisted, woven or otherwise & cover
it if of a nature to abraise the skin with variously coloured wrappings of eather or
other suitable material whatsoever. Or I take a cut woven, twisted or linked material
capable in itself of serving to tie or bind & dyed in the whole or part of its length
each sample in some variety of colour & apply it as a tie or ligature as above. By
using the negative colours black & white, also all the colours known as primary, red,
blue, yellow &c., & all the colours compounded of or derived from the primary ones
whether having special names of their own as purple, brown, buff &c. or named from
natural objects which exhibit them, metallic, mineral or otherwise, as rust or steel
coloured, brazen, iron-gray, tan slate &c., whole groupings of birds of similar plumage
in the same yards, lofts, or aviaries, can be successfully distinguished for every
purpose of ownership, rearing, mating of unrelated stock, sale or otherwise. Also
ownership may be distinguished by having the ligature one colour or pattern in one
portion of its length, while the individual bird is known by the colour or pattern of
the other portion. Patterns in or on any material, sunk or raised that is, or wrought
in openwork; will also serve my purpose of distinction & are applied by me where
the distinctive mark cannot be disturbed by the bird, as described.
Dated this 3rd day of October 1888.
MAY ARNOLD
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
Identiying Individual Birds for Breeding and for other Purposes
by Means of an Improved Wing Badge that the Wearer cannot
Displace.
I, MAY ARNOLD, of Whitethorns, Acton, Middlesex, Spinster, Gentlewoman do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
Whereas in the increased breeding of Birds to perfect purity of race the difficulty
of distinguishing those of the same plumage & parentage has been much felt, I have
invented & am in possession of a means of overcoming it. Tattooing the skin of the
Birds in points & patterns, not only requires special skill, but is indecisive owing to

page_text: the small & uneven superficies of bare skin that birds display. Rings or ties of
any material attached to the legs are apt either to crainp or chill the latter in wet
weather, or to check their growth in young specimens, or the bird displaces them
when scratching for its food. By my new method the Birds are distinguished by
suitable badges in every variety of colour applied at the only point of the frame where
I find they will retain their position, that is to bind the quill feathers or some of
them, to the bony structure at the joint of the wing or wings, as used by me to make
one wing inactive. At this point, & in this manner I apply a single or double loop,
knot, clasp, or other tie or ligature of any material whatsoever, linked, cut, woven,
twisted or otherwise, & cover it, if of a material to abraise the skin, with variously
coloured or decorated wrappings of leather or other suitable material whatsoever.
Or I take a cut, woven, twisted, or linked material capable of itself of serving to tie
or bind, & dyed in the whole or part of its length each sample in some variety of
colour or decoration & apply it as a tie or ligature as above. By using the negative
colours black or white to my wing-badge, also all the colours known as primary,
red, blue, yellow &c., & all the colours compounded of or derived from the primary
ones, whether having special names of their own as purple, brown, buff, &c., or
named from natural objects which exhibit them, metallic, mineral or otherwise, as
rust or steel coloured, brazen, iron-gray, tan, slate, &c.-whole groupings of birds of
similar plumage in the same yards, lofts, or aviaries, can be successfully distinguished
for every purpose of ownership, rearing, inating of unrelated stock, sale, or otherwise.
Also while ownership may be distinguished by having the ligature one colour or
pattern in one portion of its length, or by lettering, the individuality of the bird may
he known by the colour or pattern of its other portion.. Patterns in or on any
material, sunk or raised, that is, written, or wrought in openwork, will also serve
my purpose of distinction, & are applied by me where the distinctive mark cannot be
disturbed by the birds, as described.
Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, & in what manuer the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
I. On a Bird, the affixing to the wing or wings, any clasp, tie, catch, or ligature
whatsoever in any material which by a hold or pull on the feathers, or certain of
them, one way, & on the wing joint another way, is prevented from slipping off,
thereby forming a permanent Badge, the wearing or non-wearing of which will or may
serve to identify one Bird from another.
Il. The differentiating of the Badge so placed by every variety of coloration,
writing, printing, painting, pattern, material or make possible to the said position, so
that it may or will serve to identify several or many Birds wearing it each from
every other.
Dated this 90th day of Annil 1040