HOW TO PRESERVE EGGS FOR THE CABINET.
For this purpose eggs which are newly laid should always be chosen, as any decomposition of the contents will, probably, cause a discolouration of the shell. Make a hole at the smaller end, with an awl, or some other pointed instrument, and another at the larger end, which should be as small as possible, merely a pin hole will do; to this latter the mouth must be applied to blow out the contents. If the yolk does not come out readily, get a cup full of water, and immersing the sharp end into it, put your mouth to the blunt end, and suck up some of the water into the shell, then shake it about well, and blow it out again; repeat this operation two or three times, if necessary. If the shell has got soiled in any way, wash it well in strong lather, using a nail-brush if the stains do not come off readily, but great care must be taken in the handling of so brittle and fragile an article. Now as the membrane which lines the shell would be likely to decompose, and render it offensive, if not injure its beauty, it is best to wash the inside with a solution of the bichloride of mercury, commonly called corrosive sublimate, in spirits of wine; this solution should be prepared by a chemist, and used with great caution, as it is extremely poisonous. Pour it into a wineglass, and holding the egg firmly, yet tenderly, with the finger and thumb, which should not touch the liquid, put the smaller end therein; then apply the mouth, as previously directed, to the larger end, and suck up gently; cease doing so as soon as you are aware, by a cold sensation in the finger and thumb, that the liquid has entered the shell, which then take up by the two ends, so as to stop the orifice, and shake it well, then blow the solution back into the glass, taking care to wash the lips or the fingers if it comes in contact with either of them. The Oological specimen will soon dry, and is now ready for the cabinet. To render it more glossy and brilliant, it may have a coat of mastic varnish, put on thinly with a camel-hair brush, or, if the egg be of a blue or green tint, as many are, a solution of very pure white gum arabic is best, as the varnish is apt to injure those delicate colours.
As to the formation of the cabinet, and arrangement of the eggs therein, directions are scarcely necessary; this must depend very much upon the means and conveniences, as well as the taste of the collector. Shallow drawers with divisions sufficiently broad for the names of the specimens to be written or pasted along the tops, are perhaps best. Small pill-boxes, which may have the names on the lids, are not bad receptacles, and the cost of a few dozens of these is not much; but above all things let the arrangements be carried out with neatness and order; do not let the specimens be huddled together, but classified, and placed so that the hand may be laid upon any one which may be required. Duplicates for exchanging with other collectors, or replacing any which may be broken, may be put carefully in a drawer by themselves, their presence with the others will only cause unnecessary confusion and trouble.
Care should be taken not to name a specimen positively, if there is any doubt of its identity, it may be named with a query; and in the note-book, which every collector should keep, should be entered all the circumstances which weigh for or against the correctness of the designation given to it. This note-book ought to be a complete record of the time and place of acquisition of every specimen included in the collection, and of all that is curious or interesting connected with it. If nests as well as eggs are preserved, of course drawers with divisions are the very best receptacles; they occupy a great deal of space, and, except in some cases where the structure is peculiarly neat or curious, it is perhaps scarcely worth while to take and preserve them, especially as doing so often involves a cruel spoliation of the feathered architects, whose carefully chosen situations for building are well described by Dr. Bidlake, in his "Walks in a Forest."
"The cavern-loving Wren sequester'd seeks
The verdant shelter of the hollow stump;
And with congenial moss, harmless deceit,
Constructs a safe abode. On topmost boughs
The glossy Raven, and the hoarse-voiced Crow,
Rock'd by the storm, erect their airy nests.
The Ouzel, lone frequenter of the grove
Of fragrant pines, in solemn depths of shade
Finds rest, or 'mid the holly's shining leaves;
A simple bush, the piping Thrush contents,
Though in the woodland concert he aloft
Trills from his spotted throat a powerful strain,
And scorns the humble choir. The Lark too asks
A lowly dwelling hid beneath the turf,
A hollow trodden by the sinking hoof:
Songster of heaven! who to the sun such lays
Pours forth as earth ne'er owns. Within the hedge
The Sparrow lays her sky-blue eggs. The barn,
With eaves o'er-pendent, holds the chattering tribe.
Secret the Linnet seeks the tangled copse.
The White Owls seek some ruin'd antique wall,
Fearless of rapine; or in hollow trees,
Which age has cavern'd, safely courts repose.
The thievish Pie, in twofold colours clad,
Roofs o'er her curious nest with firm wreath'd twigs,
And side-long forms her cautious door; she dreads
The talon'd Kite, or pouncing Hawk, savage
Herself, with craft suspicion ever dwells."
FACTS AND ANECDOTES OF NESTS AND EGGS.
EASTER EGGS.
During the fifteen days after Easter, which constitute the Russian carnival, the people of that country supply themselves with eggs, variously coloured, which they send or give to one another as presents; and when they meet during this time they salute with the words, "Christ is risen;" to which the other having answered "He is certainly risen," they kiss one another. He that salutes first is obliged to present the other with an egg; no one, of whatever rank or sex, being allowed to refuse either the egg or the kiss. This custom prevails in many Catholic countries; the eggs, it appears, being considered as an emblem of the resurrection.