Mounting Bird-feather Collections.

In your issue of September 22 last Sir Knight Jay F. Hammond asked how to mount his bird-feather collections. I send a copy of the way Mrs. Brightwen describes her method, taken from her "More About Wild Nature."

Raymond A. Beardslee, R.T.K.
Hartford, Conn.

"The feathers should be mounted in a blank album of about fifty pages, eleven inches wide by sixteen, so as to make an upright page which will take in long tail feathers. Cartridge-paper of various pale tints is best, as one can choose the ground that will best set off the colors of the feathers. Every other page may be white, and about three black sheets will be useful for swan, albatross, and other white-plumaged birds.

"The only working-tools required are sharp scissors and a razor, some very thick strong gum arabic, a little water, and a duster in case of fingers becoming sticky.

"Each page is to receive the feathers of only one bird. A common wood-pigeon is an easy bird to begin with, and readily obtained at any poulterers. Draw out the tail feathers and place them quite flat in some paper until required; do the same with the right wing and the left, keeping each separate, and putting a mark on each that you may know which they contain; the back, the breast, the fluffy feathers beneath—all should be neatly folded in paper and marked, and this can be done in the evening or at odd times; but placing the feathers on the pages ought to be daylight work, that the colors may be studied. Now open the tail-feather packet, and with the razor carefully pare away the quill at the back of each feather, leaving only the soft web, which will be perfectly flat when gummed upon the page. When all the packets are thus prepared (it is only the quill feathers that require the razor), then we may begin.

"I will describe a specimen page. Towards the top of the page place a thin streak of gum, lay upon it a tail feather (the quill end downwards), and put one on each side. The best feathers of one wing may be put down, one after the other, till one has sufficiently covered the page, then the other wing feathers may be placed down the other side; the centre may be filled in with the fluffy feathers, and the bottom can be finished off with some breast feathers neatly placed so as to cover all quill ends."

Kinks.

No. 46.—Charade.

My first has been a friend of man
Forever since the world began;
It rules by day, and well it might,
And is not lost in depths of night.
My second is a bank of sand—
'Tis got from birds of sea and land.
My last a pronoun has been made.
When letter H has been mislaid.
My whole the squatter's heart doth tease,
And doth his pocket often squeeze.
Whole comes by day and stays by night,
In spite of many a scornful slight.