ith plenty of hard work and
hand-polishing towards the last. A little tallow rubbed in with the
hand, as the very last finishing touch, will be found of benefit. A
paste made of sal volatile and rouge has been recommended to be
applied to the shell after scraping, then suffered to remain until
dry, and finally polished off.

Bad places in the shell, where it has peeled or been broken off,
should be made up with coloured shellac, or hardened wax, put in with
a warmed knife after polishing, and finished off separately.
Tortoise-shell may be welded by heat.

Sea shells may be polished by being plunged for a little time in
dilute nitric acid, then rubbed down with sand paper or fine emery and
oil, finished with "Water-Ayr" or "Snake-stone," and finally polished
with putty-powder and oil. A mussel-shell treated in this manner makes
a most beautiful object, coming out purple, with streaks of lighter
blue and pearl.

Stones, such as agates, which are found on the sea beach, or any stone
which is required to be polished, is to be first ground down to a
rough surface, then polished by successive rubbings of first, second,
and third grit-stones of different degrees of fineness, lastly
"Water-Ayr" or "Snake-stone," and finished with "putty powder" applied
with oil. All of the stones or grits mentioned are to be procured at
the marble mason's at a low rate. Serpentine treated in this manner
makes a very beautiful object.

EGGS, COLLECTING AND PRESERVING.--Eggs of various birds may be sought
for in their seasons in the localities best suited to the several
species. But so much depends upon special training or aptitude in the
collecting of birds' eggs, that a detailed description of localities
where to seek and how to find, eggs, is hardly necessary, in the pages
of this work, further than to remark that a pair of "climbing irons"
are requisite for those individuals who do not possess the agility of
a cat or of a schoolboy.

Climbing Irons (see Fig. 37), to fit the foot and leg, are best made
of wrought iron with a welding of finely-tempered steel from C to DE,
to form the claw used when climbing. To affix them to the leg, the
foot is placed as in a stirrup from C to B, the claw ED pointing
inward. A strap should now be passed through a slot or square hole
punched in the metal between C and D (not shown in the figure), and
laced under and across the foot to and through the loop shown between
B and A at a, thus keeping the foot