Oology

Oology (or oölogy) is a branch of ornithology studying bird eggs, nests and breeding behavior. Oology can also refer to the hobby of collecting wild birds' eggs, sometimes called birdnesting or egging, which is now illegal in many jurisdictions.^[1]

History

As a science

Oology includes the study of birds' eggs.

Oology became increasingly popular in Britain and the United States during the 1800s. Observing birds from afar was difficult because high quality binoculars were not readily available.^[1] Thus it was often more practical to shoot the birds, or collect their eggs. While the collection of the eggs of wild birds by amateurs was considered a respectable scientific pursuit in the 19th Century and early 20th Century,^[2] from the mid 20th Century onwards it was increasingly regarded as being a hobby rather than a scientific discipline.

As a hobby

Egg collecting was still popular into the 1900s, even as its scientific value became less prominent. Egg collectors built large collections and traded with one another. Frequently, collectors would go to extreme lengths to obtain eggs of rare birds. For example, Charles Bendire was willing to have his teeth broken to remove a rare egg that became stuck in his mouth. He had placed the egg in his mouth while climbing down a tree.^[1]

As a crime

As legislation, such as the Wild Birds Protection Act 1954 in the United Kingdom, made it impossible to collect eggs legally, the practice of egg collecting, or 'egging', continued as an 'underground' or illegal activity in the UK and elsewhere.^[3][4] Collectors can, in the UK, following the enactment of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, risk imprisonment for up to six months for the possession of the eggs of wild birds.^[5] The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has been particularly active in fighting illegal egg collection.

Collecting

Methods

When collecting eggs, normally the whole clutch of eggs is taken. Rarer species of birds may be targeted. Because eggs will rot if the contents are left inside, they must be 'blown' to remove the contents. Although collectors will take eggs at all stages of incubation, freshly laid eggs are much easier to 'blow', usually through a small, inconspicuous hole drilled with a specialized drill through the side of the eggshell.

Major research collections

• Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology (176,000 clutches with 800,000 eggs)
• The British Museum (610,000 eggs)
• Delaware Museum of Natural History (520,000 eggs)
• National Museum of Natural History (190,000 eggs)
• San Bernardino County Museum (41,000 clutches with 135,000 eggs)^[1][6]

Oologists and egg collectors

• Charles Bendire
• Colin Watson

Oology related publications

Numerous books, and at one point a journal, have been published on egg collecting and identification^[1]:

• Thomas Mayo Brewer, (1814–80), an American ornithologist, wrote most of the biographical sketches in the History of North American Birds, by Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway (1874–84). He has been called "the father of American oölogy". He wrote North American Oölogy which was partially-published in 1857.
• William Chapman Hewitson, Illustrations of Eggs of British Birds, (third edition, London, 1856).
• Alfred Newton, Dictionary of Birds, (New York, 1893–96).
• Morris, Francis Orpen (1853). A Natural History of the Nests and Eggs of British Birds. pp. 499. 
• Gentry, Thomas (1882). Nests and Eggs of Birds of the United States. Philadelphia. 
• Oliver Davie, Nests and Eggs of North American Birds, (fifth edition, Columbus, 1898).
• The Oologist. http://books.google.com/books?id=qN5FAAAAYAAJ&dq=the+oologist&source=gbs_navlinks_s. 

See also

• Jourdain Society

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Henderson, Carrol L (2007). Oology and Ralph's Talking Eggs. Austin: University of Texas Press. pp. 200. ISBN 0292714513. 
2. ^  Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). "Birdsnesting". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 
3. ^ George, Rose. "Egg poachers at large". The Guardain. Guardian News and Media Limited. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2003/apr/07/animalwelfare.environment. Retrieved 9 November 2011. 
4. ^ Barkham, Patrick. "The egg snatchers". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2006/dec/11/g2.ruralaffairs. Retrieved 9 November 2011. 
5. ^ "Egg Collecting". Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. http://www.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/policy/wildbirdslaw/wildbirdcrime/egg_collection.aspx. Retrieved 9 November 2011. 
6. ^ "The Hatching of Oology at the County Museum". San Bernardino County Museum. http://www.sbcounty.gov/museum/media/2005/06-04-05a.htm. 

External links

• Alberto Masi Egg Gallery