[Nhcoll-l] Bird eggs in ethanol

[John E Simmons]

Belinda,
Yes, you can preserve the eggs in ethanol as you have described. I have
preserved bird eggs as well as reptile eggs this way and it works fine.

My recommendation is to thaw the eggs in 70% ethanol so that preservation
can begin as soon as the tissue is unfrozen, as this prevent bacterial
growth. As the eggs thaw, inject 70% ethanol into the eggs as you describe,
taking care not to over-fill them. After 24 hr, you should check the
concentration of the alcohol in case the fluid from the eggs dilutes it.

THe only potential negative effect the ethanol might have on the shell as
it is possible it could dissolve some of the pigments, so take color photos
of the eggs with a color standard in the frame as a reference.

--John

John E. Simmons
Writer and Museum Consultant
Museologica
*and*
Associate Curator of Collections
Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery
Penn State University
*and*
Investigador Asociado, Departamento de Ornitologia
Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima


On Thu, May 25, 2023 at 7:25 PM Bauer, Belinda <
Belinda.Bauer at tmag.tas.gov.au> wrote:

> Hello,
>
>
>
> I have a collection of frozen bird eggs that I need to catalogue and move
> out of the freezer.
>
>
>
> Many are from listed/ threatened species and important to keep but are
> damaged or crushed and not suitable for blowing.
>
> All still have some sort of contents, even a few that look to have small
> embryos.
>
>
>
> I was wondering if I could preserve these sorts of specimens in ethanol?
>
> I couldn’t find any resources online about if ethanol has any long term
> implications on the shell, but I assume it would be ok.
>
>
>
> Do any other collections have bird eggs prepared in this way?  Can I just
> inject a small amount of fluid into eggs that have hairline cracks to
> ensure fluid penetration?
>
>
>
> Kind regards
>
> Belinda
>
>
>
> *Belinda Bauer*  |  Collection Manager - Vertebrate Zoology
>
>
>
> Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery  |  Department of State Growth
>
> 19 Davey Street, Hobart TAS 7000  | GPO Box 1164, Hobart TAS 7001
>
> Ph. (03) 6165 6899  |  Mob 0438 170 831
>
>
>
> Please Note: My current work pattern is Wednesday, Thursday and Fridays
>
>
>
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