[Nhcoll-l] avian eggshells — labeling

[Adriana Lopez Villalobos]

Hello all,
I need some guidance here.
I am cataloguing an orphan collection of avian eggshells and I’m having a hard time making sense of the labeling system on some of the specimens.
The dates on the paper labels (and in some cases on the actual eggshells) range from the late 1880’s to 1991, and eggshells come from North America, the Bahamas Islands, Ireland, Iceland and Asia Minor. From what I understand the method for labeling avian eggshells has changed over the decades, but labeling often includes three different numbers: 1) a 3 digit reference number for the species (i.e. AOU code), 2) a set mark (number of nests the collector sampled from that day), and 3) the clutch size that egg came from. Some of our eggshells seem to follow this pattern (Fig. 1), however there are some that have two three-digit numbers (Figs. 2 & 3), a combination of numbers and letters (Figs. 4 & 5), and some that have numbers with decimal points and letters (Fig. 3 & 6).
Does anyone know if there is an international bird species reference list (with nomenclature updated, hopefully) that uses a 3-digit numerical coding system (i.e. the AOU or something else)?
Is it possible that some of the numbers correspond to the collector’s own catalogue numbering system?
I am not sure how to decipher the information on these eggshells so any helpful links or tips to understanding these types of avian eggshells labels would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Photos below
[cid:A1C51BAA-D94A-4A61-8665-4DD89A992531 at home]
Fig 1. White Pelican (6-3-91) specimen from Pyramid Lake, Nevada that appears to follow the standard method of 3-digit species reference number, set mark/clutch size (125, 4/2)

[cid:1706CCF4-10F0-4A72-B87A-9026C4D8289E at home]
Fig 2. Swanson’s hawk (no date), appears to have 2 separate reference numbers or maybe a collector's catalogue number.

[cid:280C2E60-22A3-4A71-B88C-9C67B610CECD at home]
Fig 3. Brown Pelican (no date) egg specimen labelled as (616, 3.28, 641).

[cid:37AFD7B5-334A-4F8E-B85F-37436915B571 at home]
Fig 4. Western red-tailed hawk specimen (1991) that has a 3-digit numerical code followed by a letter, ‘337b’.

[cid:91FAB4EE-14C2-4130-A031-C9C1E3F986F4 at home]
Fig 5. Seven double-crested cormorant eggs (no date) labelled as ‘a-e/3’ or ‘a-e/4’. Unsure what ‘a-e’ refers to but number indicates clutch size.

[cid:F96D9179-7B34-46E2-BD80-F67736D7FB91 at home]
Fig 6. Night Heron specimen (1899) collected from Plum Island, NY that appears to have a reference or catalogue number. Unsure what ‘(70. E)’ refers to.


Adriana Lopez-Villalobos, Ph.D.
Collections and Data Manager
Fowler Herbarium (QK)
Queen's University Biological Station (QUBS) URL: https://qubs.ca
280 Queen’s University Road, RR #1, Elgin, Ontario, KOG 1E0
adriana.lopez.villalobos at queensu.ca<mailto:adriana.lopez.villalobos at queensu.ca>

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