In article <[log in to unmask]>, [log in to unmask] (p.doyle)
writes:
> Can anyone help me with some advice on what to use to pad small cardboard
> boxes containing small bird study skins? Someone told me that maybe kleenex-
> type tissue was bad as it contained a bleaching agent. Is this true? Is
> there some sort of proprietary tissue or cotton wool etc. that is more
> suitable?
> Paul Doyle

That would depend, in part, on the purpose of putting the birds in boxes and
what kind/shape boxes.  For transport, cotton or polyester "wool" (stuffing
material" is good for cushioning.  Most museums I'm familiar with use
store-bought material, but the archival supply houses sell archival-quality
polyester.  It's a good idea to wrap the birds, especially small birds, in
tissue paper (the crinkly kind like the stuff used for gifts).  This is to
keep the claws and bills from catching on strands of "wool".  Again, many
museums use store-bought, as the contact time is short, but acid-free is
available.

For long-term storage, the birds should be in insect-proof containers, not
cardboard.  The museums with which I'm familiar store the birds either on a
layer of cotton or paper, or in shallow, acid-free cardboard trays, in wood
or metal drawers in metal cases with gaskets.  I don't know of any that pad
the birds in storage.  They are prepared with flat backs so they don't roll
easily and often placed with the bills toward the back of the cabinet so
pulling the drawer doesn't cause rolling.  Bigger birds aren't going to roll
regardless of orientation.

Robin K Panza                   [log in to unmask]
Section of Birds, Carnegie MNH
Pittsburgh  PA  15213  USA