Hi Carol,
I wasn't told the head I'm working on was part of any survey. I believe
it's just personal data. I honestly didn't know of a survey. Dr. Kollias
said he was interested in step sections of the nares and I'm not having a
very good time sectioning the beak. I must in the lab where Nair doesn't
want to work. 
I asked my favorite rehabilitator and she said the Lab of Ornithology is
conducting the survey. They're in the woods, way off campus.
Have a great day!
Mary Lou


At 09:08 2000-06-06 -0400, you wrote:
>Hi Mary Lou:
>
>I'm sorry I don't have an answer for your question, but I wanted to ask you
>one.  I see from your address that you are at Cornell.  Are you working with
>the house finch disease survey?  I ask because I am a Feeder Watcher and
>have turned in some house finch disease data (all negative).  Professionally
>I work with diseases of aquatic organisms, so histology on any kind of
>wildlife intrigues me.
>
>Regards -
>Carol
>*****************
>Carol B. McCollough, HT(ASCP)
>Diagnostics & Histology Laboratory Manager
>Maryland Department of Natural Resources
>Fisheries Service
>Cooperative Oxford Laboratory
>904 S. Morris Street
>Oxford, MD 21654
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Mary Lou Norman [mailto:mlm11@cornell.edu]
>Sent: Monday, April 24, 2000 10:48 AM
>To: histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
>Subject: archives and bird beaks
>
>
>Dear Histonetters,
>
>I haven't been able to open up the archives (are they down or is it my
>computer?) so here's my question: What would soften bird beak enough for
>sectioning?   I need to step-section through a mature house finch head.  
>
>Thanks for your help.
>Mary Lou
>