208 A Nurse Case Study 1: Egg Collecting Egg collecting is primarily a UK (and arguably English) pursuit with some origins in schoolboy nature and natural history studies Richards (1914, p 4) wrote ‘probably there is no natural history pursuit which has had more active and enthusiastic devotees than that which involves the collection of birds’ eggs and the study of nidification in general’ The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) identifies that ‘collectors can devote their life to the pursuit of eggs and can become obsessed with the practice They usually take the whole clutch of eggs, and may return for a second clutch Rare species of birds are often targeted An egg will rot if the contents are left inside, so eggs must be ‘blown’ Collectors will take eggs at every stage of incubation, although freshly laid eggs are preferred as it is easier to blow out the yolk and the white of the egg’ (RSPB 2009) As this description illustrates, viable eggs must first be deprived of the yolk, usually carried out by drilling a small hole in one end and then either flushing out the contents by blowing them out through a tube, or by inserting a caustic substance into the shell which dissolves the contents yet leaves the shell intact Eggs can then be retained for private display, often in custom-made cabinets Egg collecting thus represents destruction of wildlife with its associated abuse on wildlife populations and the natural lifecycle and breeding success of wild birds Sutherland’s (1973) differential association theory helps to explain the situation that occurs when potential animal abusers and wildlife offenders learn their activities from others in their community or social group (Sutherland 1973) For example, mature egg collectors in the UK argue that there is no harm in continuing an activity that they commenced legitimately as schoolboys, as typified by Richards’ (1914) writings Examination of case files and newspaper reports on egg collecting confirm that new collectors continue to be attracted to the ‘hobby’ and learn its ways through interaction with more established collectors (Nurse 2013a, 2011) Research has identified that communities of egg collectors exist where collecting techniques and knowledge are shared (Nurse 2013a, pp 79–80) For example, the demonstration of climbing or egg blowing techniques, identification of bird breeding sites and discussion of display techniques all help novice collectors to learn their craft Thus, Sutherland’s (1973) differential association theory provides a partial explanation for the emergence of new egg collectors who develop an understanding and appreciation of the activity from those older and more established egg collectors who impart knowledge and experience of the activity Hobby criminals such as egg collectors (Nurse 2013a) are