2 Suggestions for Study 



and also references to books and papers which 

 may be helpful and inspiring in home study. 



As the book is addressed to the amateur who 

 means to be a real, albeit not a professional, 

 student, a few hints regarding methods of observa- 

 tion may not be out of place. The first requisite 

 for this charming pastime is a good opera glass. 

 If possible, this should be mounted in aluminum, 

 as the lightness thus obtained is of very great ad- 

 vantage in prolonged study. Moreover, it should be 

 covered with leather, or some other non-reflecting 

 material ; for the twinkle of the sunlight on a metal- 

 lic surface is sure to attract the bird's attention 

 and cause alarm. For the same reason it is desir- 

 able to have the lenses protected from the sunlight 

 by shades. 



Before going into the field to identify, a certain 

 degree of familiarity with the key is most desirable ; 

 for in this work it is pre-eminently the first step 

 that costs. Let us select, then, for our first 

 attempt, a bird so common and so tame that he 

 can be examined over and over again until all the 

 required points shall have been discovered. For 

 such a preliminary trial we can make no better 

 choice than the English sparrow, fitted as he is 

 for the subject of a practice lesson by his especial 

 abundance and tameness during the winter months. 



