HOW TO USE THE KEYS 23 



Nuthatches, but have included birds that have a more or less 

 faint yellowish wash on the flanks, as the Phoebe in fall, 

 and some of the Vireos. 



3. Yellow or Yellowish without Black. (No large 

 or prominent area of black.) 



4. Yellow or Orange with Black. 



This class includes chestnut and black. The black appears 

 either in streaks, as in the Prairie Warbler, or in patches, as 

 in the Goldfinch. 



5. Black and White. 



The black and white should form a marked contrast, either 

 in streaks or bars, as in the Black and White Warbler and 

 the Downy Woodpecker, or in large distinct areas, as in the 

 Kingbird. 



6. Black or Blackish. 



This class includes purplish-black, as in the Crow Black- 

 bird and the Purple Martin. 



7. Red, Scarlet, or Rose. 



This class includes all birds that have any such tint at all 

 prominent. 



8. Blue or Bluish-gray (excluding purplish-black). 



A number of birds have been put into more than one class, 

 to guard against oversight, on the part of the observer, of 

 some bit of color. Plain-colored females and young, and 

 bright-colored males of the same species have, of course, been 

 put into separate lists. For the summer months there is a 

 key to the birds seen constantly on the wing, such as the 

 Swallows and the Swift, without reference to their color. 



One should also notice carefully any conspicuous patterns 

 of coloration, any stripes, streaks, or contrasts of color, and 

 v/here they are situated. Many keys are based chiefly on 

 such marks, and they are often necessary for final identi- 

 fication. But some of them are often either overlooked 

 by beginners, or not well displayed by the bird. More 



