356 THE STUDY OF BIEDS IN THE FIELD 



* Owls. Mainly night-flying birds, of loose plumage and large heads ; 



they have their eyes in a facial disk, and so look forward instead of 

 sideways Key, p. 3G9. 



* Hawks, Vultures, Kites, and Eagles. Generally large birds, with very 



hooked bills. T liese birds in most cases take an erect position in 

 perching Key, p. 370. 



* Land birds, other than the Birds of Prey. (A.) 



A. Birds plainly smaller than the Engli-sh sparrow Key below. 



A. Birds about the size of the English sparrow p. 359. 



A. Between the ICnglish sparrow and the robin in size p. 303. 



A. Birds about the size of the robin p. 366. 



A. Birds larger than the robin p. 3G8. 



Key to Birds Smaller than English Sparrows 



The numbers refer to the pages where the birds are described. 



* Birds seen mainly on the wing. The feet of these birds are small and 



weak ; when at rest they perch on slender things, such as telegraph 

 ■wires. (S.) 



* Creeping birds on tree trunks and larger limbs. (Q.) 



* Birds wiiliDUt special creeping habits and not seen constantly on the 



wing. (A.) 

 A. Birds with conspicuous bright yellow on i)arts other than the bend 

 of wing or center of the crown and without bright blue or purple. 

 (L.) 

 A. Birds with bright red or flame color, but no distinct lemon-yellow or 



blue. (K.) 

 A. Birds with either bright purple or blue or slaty-blue (if only slaty- 

 blue, then with no yellow). (I.) 

 A. Birds with none of the above bright colors, except possibly a spot 

 in the crown or at the bend of the wing. (B.) 

 B. ^'ery small, plain olive or grayish birds, with no bright colors except 

 in some specimens, a small crown patch ; under parts whitish. (H.) 

 B. Brown birds, with some cross bars ' and with the habit of holding the 



tail erect. (G.) 

 B. Birds with the sides of the head and breast white and a conspicuous 



black throat patch. These birds plainly say rhick-d-ilT'?. (F.) 

 B. Upper parts olive ; wings and tail blackish ; two whiti.sh wing bars ;* 



under parts grayish white Least Flycatcher, p. 105. 



B. Nut a.s above ; stout-billed birds. » * (C.) 



C. Conspicuously streaked, brownish birds. (E.) 



*^ 



