CHAPTER VII. 

 HOW TO IDENTIFY BIRDS. 



The precedins; outline of the events wliicli niav enter 

 into a bird's life-liistoiy lias, I trust, given some idea of 

 tlie possibilities attending the study of birds in the field. 

 We come now to the practical question of identification. 

 IIow are we to find birds, and, having found them, how 

 are we to learn their names ? 



From April to August there is probably not a m"n- 

 ute of the day when in a favorable locality one can not 

 see or hear birds ; and there is not a day in the year 

 when at least some birds can not be found. In the be- 

 ginning, therefore, the question of finding them is simply 

 a matter of looking and listening. Later will come the 

 delightful hunts for certain rarer species whose acquaint- 

 ance we mav make onlv throui>:h a knowledo^e of their 

 haunts and habits. 



Having f(jund your bird, there is one thing absolutely 

 necessary to its identification : ijou must see it (lefinitehj. 

 Do not describe a bird to an ornithologist as "brown, 

 with white s])ots on its wings,'' and then expect him to 

 tell you wliat it is. Would you thiid< of trying to iden- 

 tify flowers of wliich you caught only a glimpse fn^m a 

 car window in passing ? You did not see them definitely, 

 and at best you can only carry their image in your mind 

 until you have opp(>rtunity to see them in detail. 



So it is with birds. Do Tu>t be discouraged it" the 

 books fail to show you the brown bird with white spots 



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