INTRODUCTION xxvii 



Naturalist collectors are far from being the ruthless destroyers of 

 life they are often supposed to be. It is, indeed, those who collect 

 the birds, study them most deeply, and know them best, who are 

 doing the most for their protection. Most ornithologists have begun 

 their study of birds by making private collections, and have turned 

 the knowledge thus gained to the best good of the birds, while their 

 collections have finally gone to museums, where they could benefit 

 the greatest number of students. 



In most museums, it is true, there are large collections of bird 

 skins, often hundreds of specimens of a single species, showing 

 every shade of variation due to age, sex, season, moult, and wear of 

 plumage, aud endless geographic variation over a wide range of 

 country ; but to many of those who have the best chance to study 

 the birds in life these collections are inaccessible. 



There are still unknown, rare, and little known species of birds 

 that must be obtained before our knowledge of our own species can 

 be approximately complete and our system of classification firmly 

 established. But the more immediate and pressing question before 

 the young ornithologist is how to identify tlie obscure species and 

 the females and young of better known birds. In many cases the 

 bird must be shot to be identified, and not infrequently it must be 

 sent to some large museum collection for comparison for satisfactory 

 determination. Collecting, therefore, has not only a legitimate but 

 fundamental place in ornithology as a scientific study. 



Memurements. — It should be borne in mind that measurements 

 are not infallible, and even where the maximum and minimum of a 

 series are given, still larger or smaller specimens may be found. 

 In many cases measurements are useless in determining characters, 

 but in others they are the all important differences between species 

 and subspecies. The total length is the most variable measurement, 

 and when taken from a skin instead of a bird in the flesh is only 

 intended to give a general idea of the size of the bird. In quoting 

 Mr. Ridgway's measurements throughout this book the word 

 'about' has been omitted from his lengths, as it applies to all length 

 measurements. Lengths are taken from the birds in the flesh, if not 

 specifically stated to be from skins. All measurements in the book 

 arc in inclies. Wing, tail, bill, and tarsus measurements are the 

 important ones in most species, especially so because they can be 

 taken from the dry skin as well as from the fresh specimens. Mea- 

 surements should be taken in the following manner: — 



IjengOi. — Yvom. tip of bill to tip of tail. To get this lay the 



