HOW TO MEASURE A BIRD. 



See illustration, page 20. 



Wing. — Distance from carpal joint C (bend of wing) to the tip 

 of the longest primary D. See cut on page 20. 



Length. — Distance in a straight line from the end of the bill to 

 the tip of the longest tail feather. (Occasionally the middle 

 feathers are much elongated, as in the Old Squaw and Pintail 

 Duck, and in other families of birds, such as PhcBthon and Stercora- 

 rius. In such cases it is well to give the length from bill to longest 

 tail feather, and also to end of outer tail feather. ) 



Tail. — Distance from the tip of the longest tail feather to its base 

 (the point where it enters the body ) . 



Bill. — The distance in a straight line from where the bill (upper 

 mandible) joins the skin of the forehead (A) to the tip (B). 

 (There are a few exceptions to this rule, in some families, such as 

 birds with frontal plate, etc. Some curved bills are measured along 

 the curve of the culmen, and at times it is advisable to measure from 

 the nostril to the tip of the bill, but in such cases it should always be 

 so stated. ) 



Tarsus. — Distance in front of the leg from what appears to be the 

 knee joint (end of tibia) to the root of the middle toe. 



All measurements are given in inches and fractions of an inch. 



