56 J. E. HAETIXG — STUDY OF XATUEAL niSTORT 



It is to the latter class that I propose chiefly to address myself, 

 and to point out to them certain land-marks, as it were, in the 

 wide field of Oniitholog^y, -which may guide them to a discoveiy of 

 pleasures as yet unknown, and enable them to reap the advantages 

 of which I have spoken. 



Our first difficulty in commencing the study of Ornithology, and, 

 indeed, any branch of Natural History, is the vastness of the 

 subject, and hence, to avoid confusion, and to reduce our daily 

 observations to order, some method of study is absolutely necessaiy. 



It is desirable in the onset to make oneself acc^uainted with 

 certain general, well-defined characters, which in every Order of 

 Birds arc found to connect all the families, genera, and species in 

 that Order. When we are able to state from an examination of any 

 particular species to what Order it belongs, we have already made 

 a step in advance. The consideration of other characteristics will 

 enable lis to point to a particular family in the Order to which the 

 species in question must be rofeiTcd ; and as we become acquainted 

 with more minute details of form and structure, we can fix with 

 tolerable certainty even the genus to which the individual belongs. 

 Having thus narrowed the limits of our inquiry, it is not difficult 

 at length to identify the species itself. And then the real pleasure 

 in the study begins. So soon as we have acquired a knowledge of 

 the outward form and appearance of a species, we are in a position 

 to observe and appreciate its modification of structure in accordance 

 with its habits, its peculiarities of carriage and gait, its mode of 

 flight, method of nesting, number and colour of its eggs, its manner 

 of feeding, the nature of its food, the character of its song or cry, 

 and many other interesting details concerning it. 



Let me illustrate my meaning by pointing out that in the Order 

 Raptores, or Birds of Prey, all the species are characterized by their 

 possession of a strong hooked bill, the edges of the upper mandible 

 being notched or indented and very shai-p, to enable them to kill 

 and cut up the living animals upon which they feed. The legs and 

 feet are strong, the latter armed with long, curved, and sharp claws 

 to grasp and fii-mly hold the resisting prey. The legs are bare as 

 in the hawks, or feathered as in the owls. The wings are long 

 and pointed as in the true falcons, or short and rounded as in the 

 owls. The flight is rapid and capable of being long sustained. 



In the Order Insessorcs, or Perching Birds, the bill is short and 

 comparatively straight, and either conical or wedge-shaped for 

 splitting seeds, nuts, and other hard food, or weak and slender 

 where the food consists of insects or tender shoots and buds of 

 various kinds. The legs are short, with toes and claws well formed 

 for grasping and securing a hold amongst the branches, where most 

 of their time is spent. The wings are short, rounded, and com- 

 paratively feeble, not being required for such active employment 

 or speed as in the Birds of Prey. 



In the Order Rasores, or Scrapers, amongst which are included 

 the pigeons and game birds, the bill is short, robust, and specially 

 adapted for seizing grain and culling the tops and shoots of various 



