HOW TO MEASUKE A BIRD. 



HOW TO MEASURE A BIRD. 



See Illustration^ page 8. 



Wing. — Distance from carpal joint C (bend of wiug) to the tip of tlie longest 

 primary D. See cut on page 8. 



Length, — Distance in a straight line from the end of the bill to tlie tip of the 

 longest tail feather. (Occasionally the middle feathers are much elong- 

 ated, as in the Old Squaw and Pintail Duck, and in other families of 

 birds, such as Phaethon and Stercorarius, 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 tiie longest tail feather to its base (the point where 

 it enters the body) . 



Bill. — The distance in a straight line from where the bill (u[)iter mandible) joins 

 the skin of the forehead (A) to the tip (B). (There are a few excep- 

 tions to this rule, in other families, such as birds with frontal plate, etc. 

 Some curved Itills are measured along the curve of the ctilint-n, and at 

 times it is advisable to measure from the nostril to the tip of the bill, 

 but in such cases it should always l)e so stated.) 



Tarsus. — Distance in front of the leg from what appfam 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. 



