CH.xvn OUTDOOR AND INDOOR ORNITHOLOGY 395 



a bird is only a flying machine illustrating profound 

 mathematical principles. There is no reason why an 

 amateur should be in bonds to any extreme form 

 of specialisation. The amateur ornithologist should 

 attack all parts of his subject in succession, or two 

 or three parts at once, and he is certain to find that 

 he is not losing so much in depth as he is gaining in 

 breadth. All that he learns of one part of his subject 

 is sure to throw light upon another. 



Out of Doors. 



It is best to begin with outdoor work. It is much 

 more likely to generate a love of the subject than 

 the alternative method. Instead of learning at the 

 outset by dissection that a Wood Pigeon has a very 

 strong; gizzard and a Hawk nothing worthy of the 

 name, it is much better first to gain the knowledge 

 that a Hawk has only to digest flesh, while the pigeon 

 has to grind acorns, and afterwards, when you can 

 see the meaning of it, learn the difference in anatomy. 

 But when a good start has been made, the two 

 methods may well go hand-in-hand. A very good 

 plan is to take a field-glass and look carefully at 

 every bird that will submit to be looked at and not 

 mistake it for a double-barrelled gun. The habit of 

 observation wants cultivating. From our early years 

 we are taught to acquire knowledge almost exclu- 

 sively from books and lessons and lectures, so that, 

 dulled by much reading and passive listening, we 

 are slow in picking up facts direct from nature. 

 Especially in a naturalist is power of observation 



