Water Fowl 
some of the sparrows and several other species 
of land birds. Plumage, however, as well as 
song, is very much overrated, as determining 
our general estimate of any specimen. Even the 
most ardent admirer of the brilliant group of 
warblers will acknowledge the truth of this, 
when he forms his final judgment of their relative 
merits. Is there any warbler, after all, that is 
much more satisfying than the coldly colored 
‘‘ black-throated blue?’’ It is quite remark- 
able, too, how much less the showy tints of any 
species signify, when we see the living creature, 
than when we look either at colored plates, or 
at stuffed specimens. Their bearing and man- 
ners, which are the truer index of their real 
natures, overshadow the more superficial aspects, 
as completely as in the case of any human being ; 
and not infrequently a trait, long unobserved, 
and almost too subtle for verbal expression, 
eventually becomes one of the most constant and 
distinct points of individuality. 
After this rather deprecating attitude in re- 
gard to the claims of water fowl, let us proceed 
to their more positive merits. 
As compared with the land group, they pos- 
sess a distinct advantage, as a source of interest 
to the student, in the remarkable and signifi- 
51 
