A LESSON IN BIRD STUDY. 



This paper has been prepared for junior stu- 

 dents of ornitholog}^ and not for seniors, and for 

 that reason it has been written in a plain, direct 

 style. I wish to say to the boys and girls and 

 young people who may read this book, that, even 

 after I became a man, I should have been grateful 

 to the writer who had given me such a lesson in 

 bird study as I purpose giving you. " How shall 

 we begin? " and, ^' What are the tools necessary for 

 carrying on our researches?" These are questions 

 which every tyro will ask, and I shall surely do 

 him a service by answering them. 



Before I begin, however, 1 shall take occasion to 

 throw out a word or two of caution. Do not use 

 a gun ; then there will be no danger of shooting 

 either yourself or the birds. Perhaps it is right to 

 kill the English sparrows, for I believe they do more 

 harm than good ; but it is. wanton to shoot our use- 

 ful and beautiful native birds which fill the air 

 with song. Every one of them, no matter how 



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