INTRODUCTION. 
The study of the birds included in this book, is much more difficult than that 
of the small land birds. Many of the birds are large; some are very rare; all 
are usually shy and have keen eyesight, trained to see at a distance, in fact, 
many of them have to depend upon their vigilance, for their very existence. 
Therefore, you will find that the majority of these birds will have to be studied 
at long range. Sometimes, by exercising care and forethought, you may be 
able to approach within a few feet of the bird you seek, or induce him to come 
to you. It is this pitting your wits against the cunning of the birds that furn- 
ishes one-half of the interest in their sudy. Remember that a quick motion will 
always cause a bird to fly. If you seek a flock of plover on the shore, or a heron 
in the marsh, try to sneak up behind cover if possible; if not, walk very slowly, 
and with as little motion as possible, directly towards them, by so doing you 
often will get near, for a bird is a poor judge of distance, while a single step 
sideways, would cause him to fly. Shore birds can usually best to be observed 
from a small “blind,” near the water’s edge, where they feed. Your powers of 
observation will be increased about ten-fold if you are equipped with a good 
pair of field glasses; they are practically indispensable to the serious student 
and add greatly to the pleasures of anyone. Any good glass, that has a wide 
field of vision and magnifies three or four diameters, is suitable; we can recom- 
mend the ones described in the back of this book. 
WHAT TO MAKE NOTE OF.—What is the nature of the locality where 
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