PREFACE. 
While strolling through a piece of woodland, or perhaps along the marsh 
or seashore, we see a bird, a strange bird,—one we never saw before. Instantly, 
our curiosity is aroused, and the question arises, ‘““What is it?” There is the 
bird! How can we find out what kind it is? The Ornithologist of a few years 
ago had but one course open to him, that is to shoot the bird, take it home, then 
pore through pages of descriptions, until one was found to correspond with the 
specimen. Obviously, such methods cannot be pursued today, both humane and 
economical reasons prohibiting. We have but one alternative left us: We must 
make copious notes of all the peculiarities and markings of the bird that is be- 
fore us. On our return home, we get down our bird books,’and there are many 
excellent ones. After carefully looking through the whole library, we find that, 
although many of our books are well illustrated, none of them have the picture 
of what we seek, so we adopt the tactics of the “Old-time” Ornithologist, before 
mentioned, and pore over pages of text, until finally we know what our bird 
was. It is for just such emergencies as this—to identify a bird when you see 
it, and where you see it, that this little pocket “Bird Guide” is prepared. May 
it be the medium for saving many of today’s seekers for “bird truths,’ from the 
many trials and tribulations willingly encountered, and hard and thorny roads 
gladly traveled by the author in his quest for knowledge of bird ways. 
Worcester, Mass. CHESTER A. REED. 
1906. 
