December 
the fox sparrow lives in summer, or the hum- 
ming-bird in winter. 
Thirdly, a bird’s general habits and song (if 
a song-bird) afford endless entertainment, 
whatever the locality, and in this phase of its 
biography each person may do original work. 
In the case of all the familiar species there is 
now little reason to expect any important new 
disclosures, and yet individuality asserts itself to 
such a degree among these creatures, that such 
an event is not impossible ; while any modifi- 
cation of their circumstances naturally leads to 
the development of new traits. The more they 
are observed, the less mechanical and prescribed 
their lives appear, and minor facts of interest 
are coming to light from time to time in regard 
to even the commonest species. 
But, fortunately, the interest of research in 
this pursuit is not at all dependent upon dis- 
covering facts, important or trivial, which have 
never been known before. ‘There is precisely 
as much satisfaction in learning the ways and 
appearance of an unfamiliar bird, and in getting 
a clear sense of its individuality, as if the same 
species had not been watched before by a thou- 
sand pairs of eyes. As someone has well said, 
every observer is for himself at least an original 
397 
