IDENTIFICATION 
THE accompanying chart of a bird will explain the terms 
used in the descriptions. ‘*‘ Upper parts” refers to the 
entire upper surface of the body of the bird from the bill 
to the tail. In the same manner, ‘*‘ Under parts” refers 
to the under surface. 
In identifying, decide first into which class the bird you 
are observing is likely to belong, — that is, whether land 
or water birds. If water, whether it is found on the open 
sea, or near shore, or in bayous or marshes, and whether 
it is a Swimmer or a wader, and then look for it in the list 
where you think it may belong. Always ascertain as near 
as you can the bird’s length, and remember, in judging 
length, that a bird usually looks smaller than he actually 
measures. If the bird is among the land birds, and is 
neither a game bird nor a bird of prey, trace it down in the 
color classification. 
