(general ?|ints;. 



"A good observer is quick to take a hint and follow it up." — John 

 Burroughs. 



The identification of birds depends quite as much upon 

 accurate observation of their size, motions, flight, character- 

 istic attitudes, manner of feeding, company, song, call-notes 

 and haunts, as upon details of form and color. Especial 

 care is necessary to insure correct estimates of size for the 

 reason that living birds often appear smaller to the unprac- 

 ticed eye than they actually are. The familiar English 

 Sparrow is a convenient standard of size because it is usually 

 at hand either in city or country for instant reference. Re- 

 membering that it is 6 inches long a practical though rough 

 division of wild birds may be made as follows: — 



1. Birds smaller than the English Sparrow. 



2. Birds about the size of the English Sparrow. 



3. Birds decidedly larger than the English Sparrow. 



If a few general characteristics of the common bird- 

 families be kept in mind, and these are quickly and almost 

 unconsciously learned, the identity of a strange bird may 

 usually be narrowed down to a few possibilities. For ex- 

 ample : 



Woodpeckers climb up and down the trunks of trees bracing 

 with their tails and tapping the bark vigorously; 



Nuthatches are smaller than woodpeckers and have much 

 the same habit of climbing up and down tree- 

 trunks but with a freer wig-wagging' motion, 

 often descending head downward; 



