PS INTRODUCTORY CHAPTERS. 5 
made for him, by the results of his rambles and investigations 
and discoveries ; that is to say, to group the birds and their eggs 
according to their frequent occurrence, their comparative, but 
still not positive, infrequency, or their downright rarity. By 
this means, and the subdivisions which would be suggested by 
an enumeration of the most usual sites of the several nests, an 
interesting, and at least partially instructive as well as good, 
system of classification would be devised. But I am afraid such 
asystem would not have much to recommend it, besides its novelty 
and interest and practical hints “where to look for’this bird’s 
nest or the other’s; and how to look so as to find.” One oreat 
disadvantage would be that such classification, so called, would 
have the effect of breaking up groups which nature has put 
together. There is, generally speaking, what may be called a 
great family-likeness between the eggs of the various species of 
any given genus, or kind of birds. ‘Take the Buntings, for 
instance: any one who is familiar with the common Yellow-Ham- 
mer’s egg would at once guess at the eggs of either of the other 
species as belonging to a Bunting; and the same of the Titmice, 
Linnets, Thrushes, Crows, and so on without end. 
So that although it may seem at first sight that scientific 
classification is hard and troublesome and half unnecessary, and 
may often prompt the question in the boy-collector’s mind, Why 
wouldn’t it do just as well to write down the English names on 
the cards and in my catalogue, and arrange them all my own way ? 
still it should be remembered that such classification after all is 
far from arbitrary, and on the contrary, and as far as it is really 
good, only follows out the teachings or guidings of nature. And 
this quite independently of the trouble which is saved by it to 
any one who wishes to consult books of reference, and still more 
to examine large and well-arranged collections of eggs, whether 
>» * 
