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! -r> f\^ 

 How can we find ^ut what kind it is? The Ornithologist of a few years ago had '\ *0 

 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. Ob- 

 viously, such methods cannot be pursued today, both humane and economical rea- 

 sons prohibiting. We have but one alternative left us: We must make copious 

 notes of all the peculiarities and markings of the bird that is before 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 has 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 to- 

 day'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. 



484 550765 



