24. USE OF THE TABLES. 



By way of showing the utility of the preceding Tables, a 

 few instances, explaining the manner of applying them, may 

 be acceptable. 



Suppose, then, that a person entirely ignorant of Ornithology, 

 finds a bird, and wishes to know its name or character. He 

 will first turn to Table L, where the number of hind-toes 

 appears as the distinguishing guide for further observation. 

 His specimen, for instance, has only one hind-toe ; he is then 

 directed to the character of the anterior, or fore-toes, the two 

 exterior or outer of which, in this case, he finds to be very 

 slightly connected, and for a moment, without further rules 

 to guide him, he might be at a loss whether to consider his 

 specimen as belonging to the orders Rapaces, Grallse, or Pas- 

 seres : the character, however, of the claws and beak will at 

 once point out the propriety of considering it as of the Ra- 

 pacious Order, marked as No. i. For further information, he 

 is then referred to Table II., where the eyes are to be his 

 guide. He finds them on the side of the head, and pursuing 

 his line of direction, sees that it is feathered about the neck, 

 and he accordingly turns to Table IV., where the lower jaw, 

 or mandible, as it is called, of the beak, is the distinguishing 

 feature. This lower mandible, in his bird, is not furnished 

 with either bristles or tufts like a beard, neither is the tail 

 considerably lengthened out by feathers projecting one beyond 

 the other, like the Snake-eaters, or Magpies, for example. 



Having proceeded thus far, his attention is turned to the 

 first feather of the wing, which he finds to be shorter than the 

 second. He next looks to the beak, which is not lengthened, 

 arid straight from its base, but is bent throughout and hooked 

 at the point. His bird must, therefore, be of the Buteo or 

 Astur genus. But the wings do not extend beyond two-thirds 

 of the tail ; it therefore belongs to the Astur genus \ and he 

 has then only to ascertain the species, which he will easily do 

 by consulting museums, or books with minute descriptions 

 and plates. 



Again : a bird is brought to him, which, on comparing with 

 the characters given in the first Table, he finds to have no 



