viii Introduction. 



\ 

 or fellow-pupil are worth copying in the notes. Notes should also 



be made of your reading about the animals that are brought in. 



Field Notes. For field notes a well-bound notebook is usually 

 better. It should be leather-covered and smaller than the class- 

 room note paper. In this book you should make record of your 

 outdoor observations. In the directions for " Field Study " are 

 many questions for you to answer. It is to be hoped that you 

 will ask many other questions and record your answers. If 

 you can give no immediate answer, do not give it up. Keep on 

 looking and keep on thinking. Your " field notes," " outdoor 

 study," " Saturday book," or whatever you choose to call it, 

 should be your constant companion. If the book has not a loop 

 to hold a pencil, see to it that you have two or three short stubs 

 of pencil in your pockets. 



Equipment for Field Work. Suggestions will be found in 

 connection with the field study of insects, birds, etc. But the 

 student should always carry a convenient lens, for there are 

 many specimens which ought to be examined when found. 

 Almost any small, compact lens of moderate power will be suffi- 

 cient, such as the linen-tester, which folds into very small space, 

 the lenses in hard rubber or metal cases, etc. The tripod lens 

 is rather inconvenient to carry in the field, but better than 

 many others for class-room work. When possible carry a field 

 glass. It will enable you to bring close to you many birds and 

 other animals that will not allow you to come close to them. 

 Even if your excursion is for insects, or other specimens which 

 you can easily approach, you do not know what opportunities 

 you may have to see distant specimens. The modern field 

 glasses, with prisms instead of lenses, are superior to those of 

 the old style, and in addition are very light, hardly weighing 

 more than ordinary opera glasses. They are, however, rather 

 expensive. Common opera glasses serve very well for all the 

 ordinary purposes of studying birds. 



Permanent Notes. The permanent notes should be written 

 with ink on ruled paper ten inches long by eight inches wide. 



