HOW TO FIND BIRDS. 11 



After this slight preparation you may take to the field with a much 

 clearer understanding of the situation. Two quite different ways of 

 identifying birds are open to you. Either you may shoot them, or 

 study them through a field- or opera-glass. A " bird in the hand " is a 

 definite object whose structure and color can be studied to such ad- 

 vantage that in most cases you will afterward recognize it at sight. 

 Alter learning the names of its parts, its identity is simply a question 

 of keys and descriptions. 



If you would " name the birds without a gun," by all means first 

 visit a museum, and, with text-book in hand, study those species which 

 you have previously found are to be looked for near your home. This 

 preliminary introduction will serve to ripen your acquaintance in the 

 field. A good field- or opera-glass is absolutely indispensable. A 

 strong opera-glass with a large eye-piece is most useful in the woods, 

 while a field-glass is more serviceable in observing water-birds. Study 

 your bird as closely as circumstances will permit, and write on the spot 

 a comparative description of its size, the shape of its bill, tail, etc., and 

 a detailed description of its colors. In describing form take a Robin, 

 Chipping Sparrow, or any bird you know, which best serves the pur- 

 pose, as a basis for comparison. A bird's bill is generally its most 

 diagnostic external character. A sketch of it in your note-book will 

 frequently give you a good clew to its owner's family. It is of the 

 utmost importance that this description should be written in the field. 

 Not only do our memories sometimes deceive us, but we really see 

 nothing with exactness until we attempt to describe it. Haunts, ac- 

 tions, and notes should also be carefully recorded. This account is 

 your " bird in the hand," and while you can not hope to identify it as 

 easily as you could a specimen, you will rarely fail to learn its name, 

 and experience will render each attempt less difficult than the pre- 

 ceding. 



How to Find Birds. The best times of the day in which to look 

 for birds are early morning and late afternoon. After a night of 

 fasting and resting, birds are active and hungry. When their appe- 

 tites are satisfied they rest quietly until afternoon, hunger again send- 

 ing them forth in search of food. 



Chapters on Geographical Distribution and Migration, prepared under the Direc- 

 tion of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club, by Witmer Stone, Conservator 

 Ornithological Section Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 8vo, pp. 

 185, two diagrams, two maps. 352 species. Price, $1. 



3. An Annotated List of the Birds known to occur within Fifty Miles of New 

 York City, by Frank M. Chapman. Published by the American Museum of Natu- 

 ral History, New York city, as a guide to its collection of local birds. 8vo, pp. 

 100, 36 cuts, 4 full-page plates, 348 species. For sale at the Museum. Price, 15 

 cents. 



