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! How can we find out what kind it is? The Ornithologist of a few years 

 ago had 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. Obviously, such metheds cannot be pursued today, both humane and 

 economical reasons prohibiting. We have but one alternative left us: We must 

 make copious notes of all the peculiarities and markings of the bird that is be- 

 fore us. On our return home, we get down our bird bodks, 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 have 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 today'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 



1906. 



