314 PRACTICAL AND SCIENTIFIC ZOOLOGY, 



own country, the acquisition of which will mainly de- 

 pend upon his own exertions, it is obviously the best 

 way to collect them as they occur ; without commencing 

 on a regular plan of selection. But if he extends his 

 studies, in either of these departments, to foreign pro- 

 ductions, most of which are only to be acquired by 

 purchase, he will find the beneficial consequences of 

 proceeding upon a systematic plan. Should he limit 

 his attention, for instance, to ornithology, let him first 

 procure types of the great orders of birds, which are 

 represented by such common species as a hawk, crow, 

 fowl, snipe, and duck. These, for the sake of easy 

 examination, should be in skins, that is, stuffed, but 

 not set up in position with wires. Let him well study 

 the different structures displayed by these specimens, 

 and compare their corresponding members, until he is 

 well informed on the mode in which these members 

 vary. Having thus informed himself on the essential 

 or primary characteristics of the first great divisions in 

 ornithology, he may proceed a step farther, and procure 

 examples of the tribes. The crow is the type of the 

 perching order (Insessores), the additional tribes of 

 which will be represented by a shrike, woodpecker, 

 humming-bird, and swallow. These, in like manner, 

 should be well examined, and then compared with the 

 characters assigned to them in books. A student, in this 

 manner, should progressively procure specimens, hus- 

 band his resources, and concentrate his attention; 

 while, as his knowledge increases, or as opportunities 

 occur, he may successively increase his materials by 

 examples of the families, sub-families, and genera ; al- 

 ways remembering, that, in point of real utility, although 

 frequently not of beauty, the acquisition of a generic 

 type is infinitely more desirable than that of a species ; 

 unless, indeed, the investigation of the contents of a 

 genus is decided upon. What has been said upon orni- 

 thology is of equal force when applied either to ento- 

 mology or conchology. It will sometimes happen, 

 however, that the excessive rarity or the great bulk of 



