Beginning the Study n 



and that in some ways they may even have an advantage 

 over men; they are not so ambitious to cover a wide 

 territory, to penetrate to out-of-the-way haunts, or to 

 roll up a long "list," and they are therefore apt to make 

 more intimate studies of the common species, thus getting 

 into the very heart of the bird's life. A man's observa- 

 tions may embrace a wider range, and he may add more 

 species to the science of ornithology than his sister, but 

 she will be likely to discover facts about the commonest 

 fowl that he will overlook. The study of birds, there- 

 fore, offers a fascinating field for girls and women as well 

 as for their brothers. 



What tools are needed for acquiring bird lore? To 

 begin at the beginning, let me ask : Who would expect to 

 study the plants and flowers without a botany? or the 

 rocks and fossils and the general structure of the earth 

 without a reliable work on geology? or the planets and 

 stars without a treatise on astronomy? So, if you desire 

 a knowledge of ornithology, you will need what is known 

 as a bird "key," or "manual," or " handbook" that is, 

 a scientific work that shows how the birds have been 

 classified, with accurate descriptions of all the families, 

 genera, species, subspecies, and varieties, together with 

 the common and scientific names of all the species and 

 brief accounts of their ranges and general habits. When 

 you have found a plant or a flower that is new to you, 

 what is your first task ? To " run it down " in a botanical 

 key. Just so, having found a feathered stranger, you 

 should note its markings, shape, size, etc., and then "run 



