The Birds’ Calendar 
summary, wherein is outlined the entire prov- 
ince of field ornithology. 
Acquaintance with a bird begins, of course, 
in identifying its species; and this requires 
either verbal description, pictorial illustration, 
or (which is best of all) access to a collection 
of stuffed specimens.* In either case there are 
two ways of proceeding : either first to find the 
living bird, notice its size and as many of the 
details of coloration as possible, with all of its 
habits that may be noted, and then from refer- 
ence-book or stuffed collection determine what 
it is. In some cases this method will be very 
easy, as where the colors are simple, and a good 
view is had of the specimen. In other cases, 
with complicated markings, as in the warblers, 
or when the bird is very small, or seen at a dis~ 
tance, it might be a long time before the spe- 
cies can be determined. 
The second method is the reverse of the 
other — first to learn the appearance of the 
birds of any locality from either of the above 
sources, and then find their counterparts in nat- 
ure. This method is simplified by finding out 
*The illustrations in this book were prepared from 
specimens kindly furnished by the directors of the Museum 
of Natural History, in New York City. 
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