December 
what birds are to be expected at any given time 
and place, and thus confining the attention to 
a few birds at a time. This latter course in- 
volves more preliminary work, but has the ad- 
vantage that thereby the live specimens will 
generally be identified at a glance. The tem- 
perament and circumstances of the individual 
- will determine the method to be adopted. For 
myself, I learned the names and coloring of all 
the song-birds of New England before I had 
seen half a dozen living species,—a method that 
another person might find very irksome. 
One soon finds that the size (particularly 
the length) of a bird is one of the most impor- 
tant factors in determining its species. Where 
there is some uncertainty in regard to the 
characteristic coloring, an approximate idea of 
the size is of great assistance ; while there are 
several instances of distinct species among the 
land-birds, and still more among the water- 
fowl, that are colored exactly alike or nearly 
so, and appear to be only larger and smaller 
editions of the same creature ; like the hairy 
and the downy woodpeckers, and (when seen 
at a distance) the pine grosbeak and the cross- 
bill. As birds in the wild state will not sub- 
mit to any rules, twelve-inch or otherwise, it is 
395 
