THE INVITATION. 209 



But let me say, in the same breath, that the books 

 can by no manner of means be dispensed with. A 

 copy of Wilson or Audubon, for reference and to 

 compare notes with, is invaluable. In lieu of these, 

 access to some large museum or collection would be 

 a great help. In the beginning, one finds it very diffi- 

 cult to identify a bird from any verbal description. 

 Reference to a colored plate, or to a stuffed specimen, 

 at once settles the matter. This is the chief value of 

 the books j they are charts to sail by ; the route is 

 mapped out, and much time and labor thereby saved. 

 First, find your bird ; observe its ways, its song, its 

 calls, its flight, its haunts ; then shoot it (not ogle it 

 with a glass), and compare with Audubon. In this 

 way the feathered kingdom may soon be conquered. 



The ornithologists divide and subdivide the birds 

 into a great many families, orders, genera, species, 

 etc., which, at first sight, are apt to confuse and dis- 

 courage the reader. But any interested person can 

 acquaint himself with most of our song-birds, by keep- 

 ing in mind a few general divisions, and observing the 

 characteristics of each. By far the greater number of 

 our land-birds are either warblers, vireos, fly-catchers, 

 thrushes or finches. 



The warblers are, perhaps, the most puzzling. 

 These are the true Sylvia, the real wood-birds. They 

 are small, very active, but feeble songsters, and, to be 

 seen, must be sought for. In passing through the 

 woods, most persons have a vague consciousness of 



