PREFACE. 



Among the many books written on birds 

 it will be difficult to find one which deals 

 wholly with these 'beautiful and interesting 

 creatures as they are seen in the field. Pro- 

 fessional ornithologists must, of course, study 

 external and internal characters of birds from 

 the specimens themselves in the hand, but to- 

 day there is another class of ornithologists, 

 who by far outnumber the professional, and 

 who want to know living birds as they ap- 

 pear among the foliage of woodlands and 

 shrubbery, on the shore, or upon the waters 

 of lake, pond, and river, or upon the wide 

 ocean. This class want a book that shall 

 teach them how they can identify these birds 

 as they perch, or fly, or swim. It is evident 

 that such a book, in order to fulfill its mis- 

 sion, should be written by one who has had 

 a wide experience with living birds. 



