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DAN BEARD'S ANIMAL BOOK 



man has a color-chart, introduced in his most practical 

 " Book of the Birds of Eastern North America," but it 

 is not necessary for you to use this system in your notes. 

 If, for instance, a wing is yellow with a tinge of red, 

 call it reddish yellow. But if it is more red than yellow, 

 that is, red with a yellow tinge, call it yellowish red. 



If you are unable to decide which color is dominant 

 or strongest, call it orange, and you will not be far from 



the truth. Field-notes are 

 necessarily made hurriedly, 

 and the bird may fly away 

 while you are trying to 

 decide whether the back is 

 " olive," " olive-brown," " ru- 

 fous-brown," " rufous," or 

 " chestnut," so mark it brown, 

 reddish brown, or grayish 

 brown, brown or brownish, as 

 it may appear to you, but mark 

 it quick, and then go on to the 

 next item, look for wing-bars, 

 and note them as in Fig. 6. 

 See if the bill is thick like a 

 sparrow's or thin like an insect- 

 feeder, and note it; don't stop 

 to draw it properly, just write sparrow bill, short bill, 

 long bill, thin bill, etc. After you have noted all the 

 details possible with the aid of your field-glasses, note 

 what the bird was doing, how it acted, and this in your 

 own language. Don't try to write as it is in books. The 

 value of your personal notes is the originality of your ob- 



How to Sketch a Bird 



