6 THE BIRDS OF OUR RAMBLES. 



A word now as to the identification of birds. 

 This is always the one grand stumbling-block 

 over which the novice comes to grief. " What- 

 ever could that bird have been ? " " What species 

 is that ? " are oft-repeated exclamations to himself 

 as he walks along. Even the after aid of a more 

 skilful ornithologist is of little avail ; for nothing 

 is more difficult than to endeavour to name a bird 

 from the vague description given of it by an 

 amateur. It is, however, worse than useless to 

 give a long minute description which the student 

 must follow in bewildering detail, with the bird 

 itself in his hand, to render it of service. Besides, 

 he who is anxious to study the ways of birds, does 

 not wish to destroy these pretty creatures, for 

 their greatest charm vanishes with life. I have 

 endeavoured to overcome as much of this diffi- 

 culty of, and drawback to personal observation as 

 possible, by giving as close an imitation of the 

 call-notes of the birds met with, as can be given 

 in a written description or expressed in words. 

 Or, in addition to this, in many cases the 

 peculiarities of plumage have been described as 

 tersely as possible ; a rough likeness of the bird, 

 as it fitfully appears at a distance where all the 

 smaller details of its colours are lost. The actions 

 of many species render identification easy ; and 

 wherever these little peculiarities are sufficiently 

 marked to be of service I have availed myself 

 of this means of introducing my birds to the 

 observer's notice. At the end of each "ramble," 

 a list of the species met with arranged in order of 

 sequence will also, I hope, help the student to ac- 

 quire a rapid knowledge of birds ; for here .may be 

 found at a glance their call-notes, whether they are 



