iv INTRODUCTION 



overgrown pastures, and the borders of brooks 

 and rivers are among the best places to look for 

 birds." 1 



When going to watch birds, " provided with 

 opera-glass and note-book, and dressed in incon- 

 spicuous colors, proceed to some good birdy place, 

 the bushy bank of a stream or an old juniper 

 pasture, and sit down in the undergrowth or 

 against a concealing tree-trunk, with your back 

 to the sun, to look and listen in silence. You 

 will be able to trace most songs to their singers 

 by finding which tree the song comes from, and 

 then watching for movement, as birds are rarely 

 motionless long at a time when singing. It will 

 be a help if, besides writing a careful descrip- 

 tion of both bird and song, you draw a rough 

 diagram of the bird's markings, and put down 

 the actual notes of his song as nearly as may be. 



" If you have time for only a walk through the 

 woods, go as quietly as possible and stop often, lis- 

 tening to catch the notes which your footsteps have 

 drowned. Timid birds may often be attracted 

 by answering their calls, for it is very reassuring 

 to be addressed in one's native tongue." 2 



Birds' habits differ in different localities, and 

 as this book was written in the East, many birds 

 are spoken of as common which Western readers 

 will find rare or wanting; but nearly the same 



1 Birds of Village and Field. 



2 Maynard's Birds of Washington. Introduction by F. A. M. 



