Birds and Seasons 



FIRST SERIES 



BEGINNING with this number, Bird-Lore inaugurates an out- 

 line course of bird-study for the year, which it is hoped will 

 be of assistance to both teachers and students. 'Keys' and 

 ' Manuals ' for identification of at least the more common 

 species are now so readily accessible it is assumed that the student 

 is well equipped in this respect, but we believe that the value of 

 these books can be greatly increased by the addition of exact infor- 

 mation in regard to the manner and times of occurrence of the birds 

 of definite localities. That is, given a text-book for the purpose of 

 identifying, and the student can have no other more desirable book 

 than a companion volume which will tell him just what birds he may 

 expect to find and just when he may expect to find them. In other 

 words, the ideal manual would be one on the birds of your own 

 immediate vicinity. 



In the first place, therefore, Bird-Lore will attempt to secure for 

 its readers information in regard to the birds about their homes, and, 

 as a contribution toward this end, it will present lists of birds from 

 six localities in the United States, namely, Boston, Mass., by Ralph 

 Hoffmann ; New York City, by the Editor ; Philadelphia, by Witmer 

 Stone; Oberlin, Ohio, by Lynds Jones; Glen Ellyn, Ills., by B. F. 

 Gault ; San Francisco, by Charles Keeler. 



These lists, of course, cover only a small portion of the ground, but 

 it is further proposed to aid students in this respect by enabling them 

 to secure copies of desirable local bird-lists which have been published. 

 Authors often have duplicate copies or 'extras' of such lists, reprinted 

 from some scientific publication, difficult in itself to secure, which they 

 would be glad to dispose of, and we invite, indeed urge, them to send 

 us the titles of such local lists, or other papers on birds in nature, 

 with the prices asked, and these titles will be published in Bird- 

 Lore without charge. 



The learning of a bird's name, however, is only the first step in 

 bird-study, and as a means of directing the student into certain definite 

 lines of work, we shall suggest appropriate subjects for study through- 

 out the year. 



Migration is undoubtedly the most striking phenomenon of bird- 

 life, and to its influences are due those marked changes in our bird 



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