How to Name the Birds 203 



bird," or even ''a little bird that said ^dee, dee,''''' it is evident that, at 

 least, some bird students do not appreciate the need of observation! Com- 

 parison of a man's description of a bride's costume, as "some sort of white 

 stuff," with a woman's detailed analysis of its satin, tulle and lace will 

 illustrate very well the difference between the right and wrong way of 

 recording a bird's appearance.. 



There are a few birds, it is true, that possess some striking characteristic 

 mark by which alone they may be known, but in most instances a careful 

 statement of a bird's size, shape of its bill, and its color is an essential 

 to its certain identification. Descriptions of this kind can be made, as a 

 rule, only by the aid of an opera- or field-glass, and only when the bird 

 is before you. Both as a convenience and as a means of directing your 

 attention to the points on which information is desired, it is advisable to 

 have in the field description blank books in which a page may be devoted 

 to each strange bird, somewhat as follows: 



Locality Date 



Haunt 



Length (tip of bill to end of tail ) 



Size and shape of bill 



Length and shape of tail 



Forehead 



Crown 



Cheeks 



Nape 



Back 



Rump 



1 Upper-tail coverts 



I Tail 



Wings 



Throat 



Breast 



Abdomen 



Color 



Voice 



Movements, etc. 

 Remarks 



It is not, of course, always possible to see a bird with sufficient exact- 

 ness to enable one to fill out a blank of this nature, but until you can 

 answer the questions this outline calls for you have not clearly seen the bird, 

 and must not be surprised, therefore, if both your own efforts and those 

 of some ornithological friend fail to make known its identity. On the 

 other hand, a blank of this kind, properly filled, will usually furnish an 



Bird-Lore has prepared for the use of students a 52-page covered "Field Identification Blank," based on 

 the above outline. It contains a chart of a bird, giving the names of its external parts, and, for ready reference, 

 a printed 6-inch rule. This booklet may be obtained from BIRD-Lore'S printers, the J. Horace McFarland Co., 

 Box 655, Harrisburg, Pa., for ten cents, postage paid. 



