330 Roosevelt Wild Life Bulletin 



as I wrote it down was " cree-cree-cree-cree-cree-e-e-tup." The 

 first lour notes are of even pitch, the fifth a tone higher, and the 

 last note drops sharply. Whether this is a typical song for the 

 species I cannot yet say. The voice was quite loud, but not par- 

 ticularly musical. The ending suggested the Parula Warbler, but 

 the voice was somewhat like that of the Black-throated Blue, while 

 the rhythm — the fifth " cree " being twice the length of each of 

 the other four — was as perfect as that which characterizes the 

 Nashville Warbler. I watched the tree for about half an hour, be- 

 fore the little bird finally came out of the dense foliage where I 

 could get a brief, but thoroughly satisfactory view of its beautiful 

 colors. 



Whether the bird nests in the Park may well be questioned. 

 Perhaps my single specimen was but a wanderer from a distance. 

 Many times in July I passed the point where it was found, but 

 did not find it or hear it again. 



IDENTIFYING BIRDS IN THE FIELD 



The student of birds, who is just beginning the fascinating study, 

 often wishes for the companionship in the field of one who is al- 

 ready well initiated. He hopes that such companionship will help 

 him to find and know the birds more easily. Yet when the oppor- 

 tunity comes he is often disappointed. The expert identifies birds 

 about him so quickly and unerringly by a mere glance, a flash of 

 a wing, a bit of song, that the beginner feels lost and gains less 

 from his opportunity than he expected. 



There is no short or easy method of obtaining a knowledge of 

 birds. It must all come by slow, careful, painstaking work, when- 

 ever the opportunity arrives. Above all, one should observe quietly, 

 avoiding quick motions and keeping all the senses alert (figure 94). 

 Once the student gets a fairly intimate acquaintance with our com- 

 moner birds in the field, he too learns to distinguish them at a 

 glance ; and many little points of flight or habit or voice that are 

 impossible to describe in a book are stored up in memory Just 

 as one knows his friends at a long distance by the way they walk, 

 so he knows each kind of bird by its pose and manner of flight. 

 Just as he knows the voices of his friends over the telephone, so he 

 recognizes the bird songs of woods and fields. That he senses the 

 sights and sounds of the forest and the ways of wild life with in- 

 creasing accuracy, he does not himself doubt. But it is difficult 

 for him to explain just how he does it. Only long, patient obser- 

 vation and practice sharpen one's perception and disclose the 

 deeper secrets of the woods. 



Most of the popular bird guides emphasize the color of birds, as 

 a means of identification. Color is perhaps the first, and most im- 

 portant factor, at least for the beginner, but it is by no means the 

 only one. The observer soon finds that size, shape, habit, flight, 

 voice and association all have their importance and each one may 

 be of great value in naming a bird in the field. 



