Birds of Allegany Park 335 



The beginner will find that at first he fails to identify many birds 

 because he has not made out such details as wing bars, lines over 

 or through the eye, or spots on throat or breast. To identify birds 

 successfully such detail must be observed, particularly in the brown, 

 green, gray and yellow groups. In dealing with size it must be re- 

 membered that mistakes are easily made in the field. The bird that 

 seemed larger than a Robin, if not found under that heading, should 

 be looked for in a larger or smaller group. The first division of 

 the key, between the smaller and the larger birds, has been difficult 

 to apply absolutely. Field estimates of size are at best only rough, 

 and some birds are more likely to be confused with other closely 

 related kinds, or those similar in habit, than with others more nearly 

 of their own size. A few birds not much larger than the Robin are 

 likely to be confused with the birds of the larger group. Thus in 

 constructing the key it has been considered best, in a few excep- 

 tional cases, to bring the related or easily confused species together 

 for comparison without strict regard to size. Thus the Screech 

 Owl, Woodcock, Sharp-shinned and Sparrow Hawks will be found 

 classed with the larger birds — larger than the Robin, and the 

 Pileated Woodpecker with the smaller birds — those little larger 

 than the Robin and smaller. 



The key has been arranged somewhat differently from those in 

 general use. One should begin with the first number on the left 

 and determine whether the bird belongs in the group of smaller, i, 

 or larger, 2, birds. The numbers on the right, 3 or 265, tell where 

 to turn next. The great majority of birds seen will belong in the 

 smaller group, 3. Beginning with 3 we find these birds are divided 

 into eight groups according to the predominant color, and are num- 

 bered from 3 to 10. The numbers in parenthesis on the left indi- 

 cate the number from which we have come, so that the key may be 

 readily followed backward. Having determined to which color 

 group our bird belongs, we next turn to the number indicated on 

 the right margin of the page and continue from there. If the char- 

 acteristics following the number do not fit your description of the 

 bird in question, continue with the next consecutive number until 

 one is found that does. The reference following the name of the 

 bird gives the page on which a fuller description, together with 

 notes on habits and voice, will be found. 



Let us assume a case to illustrate the method of using the key. 

 We have seen a bird in the field and have a fairly good provisional 

 description of it (cf. p. 298). It was singing in the branches of 

 a tree, a rather musical, long-continued song, made up of short, 

 quick phrases of three or four notes each, with pauses between the 

 phrases. It was olive-green on the upper parts, white beneath, with 

 the top of the head gray, a dark line through the eye, and a lighter 

 line over it. It was no larger than an English Sparrow, and per- 

 haps a little smaller. 



It obviously belongs among the smaller birds, and among those 

 green or greenish in color. This leads to number 116. Here we 

 read, " Larger than the English Sparrow." This does not agree, 



