THE BIRD STUDY BOOK 



have always insisted on pupils cultivating the note- 

 book habit, and results have well justified this 

 course. 



In making notes on a bird that you do not know it 

 is well to state the size by comparing it with some 

 bird you know, as, for example, "smaller than an 

 English Sparrow," "about the size of a Robin," and 

 so on. Try to determine the true colours of the birds 

 and record these. Also note the shape and approxi- 

 mate length of the bill. This, for example, may be 

 short and conical like a Canary's, awl-shaped like the 

 bill of a Warbler, or very long and slender like that of 

 a Snipe. By failing to observe these simple rules the 

 learner may be in despair when he tries to find out 

 the name of his strange bird by examining a bird 

 book, or may cause some kindly friend an equal 

 amount of annoyance. 



As a further aid to subsequent identification it is 



well to record the place where the bird was seen, for 



example: "hopping up the side of a tree," "wading 



in a marsh," "circling about in the air," or "feeding 



[10] 



