IDENTIFICATION 



The accompanying chart of a bird will explain the terms 

 used in the descriptions. "Upper parts" refers to the 

 entire upper surface of the body of the bird from the bill 

 to the tail. In the same manner, "Under parts" refers 

 to the under surface. 



In identifying, decide first into which class the bird you 

 are observing is likely to belong, — that is, whether land 

 or water birds. If water, whether it is found on the open 

 sea, or near shore, or in bayous or marshes, and whether 

 it is a swimmer or a wader, and then look for it in the list 

 where you think it may belong. Always ascertain as near 

 as you can the bird's length, and remember, in judging 

 length, that a bird usually looks smaller than he actually 

 measures. If the bird is among the land birds, and is 

 neither a game bird nor a bird of prey, trace it down in the 

 color classification. 



