356 THE STUDY OF BIRDS IN THE FIELD 



* Owls. Mainly night-flying birds, of loose plumage and large heads ; 



they have their eyes in a facial disk, and so look forward instead of 

 sideways Key, p. 309. 



* Hawks, Vultures, Kites, and Eagles. Generally large birds, with very 



hooked bills. These birds in most cases take an erect position in 

 perching Key, p. 370. 



* Land birds, other than the Birds of Prey. (A.) 



A. Birds plainly smaller than the English sparrow Key below. 



A. Birds about the size of the English sparrow p. 359. 



A. Between the English sparrow and the robin in size p. 363. 



A. Birds about the size of the robin p. 366. 



A. Birds larger than the robin p. 368. 



Key to Birds Smaller than Bng-llsb Sparrows 



The numbers refer to the pages where the birds are described. 



* Birds seen mainly on the wing. The feet of these birds are small and 



weak ; when at rest they perch on slender things, such as telegraph 

 wires. (S.) 



* Creeping birds on tree trunks and larger limbs. (Q.) 



* Birds without special creeping habits and not seen constantly on the 



wing. (A.) 

 A. Birds with conspicuous bright yellow on parts other than the bend 

 of wing or center of the crown and without bright blue or purple. 

 (L.) 

 A. Birds with bright red or flame color, but no distinct lemon-yellow or 



blue. (K.) 

 A. Birds with either bright purple or blue or slaty-blue (if only slaty- 

 blue, then with no yellow). (I.) 

 A. Birds with none of the above bright colors, except possibly a spot 

 in the crown or at the bend of the wing. (B.) 

 B. Very small, plain olive or grayish birds, with no bright colors except 

 in some specimens, a small crown patch ; under parts whitish. (H.) 

 B. Brown birds, with some cross bars i and with the habit of holding the 



tail erect. (G.) 

 B. Birds with the sides of the head and breast white and a conspicuous 



black throat patch. These birds plainly say chick-d-dee. (F.) 

 B. Upper parts olive ; wings and tail blackish ; two whitish wing bars ; ^ 



under parts grayish white Least Flycatcher, p. 165. 



B. Not as above ; stout-billed blrds.^ * (C.) 



C. Conspicuously streaked, brownish birds. (E.) 



®.^^ 



