xii INTRODUCTION 



gods. Whatever the reason, birds have been in every 

 land connected with religious observances or super- 

 stitious rites, and even chosen as symbols of power, 

 authority, or wisdom. No doubt their expressive cries 

 contributed much to this result. The folk-lore in 

 every nation gives evidence of this feeling. It is found 

 among the Hindus, the Egyptians, the Greeks, the 

 Romans, and the European nations alike. 



But the scientific study of birds cannot be said to 

 have begun imtil very recent times. The foundations 

 of ornithology were laid by two Englishmen, Francis 

 Willughby (1635-1672) and John Ray (1628-1705), 

 to whom we owe the first attempts to classify birds 

 upon right principles. Their good work was based 

 upon practical observation combined with the ability 

 to rightly weigh and analyse. Though to-day other 

 ideas prevail in regard to the relationship and classify- 

 ing of species, yet Willughby and Ray are still re- 

 garded as pioneers in ornithology. In this chapter 

 our purpose is to give a brief summary of the state 

 of our knowledge of birds at this time, rather than 

 to trace even in outline the progress of the science 

 during the last two or three centuries. 



Let us begin with the question: What is a bird? 

 Briefly, a bird is distinguished from all other living 

 creatures by its covering of feathers. Not thus alone, 

 however, are birds distinguished, since they differ 

 almost as markedly in the matter of their skeletons. 

 But it is not enough that we should be able to quote 

 the "hall-mark," so to speak, by which our favorites 

 are to be recognised. At least it is not enough for 

 those of us who are not content with mere facts. 



