COMMON AND RARE BIRDS. 29 
bers in places that knew them not before; a single heavy 
“invoice” of a bird from some distant or little-explored re- 
gion may at once stock the market, and depreciate the current 
value of the species to almost nothing. d. Some practical de- 
_ductions are to be made from these premises. Your object is 
to make yourself acquainted with all the birds of your vi- 
cinity, and to preserve a complete suite of specimens of every 
species. Begin by shooting every bird you can, coupling this 
sad destruction, however, with the closest observations upon 
habits. You will very soon fill your series of a few kinds, that 
you find almost everywhere, almost daily. Then if you are 
in a region the ornithology of which is well known to the pro- 
fession, at once stop killing these common birds — they are in 
every collection. You should not, as a.rule, destroy any more 
robins, bluebirds, song-sparrows, and the like, than you want 
for yourself. Keep an eye on them, studying them always, 
but turn your actual pursuit into other channels, until in this 
way, gradually eliminating the undesirables, you exhaust the 
bird fauna as far as possible (you will not quite exhaust it — 
at least for many years). But if you are in a new or little 
known locality, I had almost said the very reverse course is the 
best. ‘The chances are that the most abundant and character- 
istic birds are ‘‘rare” in collections. Many a bird’s range is 
quite restricted : you may happen to be just at its metropolis ; 
seize the opportunity, and get good store—yes, up to fifty, 
or a hundred; all you can spare will be thankfully received 
by those who have none. Quite as likely, birds that are scarce _ 
just where you happen to be, are so only because you are on. 
the edge of their habitat, and are plentiful in more accessible. 
regions. But, rare or not, it is always a point to determine the 
exact geographical distribution of a species: and this is fixed 
best by having specimens to tell each its own tale, from as 
Many different and widely separated localities as possible. 
“This alone warrants procuring one or more specimens in eyery 
locality ; the commonest bird acquires a certain value if it be 
captured away from its ordinary range. An Eastern Blue- 
bird shot in California might be considered more valuable 
