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: 

30 SUGGESTIONS AND DIRECTIONS FOR FIELD-WORK. 
than the ‘‘rarest” bird of that state, and would certainly a 
worth a hundred Massachusetts skins; the Varied Thrush — . ‘ 
(Turdus nevius) that was killed at Ipswich, Mass., is worth a_ : 
like number from Oregon. But let all your justifiable destruc- 
tion of birds be tempered with mercy ; your humanity will be _ 
continually shocked with the havoc you work, and should never 
permit you to take life wantonly. Never shoot a bird you do 
not fully intend to preserve, or to utilize in some proper way. 
Bird-life is too beautiful a thing to destroy to no purpose: “too oe 
sacred a thing, like all life, to be sacrificed, unless the tribute 
is hallowed by worthiness of motive. ‘ Not a sparrow falleth 
to the ground without His notice.” z, 
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§18. War Is “*4 GOooD DAY’s worK?”. Fifty birds shot, 
their skins preserved, and observations recorded, is a very 
good day’s work; it is sharp practice even when birds are — 
plentiful. I never knew a person to average anywhere near it; 
even during the ‘‘season” such work cannot possibly be sus- 
tained. You may, of course, by a murderous discharge into a 
flock, as of blackbirds or reedbirds, get a hundred or more in — 
a moment; but I refer to collecting a fair variety of birds. 
You will do very well if you average a dozen a day during the 
seasons. I doubt whether any collector ever averaged as many. 
the year around; it would be over four thousand specimens 
annually. The greatest number I ever procured and prepared: 
in one day was forty, and J have not often gone over twenty. 
Even when collecting regularly and assiduously I am satisfied — 
to average a dozen a day during the migrations, and one-third — 
or one-fourth as many the rest of the year. Probably this 
implies the shooting of about one in five not skinned for vari- 4 
ous reasons, as mutilation, decay, or want of time. h4e 
-~ 
» Ove 
$19. Approacnine Brrps. There is little if any trouble in 
getting near enough to shoot most birds. With notable excep- ; 
tions, they are harder to see when near enough, or to hit when ‘@ 
seen; particularly small birds that are almost incessantly in: 
motion. As a rule—and a curious one it is — diene of 

