40 Bird Day Book 



Don't Be Narrow. — In studying birds, do not be narrow ! Use 

 the field-glass, the camera and pencil, rather than the shot-gun 

 and the microscope. Any fool with a gun can kill a bird; but it 

 takes intelligence and skill to photograph one. 



The time was when the analysis and classification of our 

 American birds were important work, because the bird fauna was 

 only partially discovered and written up. In their days, Audubon, 

 Wilson Baird and Coues did grand work, because so many birds 

 were strange, and needed introducing. The time was when analyz- 

 ing, naming, and working up geographical distribution was de- 

 sirable and necessary. But in North America that period has gone 

 by. There is no longer any real need for new technical books on 

 the birds of this continent north of Mexico. The describing, and 

 re-describing, the naming, re-naming and tre-naming of microscopic 

 varieties, has been done enough, and in places overdone. 



What to Do. — Henceforth, these are the things to be done with 

 and for our American birds : 



1. Join actively in protecting the few birds that remain, and 

 help to save them from complete extermination. 



2. Aid in teaching the millions how to know and enjoy the 

 beautiful and useful birds without destroying them. 



It is not at all necessary that people generally should be able 

 to name correctly every bird that the forest and field may disclose. 

 Many species of wablers, and sparrows, and larger birds also, are 

 so much alike that it is difficult for anyone save a trained ornitholo- 

 gist to analyze them correctly. The general public is not interested 

 in differences that are not nearly microscopic. When birds and 

 mammals cannot be recognized without killing them, and removing 

 their skulls, it is quite time for some of us to draw the line. 



It is entirely possible for any intelligent person to become well 

 acquainted with at least one hundred and twenty-five of our birds 

 without killing one; and any person who can at sight recognize 



