22 
INTRODUCTION. 
tened, of single or united rings ; and sometimes, as in Ducks 
and Mergansers, there is connected with it, in the males, a 
curious bony and membranous expansion, the use of which 
is not apparent. 
But the details of the organization of birds do not require 
to be further entered into here, where the object is not to 
present a treatise on that subject, but to afford the explana- 
tions necessary for the occasion. The careful dissection of 
a few species will atford a more correct idea than could be 
given by mere description. 
With a little of this sort of knowledge, and an acquaint- 
ance with technicalities, the student who has some enthusiasm 
may derive much pleasure from the observation of birds. 
Should he connect these objects of his pursuit with the va- 
rious natural objects and phenomena with which he finds 
them associated, he has little chance of becoming a mere 
collector of skins and eggs. Such persons, confining their 
views to the most superficial aspect of nature, are more to 
be pitied than praised. Yet even they derive pleasure from 
their pursuits ; for who can contemplate nature in any way 
without being gratified ? The cultivators of every branch 
of Natural History are full of its praises ; and surely for 
this enthusiasm no one ought to blame them, were it not that 
frequently he whose affections are engaged by one set of ob- 
jects, despises not only all other objects, but also tnose who 
admire them more than they admire his own favourites. 
The method which I would recommend to a person desi- 
rous of becoming acquainted with the birds of this country, 
is somewhat different from that usually pursued. Let him 
begin with obtaining a dead bird of any kind— a partridge 
or gull, for example. Let him examine its exterior, passing 
in review the bill, the nostrils, the eyes, the apertures of the 
ears ; the tarsi, toes, and nails ; the plumage in detail ; the 
wings, and the tail. Let him pull out a feather here and 
there ; examine its tube, shaft, and filaments ; compare the 
extent of the downy part with that of the more compact ter- 
