22 
KEY TO THE BIRDS OF WESTERN CANADA 
The method of its use is as follows. Given a bird in the hand of unknown 
species to determine its name, it is first compared with the first heading 
in boldface numbered in Roman numerals — I, Feet Fully Webbed. 
If this description does not fit the bird, the next Roman numeral heading 
is referred to — II, Feet Partly Webbed, or III, Feet Without Pronounced 
Web. Assuming that the last correctly describes the bird under dis- 
cussion, we refer to the headings of next lower rank, which are numbered 
alphabetically with capital letters, where we find the alternatives — “F 
Legs long,” and “G, Legs short.” Sometimes it may be difficult to decide 
whether a leg should be regarded as long or short, and the various pictured 
details following may then assist determination. In this case the legs, 
we decide, are not remarkably long, no longer in proportion to size of the 
bird than are the legs of a chicken or sparrow; we, therefore, under G, 
refer to a number of subordinate alternatives, distinguished by small 
initial letters — “1, feet chicken-like, strong and compact for scratching”; 
“m, feet strongly clawed for holding prey”; “n, feet small and weak”; “o, feet 
small or medium-sized, solidly made, and legs covered with horny scales 
or plates.” Glances at various feet shown under each heading will assist 
in determination. Assuming a decision in favour of the last, we compare 
our specimen with the next alternatives, numbered with ordinary Arabic 
numerals — “20, two toes in front”; “21, three toes in front.” There can be 
little confusion here and we assume that our specimen having three front 
toes is one of the great body of perching birds. We, therefore, compare it 
with the following line detail drawings to see with which it agrees most 
closely. The bill is not wide and flat, it is, therefore, not a Flycatcher; 
there are no ear-tufts or long hind toe and the nostril is not covered with 
feather tufts, therefore it cannot be either a Horned Lark, a Crow, or a 
Jay. The next picture, the Bobolink’s bill, catches our eye and the Spar- 
row bill in the next lot. A glance through the remainder shows that 
our bird must be a Bobolink or one of the Sparrows. The picture, page 264, 
and description of the former, is nothing like it; therefore, we turn to the 
Sparrows, read the general Sparrow description, and remarks on page 272, and 
then work through the pictures. After looking at all the illustrations we 
find that our specimen agrees with that of the Song Sparrow, and on 
reading over the distinctive characters we have our opinion confirmed. 
It has the sharply striped breast aggregated in the centre, and is without 
either the yellow stripe over the eye of the Savannah Sparrow or the white 
outer feathers of the tail, as in the Vesper. We are, therefore, confident 
that, starting with no other ornithological knowledge than that the specimen 
was a Canadian bird, we have been able to refer it to its proper species. 
