CHAPTER II 
A WORD TO THE BEGINNER 
Finding and Naming Birds 
The Equipment of the Field Student 
Collecting Birds, Their Nests and Eggs 
American Ornithological Societies 
Current Ornithological Magazines 
Finding and Naming Birds 
How to Find Birds 
How to Identify Birds 
How Birds Are Named 
How to Find Birds. — The best times of the day in which to look 
for birds are early morning and late afternoon. After a night of fast- 
ing and resting, birds are active and hungry. When their appetites 
are satisfied, they may rest quietly until hunger again sends them forth 
in search of food. 
Experience will soon show you where birds are most abundant. 
The more varied the nature of the country the greater number of 
species you may expect to find inhabiting it. An ideal locality would 
be a bit of tree-dotted meadow with a reed-bordered pond or stream, 
surrounded by woods, rolling uplands and orchards. 
Common sense will tell you how to act in the field. Birds are gen- 
erally shy creatures and must be approached with caution. You must 
not, therefore, go observing or collecting dressed in flaming red, but 
in some inconspicuous garb and as quietly as a cat. Furthermore, go 
alone and keep the sun at your back — two apparently unrelated but 
equally important bits of advice. 
The naturalist generally has the instincts of the hunter, and prac- 
tice will develop them. The ‘squeak’ is one of his most valuable aids. 
It is made by placing the lips to the back of the hand or finger and kiss- 
ing vigorously. The sound produced bears some resemblance to the 
cries of a wounded or young bird. In the nesting season its utterance 
frequently creates much excitement in the bird-world, and at all times 
it is useful as a means of drawing bush- or reed-haunting species from 
their retreats. One may enter an apparently deserted thicket, and, 
after a few minutes’ squeaking, find himself surrounded by an anxious 
or curious group of its feathered inhabitants. 
The observer of birds will find that by far the best way to study 
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