The Bird Study Book | Page 5

as on a lake or at
the seashore.
Notebooks.--The bird student should early acquire the custom of
making notes on such subjects as are of special interest. In listening to
the song or call of some unknown bird, the notes can usually be written
down in characters of human speech so that they may be recalled later
with sufficient accuracy to identify the singer. It is well to keep a list of
the species observed when on a trip. For many years in my field
excursions I have kept careful lists of the birds seen and identified, and
have found these notes to be of subsequent use and pleasure. In college
and summer-school work I {10} have always insisted on pupils
cultivating the notebook habit, and results have well justified this
course.
In making notes on a bird that you do not know it is well to state the
size by comparing it with some bird you know, as, for example,
"smaller than an English Sparrow," "about the size of a Robin," and so
on. Try to determine the true colours of the birds and record these. Also
note the shape and approximate length of the bill. This, for example,
may be short and conical like a Canary's, awl-shaped like the bill of a
Warbler, or very long and slender like that of a Snipe. By failing to
observe these simple rules the learner may be in despair when he tries
to find out the name of his strange bird by examining a bird book, or
may cause some kindly friend an equal amount of annoyance.
[Illustration: Heads and feet of various birds]
As a further aid to subsequent identification it is well to record the
place where the bird was seen, for example: "hopping up the side of a
tree," "wading in a marsh," "circling about in the air," or "feeding {12}
on dandelions." Such secondary information, while often a valuable aid
to identification, would in itself hardly be sufficient to enable an
ornithologist to render the service desired.

That a young correspondent of mine entertained a contrary view was
evident from a letter I received a few weeks ago from an inexperienced
boy enthusiast, who was a member of a newly formed nature-study
class. Here is the exact wording of the communication: "Dear Sir: 10 A.
M. Wind East. Cloudy. Small bird seen on ground in orchard. Please
name. P. S. All the leaves have fallen."
Reporting Blanks.--A convenient booklet of reporting blanks and
directions for using them is issued by the National Association of
Audubon Societies, New York City. This is very useful in recording
descriptions of birds. (See sample, page 13.) The blanks may be sent to
the office of the National Association and the species described will be
named.
[Illustration: Sample page of reporting-blank]
Bird Books.--There are a number of inexpensive {14} books which
contain illustrations of birds in natural colours. One of these will be of
the greatest aid to the beginner in bird study. Among the most useful
are the Reed's, "Bird Guides," one covering the birds of the eastern and
the other those of the western part of the United States. The pictures
alone will be of great use in learning the names of feathered neighbours,
while an intelligent study of the text will reveal the identity of many
others.
Local lists of such birds as are found in a neighbourhood, or a county,
are always a great aid in determining, with a fair degree of accuracy,
just what species may or may not be expected to appear in a given
locality. Such lists are usually first published in The Auk, The Condor,
or other ornithological publications, and in many cases are printed and
distributed later as separate pamphlets.
There have been published also many State lists of birds, usually
accompanied by detailed information regarding abundance and
distribution of all the species known to occur in the State. Every bird
{15} student should, if possible, get a copy of his own State bird book.
Any reader who may wish to learn if such a list of the birds of his
neighbourhood or State has been published is at liberty to address the

question to the author of this book.
Movements of Birds.--One does not get very far in the work of bird
study without discovering that certain movements are characteristic of
various families; and when the observer is able to recognize this
difference in manner a long step has been taken in acquiring the power
of identifying species.
After watching for a time the actions of a Downy Woodpecker as it
clings to the side of a tree, or hops along its bark, one is quick to
recognize the Woodpecker manner when some other species of that
family is encountered. Recalling the ceaseless activities