Excerpt from Birds of America, Vol. 2

To learn the proper use of the opera-glass, select some bird, if possible, that is sitting still. Have your back to the sun. Focus the glass on the tree, and then the bird by noting the position of the branch and Sighting the glass as you would a gun.

Note the size of the bird. It will be difficult at first to judge the size in inches, but you may compare it with certain common and well-known birds. You may have a scale of sizes, beginning with the Yellow Warbler or Chipping Sparrow, and reading like this: Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Bluebird, Catbird, Robin, Dove, Crow. Observe these birds well; note the size of each. Turn to your book, and get it in inches. Write it down; commit it to memory; have it always in mind. By making good use of such a scale, you may become expert in judging size by comparison.

Next, the shape of the bird is important. Note whether the bird as a whole is Slim or stout. Some allowance may be made as to how the feathers are carried at the time. All birds can raise or lower the feathers of the body at will. If you can see the Shape of the beak, you may be able to refer the bird at once to the family in which it belongs. If it is not much larger or smaller than a Song Sparrow, and has a short, conical bill, probably it is a Sparrow. If it is a little smaller than a Song Sparrow or about the Size of a Chippy, and has a Short but slender bill, a trifle curved, probably it is a Warbler, or belongs to some other insect-eating family.

The length and shape of the tail are important. Try to see whether the tail is long or short, rounded, square, or forked. If the bird is large, with a hooked beak and long tail, probably it is a Hawk. If the beak is long and straight, or nearly so, the tail Short and the legs long, it must be a Heron, or some other wader.

The color of the bird is very important; indeed, it is about the only feature ordinarily observed. First, note the color of the upper part, i. E., the top and Sides of head, back and Sides of neck, back, wings, and tail; next, that of the under parts throat, front of neck, breast, and belly. Remember that the breast and belly often will seem darker than they really are, on account of being in Shade; thus a pure white will seem gray. Be careful to note just where each color actually is; then note any conspicuous mark, for such a mark alone, taken with the size of the bird, often is enough to establish its identity.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.