. The first book of birds; . rked external differences, which arecarefuUy set down in the books. The modern manuals, too, are usually fur-nished with a color key, the use of which is fullyexplained in them. With the help of this youwiU have little trouble in naming your bird. Above all, be exact in your knowledge anddo not jump at conclusions. If you see a birdon a fruit-tree picking about the blossoms, donot decide offhand that he is spoiling the fruit;look closely to see if he is not, instead, clearingit of worms that would destroy it all. Whenyou notice a bird in a strawberry bed, do notins
. The first book of birds; . rked external differences, which arecarefuUy set down in the books. The modern manuals, too, are usually fur-nished with a color key, the use of which is fullyexplained in them. With the help of this youwiU have little trouble in naming your bird. Above all, be exact in your knowledge anddo not jump at conclusions. If you see a birdon a fruit-tree picking about the blossoms, donot decide offhand that he is spoiling the fruit;look closely to see if he is not, instead, clearingit of worms that would destroy it all. Whenyou notice a bird in a strawberry bed, do notinstantly conclude that he is after strawberries;he does nt care half so much for berries as hedoes for insects, and very often he is engaged inridding the plants of pests, at the moment thathe is scared off or shot by a careless person, whodoes not wait to see whether he is friend or foe. Although patience and clear eyes alone willopen many deUghtful secrets of bird life, a goodopera glass will do still more. It will bring you. MEADOWLARK HOW TO STUDY HIM 141 nearer to the bird without frightening can see thus much better, not only hismarkings, but what he is doing. In a word,you can be more sure of your facts. In deciding upon the actions of a bird, neverguess at anything. If you see a pair very busyabout a shrub, you may be sure they have anest there, but do not so record it till you haveactually seen the nest. Even then you shouldnot conclude at once that it belongs to them;I have seen birds sit a few moments in nestswhich did not belong to them — as if to trythem. You may feel very sure what a birdmeans by an action, but you should set downonly what he does. Without this care, yourrecords will be worthless. Do not discourage yourself by trying to findthe name of every tiny atom in feathers that yousee; indeed, little birds flitting about the tree-tops — mostly warblers — will be hard for youto identify, and almost impossible to watch. Iadvise you to confine your
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