St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1892-04-21

your ears to hear 1t is astonishing
how deaf people can be to bird-notes.
| | have often been attracted bv great
excitements in the bird-world. even
| the uproar of fighting, while persons
about me did not hear a sound: so
| true is it that we see what we look
| for and hear tina for which we listen.
| You must not only learn to listen
but to see. Yon must learn to notice
theleast fit of wing, the stir of
leaf, the swaying of twig, and to
understand it; above all, to be exact
in your knowledge and not to Jump
at conclusions. If you see bird on
a fruit tree picking about the bios
SONS, do not decide offhand that he
is spelling the fruit; look closely to
see if he is not, instead, clearing it
of worms that would DESTROY it all
| When you notice bird in a straw
| berrybed, do not instantly conclude
| that he is after Stra wberries; he
! doesn't care half so much for berries
as he does for insects, and very often
he is engaged in Kidding the plants of
pests a t the moment that he is scared
off or shot by a careless person who
| does not wait to see whether he is
| friend or foe.
In setting out to study bird, first
note what he doing; secondly, how
he does it; and thirdly. his descrip-
ton. you can reverse this order if
you prefer.
If he is getting food, as he most
often is, see whether he picks it from
the tree-trunk or gathers it from
grass-tops; whether he hunts it
among leaves, bores the bark, drops
to the ground, or sails out into the
air for it.
Then try to discover what it is
insect or seed; beetle, grub, or worm
and what he does with it-swallow
it at once, beat it to death, or hold
it in his mouth unea ten.
Then notice his manners-if he
stands still, orjerks his tail or body;
if he fits about the branches, hOverS
before a flower, or hammers at the
door Ofan unluckv grub behind the
bark. Next. does he walk or hop?
does he chatter or keep silent? fly
straight, or go bounding in great
waves through the air? All these
things you must learn to see and to
y
so that you will not be uncertain or
confused when you take your books
to see who he is.
Then you must take note of his
size, and to do this-as it is hard to
judge of inches-it is well to have in
mind sort of index of size to which
you can compare him. Take the
most common and best-known birds
for standards, the robin, the English
sparrow, and one smaller-the wren,
or the "chebek" Oeast fy-catcher).
When you see bird, if he is as big
as robin, enter in your notes: "Size
robin" Should he be little small
Ter, yet still larger than your measure
the English sparrow-you can note
it, ''Size, robin =" the minus sign
meaning that it is less. If it were
larger, you would put the plus sign:
"Size, robin f."
Observe the shape-whether it is
slim like an oriole, or chunked like a
chicadee; also any popularity Of plu
mage, as a crest, specially long or
strangely formed tail-feathers; the
end of the tail, whether rounded,
pointed, or notched.
Then the beak; its length compared
to the head, it's shape and color. If
it is high and thick, like canary's
or sparrow's, the bird is seed
eater; if long and straight, like
robins he is an insect-eater; if sharp
and fat, opening very wide like
swallows he is f1y-catcher.
Lastly the plumage: the general
color, then the special markings,
such as bars on wings or tail, a ring
around the eye, or a line over or
through the eye, white or black
throat, speckled or striped breast, or
any conspicuous blotch. Every
point must be set down the moment
you notice it. You cannot trust
your memory.
With these full notes you will soon
learn to find your birds in the books.
Then it is good plan to write in a
large blank book that you do not
carry about with you everything
you have observed about the bird,
with his name and description. A
record like this will grow more val
liable as your study goes on.
An old orchard is an excellent
place to study the more common
birds, and early in the morning is the
best time. 1t is always desirable to
go alone; with a companion it is al
most impossible to keep still, and
silence and slowness of movement
are very important. You may GO
tramping through place full ofbirds
and see nothing, while if you sit
quietly and patiently in some obscure
/ nook, you shall find yourself in the
very midst Of bird-life.
Although patience and clear eyes
, alone will open many delightful
secrets of bird-life, good opera-glass