Evening star., 1946-10-23
This and That
By Charles E. ,Trdce1oeH.

Dear Sir:
Can you recommend q good bird
book, giving hints and information as
to the character and personality of
birds inhabiting this arca?s "a
81 possess Birds of America but
prefer something not quite so scien-
tifc. For example. beside the out
standing marking of the mocking bird
one notices the habit of spreading the
wings while he stands on the ground,
thus making it easy to identify him
at once.
MY book has so many similar birds
that I am unable to identify any one
Of group having similar coloring.
yours very truly, P. w. r."
4
Quite the newest book is Field Book
of Eastern Birds" by Leon Augustus
Hausman of the New Jersey College for
Women, Rutgers University, at NeW
Brunswick, N. j. The volume Is pub
lished by G. P. Putnam's Sons.
Jacob Bates Abbott has supplied six
plates containing "a birds and bird
heads in color, and more than 400 draw
ings in black and white.
This book is pocket size, rather on the
thick side, since 1t contains $50 pages.
It is the latest in the Putnam nature
field books, long and favorably known
to all who are interested in such things.
The features of the book are two sec
tions entitled "A Field Key to Bird
Families" and "a Key to the Rapid
Identification of the Birds Commonly
Seen About the Home Grounds"
Just how successful these are in ap-
plication we do not know. We rather
suspect that they will not be as easy to
work" as they sound.
The second list Is the one which will
interest most local bird lovers. It gives
a key to some 81 birds, most Of them
seen hereabouts.
The classification Is according to
birds chiefly black" birds chiefly black
and white" etc. Eleven short sections
are given, running from the crow to the
ruby -throated hummingbird, which oc-
cupies the 18th section all by himself
Both the starting and English sparrow
are given a listing IN this classification
for the home birds.
The color illustrations are too small,
and the illustrations in black and white
show very little, especially for the be-
gtnner.
To create a "bird book which will
really satisfy every one is very diff
cult task.
Our correspondent, for instance,
would not find her own identifying
characteristic of the mocker in this
book. Under characteristic habits" on
the page devoted to the mockingbird
DR.. Hausman says nothing about the
bird raising its wings while on the
ground. Yet this is true enough. Not
many species raise their wings in this
way while on the ground. The point
is that in doing SO the mocker shows
the white under his wings. This is the
one big differentiation from the catbird
which the newcomer to bird study
readily can notice, once 1t is pointed out
to HIM
Each bird is given a page, with a
black-and- white Illustration Other
names are given, If any; field marks.
field description, characteristic habits,
notes or song, habitat and range.
All in ALL this is very nice book,
but we do not feel that 1t will in any
way replace the old standard works and
bird guides for the Eastern species west
of the Rockies.
The truth is that every bird lover
needs many more than one book. He
should have a large work and several
small volumes, especially with color
plates, and then he may pick up as
many other volumes, from time to time,
as he may think he would like to have.
Books about birds are, after all, books,
before everything else. Every book
lover, whether he is interested in birds
or not, should have some Of the best
bird books. And II he has good guide,
such as Dr.. Hausman's, who knows but
that some day he viii want to use It?