How to Study Birds 195
nities to add to our knowledge of birds’ habits during this most important part of their lives are lost simply because the persons to whom the opportu— nities come do not know what is known or what is unknown, what he should try to see or the significance of things seen.
The day has passed when general observations on the habits of our birds are likely to prove of value Nor can the student hope to dis- cover much that is new unless. after learning what we especially desire to know, he devotes himself systematically to the study of comparatively few birds; selecting, preferably, the most common species in his vicinity.
What Bird is This?
rum Drunpliam rcllflih. (u; m Bum-um um. liehm htluw. mm: in Im «1:3ka with whinsh in me 2 whitish line over the eye is more or less t-viilcm.
Nora—Each number of Bum-Lone will contain a photograph. from specimens in the American Museum of Natural History, of some comparatively little-known bird. or bird in obscure plumage, the name of which will be withheld until the succeeding number of the magazine, it being believed that this method of arousing the student's curiosity will result in impressing the bird’s characters on his mind far more strongly- than if its name were given with the picture.
The species figured in October is Lincoln's Finch,
