152 Bird -Lore aim is to make him acquainted with the most common birds of the vicinity, taking the familes in succession. By means of mounted specimens he makes a study of each species, as to size, form, color, and markings, at the same time receiving some account of manners and habits that shall ensure easy identification in the field. In this way a student learns to know familiarly about one hundred species of the common birds. This gives him a good start for individual work, and prevents the discouragement of facing a world of birds, without knowing one to begin with. I know from my own experience how disheartening this is, and I know, from the experience of others, how many are discouraged in the outset of this most delightful of studies by these preliminary difficulties. So much has been said about my use of mounted specimens, in the face of my opposition to the killing of birds, that I should like here to define my position. In the first place, I have never objected to the killing of a moderate number of birds for really scientific purposes. What I oppose is the destruction for mere collections, for sport, for selling, for the unnecessary multiplication of skins and, above all, for milliners' use. In the second place, no bird was ever killed for me ; nor did my purchase of those I have encourage the killing of more, because I bought them of a young man who col- lected them for himself and then, turning his attention to something else, wished to sell them. Besides this, the collection I use has had an influence from Maine to Minnesota, interesting hundreds of students in the living bird, and inducing them to discountenance the destruction going on. No person — I may say confidently — ever went out from my classes with a gun, and I have had many boys in them. In fact, it is necessary only to show how much more interesting is the live bird than the poor dead body, to arouse their attention and take away their appetite for destruction. Therefore, even had my specimens been killed for me, I should consider that they had been useful enough, in saving the lives of thousands of their fellows and con- verting hundreds of boys from bird-murderers to bird-observers, to justify their sacrifice. Having given my class this general knowledge, with the dis- tinguishing marks of each family, and some acquaintance with its more prominent members, I take them out in small parties for out- door observation, to teach them and to show them hozv to observe. Most useful, also, I regard a practical lesson in the use of the books, identification by the manuals ; and another in taking note of and properly describing the points of a bird. When a student has completed the course of ten talks which I
