Bird Neighbours

THIS is an introduction to the common song birds that spend a part of all of the year in our woods, fields, and dooryards. It is the beginner's easy guide to a sympathetic and accurate knowledge of birds. The formal description of each gives, under the scientific name, a list of the common names, the size of the adult, detailed description of male and female, the range of the species, and the time of migration. Then follows a breezy informal description, that shows the birds in their active life, their songs, the housekeeping methods of the pair, as they build nests and rear their family. To these essentials much valuable and interesting bird lore is added.

The birds are grouped first into families. Next they are grouped according to habits and habitats; i.e., "Birds that sing on the wing," "birds of marshes," "birds that prefer pine woods," etc. Next they are all listed according to their seasons (about New York): "Birds seen between November and April," "spring and autumn migrants only," "birds arriving April 15th to May 15th." The fourth grouping is according to size. The fifth (which fills the body of the book) describes each bird under a grouping based upon the dominant colour of the plumage. This unique plan has proved most helpful to bird students.