Excerpt from British Birds: Descriptions of All the Commoner Species, Their Nests and Eggs The object of this book is to make as easy as limits of space permit the recognition of all the British species, their nests and eggs, except the rarest. The descriptions have been written with an eye to the requirements of the non-specialist observer, and, if the instructions on p. Viii are followed, they should prove adequate for practical purposes. Descriptions of the female bird and of the young are given only when these differ markedly from the adult male. Like wise seasonal changes of plumage are ignored unless marked enough to make a description necessary for identification. The descriptions and measurements of eggs follow for the most part those of the Rev. F. C. R Jourdain in the British Bird Book. Complete descriptions of nests have yet to be written, the range of material used by particular species being much greater than the standard works would lead one to suppose. The descriptions here given will, however, suffice for purposes of identification. The short notes on migration and distribution, and other information as to time of laying, &c., are introduced solely to aid identification by showing when and where the species and their eggs are to be found. Limitations of space make it obviously impossible to give anything but the strict minimum of information necessary for this purpose. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.