Western Bird Guide: Birds of the Rockies and West to the Pacific — A Closer Reading

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Authors: Reed, Charles K. (Charles Keller), 1851-1921, Brasher, Rex, 1869-1960 [Illustrator], Harvey, Harry F. [Illustrator], Reed, Chester A. (Chester Albert), 1876-1912 [Illustrator] Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2014 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Birds -- West (U.S.) Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

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Words 45,251

Reading time 197 min

Text sections 11

For Western Bird Guide: Birds of the Rockies and West to the Pacific — A Closer Reading, the stored edition analysis reports 45,251 words, 3 hr 17 min estimated reading time, and 11 detected text sections.

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Source: Project Gutenberg record #45918

This editorial note examines the language, narrative voice, and changes in pace in 'Western Bird Guide: Birds of the Rockies and West to the Pacific,' focusing on the interplay between scientific description and personal observation.

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Birds of the Rockies and West to the Pacific

CHESTER A. REED, B.S.; HARRY F. HARVEY; R. I. BRASHER

Garden City New York Doubleday, Page & Company 1917

The numbers and names used in this book are those adopted by the American Ornithologists’ Union, and are known both in this country and abroad. The lengths given are averages; our small birds often vary considerably and may be found either slightly larger or smaller than those quoted.

On some of the pages a number of sub-species are mentioned. Sub-species often cause confusion, because they are usually very similar to the original; they can best be identified by the locality in which they are found.

The nests and eggs are described, as they often lead to the identity of a bird. We would suggest that you neatly, and with ink, make a cross against the name of each bird that you see in your locality, and also that you write at the top of the page the date of the arrival and departure of each bird as you note it; these dates vary so much in different localities that we have not attempted to give them. As many will not wish to soil their books we would suggest that they have a leather-covered copy for the library and a cloth one for pocket use.

BIRDS OF THE ROCKIES AND WEST TO THE PACIFIC

DIVING BIRDS—Order Pygopodes. GREBES—Family Colymbidæ.

WESTERN GREBE. 1. Æchmophorus occidentalis. 25 to 29 inches.

This is the largest of the grebe family. In summer the back of the neck is black, but in winter it is gray like the back.

Nest.—A floating mass of decayed rushes, sometimes attached to the upright stalks; 2 to 5 pale bluish white eggs are laid, usually much nest stained (2.40 × 1.55). Breeding in colonies.

Range.—Western North America, from the Dakotas and Manitoba to the Pacific, and north to southern Alaska.

HOLBOELL GREBE. 2. Colymbus Holboelli. 19 inches.

This is next to the Western Grebe in size, both being larger than any of the others. In summer, they are very handsomely marked, as shown in the illustration, but in winter have the usual dress of gray and white.

Nest.—Similar to above, the eggs averaging smaller (2.35 × 1.25).

Range.—North America, breeding from northwestern Alaska, in the interior of Canada and North Dakota. Winters usually on the coasts.

HORNED GREBE. 3. Colymbus auritus. 14 inches.

In winter this Grebe is one of the plainest in its dress of gray and white, but summer brings a great change, making it one of the most attractive, with its black, puffy head, and buffy white ear tufts, the front of the neck a rich chestnut color. Their food consists almost wholly of small fish.

Nest.—Is a loosely built mass of vegetation floating in the bog and water holes of the western prairies. The eggs, 3 to 7 in number, are brownish yellow (1.70 × 1.15).

Range.—Breeds from Dakota and Illinois northward; winters to the Gulf of Mexico.

EARED GREBE. 4. Colymbus nigricollis californicus. 13 inches.

This species is rarely found as far east as the Mississippi River. In summer the neck is black, lacking the chestnut color of the former. It can always be distinguished from the Horned by the upper mandible being straight on the top.

Nest.—In colonies similar to the above, laying from 3 to 8 eggs, which are usually nest stained to a brownish cream color.

Range.—From the Mississippi to the Pacific, nesting from Texas to British Columbia.

PIED-BILLED GREBE. 6. Podilymbus podiceps. 13½ inches.

This species cannot be mistaken for any others of the grebes in any plumage, because of its stout compressed bill and brown eyes, all the others having red eyes. In summer the bill is nearly white, with a black band encircling it; the throat is black; breast and sides brownish-gray; the eye encircled with a white ring.

Nest.—Made of a mass of decayed weeds and rushes, floating in shallow ponds or on the edges of lakes among the rushes. Five to 8 brownish white eggs are laid (1.70 × 1.18).

Range.—Whole of N. A., breeding in small colonies or pairs.

LOON; GREAT NORTHERN DIVER. 7. Gavia immer. 31 to 35 inches.

In shape and motions the loons very much resemble the grebes, except in size, being much larger. The common loon is the most beautiful of them all, having a velvety black iridescent head with slashes of white on the throat and neck and spots of white on the wings and back.

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The Western Bird Guide opens with a striking blend of taxonomic precision and field-note intimacy. The authors immediately establish a dual voice: one that adheres strictly to the American Ornithologists’ Union numbering system and another that invites the reader to personalize the book by marking arrival dates and making crosses beside species seen. This tension between formal classification and hands-on engagement shapes the entire work.

The guide’s language shifts noticeably between species accounts. Some entries, like that of the Western Grebe, are terse and data-heavy—listing measurements, nest descriptions, and ranges. Others, such as the account of the Lewis Woodpecker, introduce vivid color terms (“crimson red face,” “glossy greenish black”) and behavioral notes that slow the pace and draw the reader into observation. These variations in density and tone create a rhythm that rewards both quick reference and leisurely reading.

Taxonomic Structure and Personal Annotation

The guide’s backbone is the A.O.U. checklist, but the authors repeatedly encourage readers to write directly in the book. The preface suggests making “a cross against the name of each bird that you see in your locality” and recording arrival and departure dates at the top of each page. This invitation transforms the volume from a static reference into a living field diary. The language here is practical and direct: “we would suggest that you neatly, and with ink.” The voice is that of an experienced naturalist speaking to a fellow enthusiast, not a distant authority.

This personalization extends to the treatment of subspecies. The authors acknowledge that subspecies “often cause confusion” and recommend identifying them by locality rather than relying solely on plumage details. Such admissions of uncertainty are rare in field guides of the period and signal a humility that tempers the otherwise authoritative tone. The result is a text that feels collaborative, as if the reader is being trained to become a contributor to ornithological knowledge.

Shifts in Descriptive Pace and Sensory Detail

The pace of the prose varies markedly across entries. For common or wide-ranging species, the descriptions are often compressed: the Horned Grebe is dispatched in three sentences covering seasonal plumage and food. But for less familiar birds, the writing expands. The account of the Stephens Whip-poor-will, for instance, lingers on its secretive habits: “they are heard much more often than seen,” and their flight is “swift and noiseless, their soft plumage giving forth no sound.” This is not mere data; it is a crafted observation that evokes the bird’s essence.

Similarly, the Red-shafted Woodpecker entry breaks from the standard format to describe foraging behavior—searching for ants “on the ground on the edges of the woods or in open fields”—and includes a detailed color comparison with eastern varieties. The prose becomes almost narrative, contrasting the bird’s habits with those of other woodpeckers. These slower, richer passages stand out against the more telegraphic entries, creating a rhythm that mimics the experience of birding: moments of quick identification punctuated by longer, contemplative watches.

Voice of the Observer: Between Scientist and Storyteller

The narrative voice in the Western Bird Guide is not uniform. At times it adopts the clipped, impersonal style of a checklist: “Nest. —A floating mass of decayed rushes… 2 to 5 pale bluish white eggs.” Elsewhere, it slips into a more reflective register. The description of the Poor-will’s plumage as “beautifully blended together” is a subjective judgment, not a neutral fact. The choice to include such aesthetic evaluations reveals the authors’ own wonder and invites the reader to share it.

This dual voice is most apparent in the handling of the Nighthawk group. The Western Nighthawk entry includes a precise field mark—“a white band near the end of the tail”—but also notes that the mark is “very conspicuous when in flight,” a phrase that implies the authors have watched these birds in motion. The Texas Nighthawk is dismissed as “a paler and more of a grayish color than preceding. Habits the same.” The brevity here is almost curt, suggesting that the authors found this subspecies less interesting. Such tonal shifts give the guide a human presence, making it feel less like a dry catalog and more like a conversation with a knowledgeable companion.

Readers will find that the Western Bird Guide rewards both sequential reading and targeted lookup. Pay attention to the entries where the prose slows down—those are the moments when the authors’ own fascination breaks through the taxonomic framework. The guide’s invitation to annotate is not a gimmick; it is central to the book’s design. To use it as intended is to become part of a century-old tradition of citizen science, one that values careful observation and personal record-keeping as much as authoritative knowledge.

There’s a particular stillness in the Western guide’s quiet asides, those moments when the author’s wonder slips past the taxonomy. It reminded me of the softer, unhurried tone in An Introduction to the Birds of Pennsylvania — Reading Companion, where patience feels like part of the practice. Both books let the land speak through the birds, gently.