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G'day,
Until I took up birding, I had lived a fairly "ordered"
life. I could use phone books, catalogues etc to look up people
or products pretty quickly; without having to use any index because the
information was all presented in an alphabetical order.
I recently carried out some data entry of about 1000
records of birding information, and I very quickly realised that I lacked a
fundamental skill requirement for the job. It was absolutely nothing to do
with computers I must add. The problem was to do with placing individual
records in the birding Order and Species sequence.
I have been using Field Guides for years and years, to look up
birds via the alphabetic index at the back, but always find it frustrating if
not useless trying to look them up DIRECTLY by knowing where particular species
appear in the sequence of Orders etc.
I would be very very grateful if some kind person would
put me out of my misery by pointing me to:
- a source that explains WHY the sequence of Orders and
Species is as it is, and
- any "crib-sheet" or "mind-bender" methods used to teach
and/or memorise the sequence!
Furthermore, and without wishing to appear to be a heretic or
worse, has there been any serious attempt in the past to publish
professional ornithological information or Field Guides in a more
intuitive/logical sequence, and if so, who killed it off and
why!!!!
Kind regards,
Myles
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