This is an interactive online edition of Birds Through an Opera Glass (1889) by Florence Merriam Bailey, the first American field guide written by a woman and the first to teach birdwatching without firearms. All 70 chapters are readable below. Hover over any 19th-century bird name for a modern gloss. Tap any species name for live eBird and Cornell links. Tap any musical-notation icon to hear a modern xeno-canto recording of Bailey's transcribed song. Use the search box to query the full text.