50 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



REMARKS ABOUT BIRDS IN GENERAL. 



The horticulturist, living as he does among stately trees, graceful 

 shrubs, trailing vines, and showy flowers, must enjoy life to a greater 

 extent than do most other people. Still, it appears to me that unless 

 he is intimately acquainted with his almost constant companions, the 

 birds, he loses much of the real enjoyment that might otherwise be 

 his. These little creatures are so closely connected with all that inter- 

 ests the devotee of horticulture that there should be a mutual acquaint- 

 ance struck up at once. What is true of the horticulturist in this 

 connection is also true to a greater or less extent of all persons who 

 are in any way related to the growth of trees, or even to the cultiva- 

 tion of the soil. I would even go further and say that everybody 

 should be interested in the birds, be his occupation what it may. This 

 being true, it gives me great pleasure at this time to be able to intro- 

 duce to the readers of this paper our mutual friends, the birds of 

 Nebraska. 



Perhaps birds are better known, in a general way at least, than are 

 the members of any other natural group among animal forms — in fact 

 than all the others combined. Yet the ignorance of the general pub- 

 lic as relates to the habits, modes of life, food, names, etc., of even 

 our commoner species is simply appalling. 



Although birds are comparatively few in species they are moderately 

 numerous in individuals when compared with some other groups of 

 animal forms. They are also quite general in their distribution over 

 the earth's surface. 



In tli^ir relations to other animal forms, birds approach most closely 

 to the reptiles. In fact, some of the earlier geological birds were more 

 like reptiles than they were like the species of our day. Some of our 

 species even now have very marked reptilian characteristics. Yet we 

 seldom, if ever, think of birds in such a relation. Their beautiful 

 forms, musical voices, gaudy plumages, smooth tempers, and many 

 other pleasing features have endeared them to us from childhood. 

 These, along with their general usefulness, have won for them our 

 sincere friendship. 



