THE AGASSIZ ASSOCIATION 



75 



To come back to the main argument. 

 The AA is not a stepping-stone; it 

 is not merely a tool, it is not merely a 

 help, it is a fellowship of feeling and 

 purpose between one lover and student 

 of nature and all other students and 

 lovers of nature. The more of such 

 study and love that we have, the great- 

 er our zeal in the AA. "A fellow 

 feeling makes us wondrous kind," or 

 something to that effect, you re- 

 member. 



All honor to the important work of 

 the AA in the past. Great as was the 

 success of "the old Agassiz Associa- 

 tion," the demand for similar work in 

 the future is even more urgent. 



The methods, the needs, the points 

 of view may change slightly as the 

 years go by; but for one fact let us 

 strive — never, Oh ! never to be merely 

 a "has-been." 



How Nature Comes to Me. 



SUSAN TUCKER, CHENEY, WASHINGTON. 



CORRESPONDING MEMBER NO. 2047, oF 



AA. 



We were asked in the prospectus 

 of The Guide to Nature how we 

 came in contact with nature ; "Do you 

 travel to nature by aid of a railroad train, 

 a steamboat, automobile, carriage or bi- 

 cycle, or on foot? It makes no dif- 

 ference how you go; the question "Do 

 you go?" 



"Do you use any tool in getting 

 near to the heart of nature, — any cam- 

 era, cage, hutch, hoe, dibble, hive, ham- 

 mer, plane, field-glass, microscope, col- 

 lecting case, net, etc?" 



Well suppose you do not go any- 

 where, and suppose you cannot use 

 any tool for any purpose that is no 

 reason why you would not find plea- 

 sure in nature study. 



When you cannot go to nature if 

 yon can see and will look you may find 

 nature come to you. And if you love 

 nature it will be near your heart even 

 if you are shut within four walls. 



I have thought of this lately as I have 

 been closely confined in the house all 

 winter, and could only study the out- 

 door world from my window or from 

 the door steps. 



From my window I can see pine 

 trees and I know that there are more 



trees just beyond those I can see, and 

 sometimes I think it would be delight- 

 ful to take a walk in the woods to see 

 the beasts and birds of the woods. 

 Having always lived on the prairie the 

 woods are always a novelty. 



I have a few fruit trees, and bushes 

 of small fruit currants, gooseberries, 

 raspberry and blackberry bushes; and 

 some flowering shrubs two large beds 

 of asparagus and numerous perennial 

 plants that keep more or less foiiage 

 through the winter. It has always been 

 interesting to note the number of 

 woodland birds that will stop for rest 

 or food in my yard. 



This winter we have had few bird 

 visitors until recently. For severai 

 days a large flock of birds have been 

 finding food among the apple trees, es- 

 pecially on a tree not far from the 

 house where there are apples still hang- 

 ing on the tree. 



The bird is as large or larger than a 

 bluebird, so far as I can see it seems 

 to be gray with light bars on the wing 

 and a crest that looks red. I tried to 

 look at the birds with the field-glass 

 but from some cause that glass is of 

 little use. It makes things look larger 

 but you cannot even guess at the color 

 as everything is edged with rainbow- 

 colors. I will keep a close lookout for 

 the birds may come close to the window 

 by and by. 



Two weeks ago I chanced to glance 

 out of the window and saw a prairie 

 chicken flying directly toward me. It 

 lit by the doorstep, walked deliberately 

 to a nearby rose bush, picked about it 

 then went to the asparagus bed where 

 it made a meal on the berries. It then 

 flew on top of the house, and after a 

 few minutes we heard it fly away. 



One morning when I stepped out 

 of the back door I heard a quail calling 

 "Where are you, where are you?" The 

 voice seemed to come from a raspberry 

 patch not far away. I peered at the 

 bushes hoping to get a sight of the 

 birds which continued to call and I 

 fancied they were getting impatient. 

 I was quite startled to hear a quail 

 answer quite near me and there in the 

 open yard, on the closely cut lawn- 

 grass not twenty feet from me was a 

 quail with head" erect and it walked 



