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THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



All communications for this department 

 should be sent to the Department Editor, 

 Mr. Harry G. Higbee, 13 Austin Street, 

 Hyde Park, Massachusetts. Items, articles 

 and photographs in this department not 

 otherwise credited are by the Department 

 Editor. 



A Friend of the Birds. 



OUR VISIT TO THK CLOL'CKSTKK HIvKMlT. 



It is now more than thirty-one years 

 since Mason A. Walton came to the 

 rocky shores of Cape Aim and pitched 

 his tent on a high promontory overlook- 

 ing the Gloucester harbor. This site, 

 which he called "The Eyrie." was on the 

 outskirts of the settlement and near the 

 edge of the twelve-thousand acre tract 

 of woodland which then comprised the 

 western part of the city of Gloucester, 

 Massachusetts. Since that time Mr. 

 Walton has lived the life of a hermit, and 

 has become widelv known throutih maga- 



zine writings and his book entitled "A 

 Hermit's Wild Friends." 



His present cabin is not far removed 

 from "The Eyrie," although it is snugly 

 sheltered among the pines, while about 

 the (looryard and upon the trees nearby 

 are numerous boxes and feeding devices 

 for the shelter and accommodation of his 

 "wild friends," the birds and squirrels. 



One cold winter's day — the third of 

 March, 1916 — while the ground was 

 deeply covered with snow, we made a 

 visit to this little cabin in the woods, 

 finding it a walk of about three-quarters 

 of a mile from Western Avenue, on the 

 old, abandoned Salem Road. As we ap- 

 ])roached the cabin we noticed a dozen or 

 more chickadees, a tree sparrow and a 

 small fiock of j uncos feeding about in 

 front of the entrance- 



We were cordially received by Mr. 

 Walton, who talked freely of his expe- 



THE HERMIT'S CABIN "SNUGLY SHELTERED AMONG THE PINES. 



