124 WITH THE U. S. NATURALISTS 



where a boy who knows birds cannot be of im- 

 mense value to the country. We should have an 

 experienced bird observer in every district. 

 There is nothing in the world so valuable to the 

 government as the ready cooperation of thousands 

 of willing eyes. You, here, right in this section, 

 Shan, could be of great ser\dce to the Bureau by 

 preparing yourself to be a competent observer and 

 sending in reports. 



''Don't make the mistake of supposing that 

 migration information is merely a matter of ob- 

 servation for a couple of days in the spring and 

 fall. Eather it is true that migration reaches its 

 crisis in those times. Even in the depth of winter, 

 there may be migrations of birds driven south- 

 wards by severe weather and hence the Snowy 

 Owl is occasionally seen a long way south of his 

 ordinary haunts. 



''Every month has its own demand on observing 

 powers. February sends northward the Song 

 Sparrow, Bluebird, Robin, Purple Grackle and 

 Red-Winged Blackbird, which have been with you 

 here, in North Carolina, for the winter. By 

 March the migration becomes more dense; the 

 Wild Ducks depart, the Geese go 'honking' north, 

 and almost every day an observer will note re- 



