THE APPEAL OF THE SPORT 



The wild places also contain birds which are rare, or 

 not so well known, and there is always a feeling of 

 expectancy and excitement, because at any moment 

 something may turn up. This is particularly true of 

 the seasons of migration, in spring and fall. Spring is 

 inspiring, with its soft breezes and opening flowers, the 

 fragrant odors of earth and woods, the procession of 

 the birds in their choicest plumages, full of song and 

 joy. Autumn is energizing with its snappy air, bidding 

 one be active, the falling of the nuts, the whirring flight 

 of game birds, the restless activity of passing migrant 

 hordes whose song is now dissolved into motion. As 

 the leaves shower down, how fine it is to see through 

 the woods again, and to get the grand views from the 

 hillsides. 



Best of all, perhaps, is the nesting season. Ned does 

 not collect eggs, because there are museums available, 

 and there is nothing worth while to be learned from 

 the mere possession of eggshells of his ow^n. Indeed, 

 he is a member of the Audubon Society, whose motto 

 is '"A bird in the bush is worth two in the hand," 

 and prefers to have plenty of birds to see and enjoy 

 rather than to join in the robbing and killing which is 

 stripping this country of its beautiful wild life. In 

 nesting time tlie birds are more familiar and intimate. 

 Find a nest, and one can then visit the bird at will, 

 watch the pretty creatures at close range, learn their 

 habits, how the young are fed and cared for, and also 

 secure photographs from life. Besides, one learns the 



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