FOREWORD 



John Burroughs, in his delightful essay called "Birds 

 and Poets" says: "The very idea of a bird is a symbol 

 and a suggestion to the poet. A bird seems to be at the 

 top of the scale, so vehement and intense is his life — 

 large brained, large lunged, hot, ecstatic, his frame 

 charged with buoyancy and his heart with song. The 

 beautiful vagabonds, endowed with every grace, mastery 

 of all climes, and knowing no bounds, — how many human 

 aspirations are realized in their free, holiday-lives — and 

 how many suggestions to the poet in their flight and song." * 



Long before the place of birds in the great scheme of 

 nature was understood, they made their appeal: first, to 

 primitive man, who had curious superstitions and created 

 beautiful myths concerning them; next, to poets and 

 dreamers of ancient civilizations, who used them in allu- 

 sions beautiful with Oriental imagery; to artists, who de- 

 lighted in portraying symbolism; to later poets and lovers 

 of beauty, who perceived deep truths and revelations of 

 God; and to scientists, who saw back of the phenomena 

 of nature the marvelous laws of God. 



It is interesting to follow the effect birds have had 

 upon the development of man. Though the religion of 

 the early Egyptians was largely worship of the sun and 

 moon, yet reverence for birds entered into their faith and 

 their ritual. The swallow, the heron, the hawk, the vul- 



1 Used with the permission of the Houghton, Mifflin Co, the authorized 

 publishers. 



[ix] 



