vi FOREWORD 



Within the past ten years more bird books 

 have been sold in the United States than during 

 the entire previous history of this country. From 

 Maine to California there is a great awakening 

 to the fact that birds are of inestimable value 

 to mankind and that their study is worthy to be 

 placed alongside of those subjects which hereto- 

 fore have so strongly claimed the attention of 

 the educator. 



When the men of today were schoolboys they 

 were not taught bird study, and, in a way, are 

 not to be blamed for their present ignorance of 

 the subject. There were few laws in those days 

 to protect birds. Today, within our boundaries, 

 there is not a useful bird that has not had thrown 

 about it the protecting arm of the law, and it is 

 intensely important that children be given a 

 knowledge of this fact and taught the reasons 

 why these wild creatures should be protected 

 and increased. 



I believe this book has an extremely important 

 mission. It will be read and studied by number- 

 less readers, who from its pages will receive their 

 iirst strong impressions of the beauty and value 

 that come from an intimate knowledge of our 

 wild bird life; and its author will have the blessed 

 privilege of knowing that he has been responsible 

 for starting many on the first step of that stair- 

 case that leads the student to the treasures in 

 the vast storehouse of Nature. 



T. Gilbert Pearson, 



Secretary of the National Association 

 oj Audubon Societies, 



