2 NEWS PROM THE BIRDS. 



And I repeat that advice to all who may 

 deign to read this volume. Indoor calisthen- 

 ics are for those who are cooj)ed up in cities 

 and can not go consorting with Nature. No ex- 

 ercise is more healthful than walking, and if, in 

 addition, you w^ant to bring all the muscles of 

 your body into play, why not climb a tree, or 

 swing about in the saplings, as the chickadees 

 do, or wrestle with a log as you roll it over the 

 leaf -carpeted floor of the woods, or turn somer- 

 sault and handspring on the soft sod of the 

 meadow ? Let the sky witness your feats of 

 skill and strength, and the birds chirp their ap- 

 plause at some signal victory. Cultivate the 

 outdoor spirit if you want to be healthy and 

 wise, whether you ever become wealthy or not. 

 Soundness of body is to be kej)t or won not so 

 much by going after it in a self-conscious way 

 as by becoming so absorbed in some pleasant 

 and healthful pursuit that you forget all about 

 your aches and pains, if you ever have any. 



In your outdoor recreations it is well enough 

 to have some subject in which you are espe- 

 cially interested — a hobby, if you choose to call 

 it that. There are the rocks, the flowers, the 

 insects, the mammals, the birds. You see, I 

 mention the birds last to give my catalogue a 

 kind of climax. Study whatever you like best, 



