PREFACE 
Ir was the beautiful bird-pictures of Audubon 
that fascinated me as a child and made me love the 
birds and begin to watch them, such as could be 
found in the home garden in the suburbs of Boston. 
By the time that I was old enough to be trusted 
afield, the limits of the city became too narrow, and 
I began to roam abroad, seeking out the haunts of 
the birds. In due time I had formed a considerable 
acquaintance with all the familiar songsters, and 
many others. Soon I came to feel a special interest 
in the shyer and more mysterious species that the 
average youngster knew nothing of. ‘The Hawks 
and Owls were my especial delight, and to discover 
their nests no amount of effort was too great a price 
to pay. 
This enthusiasm soon took me to the sea-coast, 
where there were new worlds to conquer in the 
hordes of migratory Waders and strong-winged fowl 
of the deep, about which the books were all too 
silent. Audubon knew them best, but my other 
favourite writers seemed to have sadly neglected 
them. Samuels’ “ Birds of New England” I almost 
knew by heart, but many of my bird-favourites its 
author was evidently little acquainted with. Minot 
was intensely interesting, but he stopped short of 
the Water-Fowl. 
In pursuit of these inhabitants of shore and 
ocean, various were the craft that I owned and navi- 
Vil 
