*T" LJ C first day of March, 1896, after nine 3'ears as agent for C. W. 

 ' iJ C Bardeen and the New England Publishing Co., I resigned a four 

 years' contract and began business for myself, in a modest way, with 200 

 square feet of space. My orders the first month were only ^300.00; but in five 

 years my business has outgrown my quarters four times, and I now occupy 

 2,500 square feet of space. My business has doubled five times, and my orders 

 for the past month are over $9,600.00, thirty times the orders for the corre- 

 sponding month five years ago. Some of my March orders are: Bureau 

 National Lit- ly/i A ^i^U ^rt, Washington, D. C, $2,830.00; Doubleday 

 erature and IVIMniOri & McClure Co., New York, $2,500.00; Homer 

 F. Stone & Co., Chicago, ^1,350.00; Jno. C. Mountjoy, Chicago, $500.00; Miss 

 I. F. Ballou, Memphis, Tenn., $300.00; Western News Co., Chicago, $300.00; 

 Perry Pictures Co., Maiden, Mass , $400.00; Supt. C. E. Gorton, Yonkers, 

 N. Y.,$10Cr.OO; Larkin Soap Co., Buffalo, $62.50; E. W. Guest, Buffalo, ^50.40; 

 Art Study Co., Chicago, $70; Brooklyn Library, Brooklyn, $50; and hundreds 

 of small orders, as many as thirty states being represented in a single day's 

 mail. Many of my subscribers and customers of 1896 are still taking my 

 magazines and buying my books. ^\C IV/IY ^^ handle is the best of 

 This proves that what I publish \Jt IVI T the kind. From a small 

 beginning my business has grown to nearly $100,000.00 a year. These 

 figures mean something: Sales, March, 1896, $300.00; March, 1897, $800.00; 

 March, 1898, $1,200.00; March, 1899, $3,400.00; March, 1900, $5,000.00; March, 

 1901, $9,600.00. During the past two and a half years I have paid one firm 

 whose business I purchased $40,000.00. At present the main departments of 

 this large business are Birds and Nature $1.50, and The Child-Study 

 MoNTHi^Y AND Journal of Adolescence Sl.OO, both one year for only $1.50 if 

 sent before May 1st, 1901. So while this has not been qi |0||VJ|Z0 



my best month it has been the March of my 



March 25, 1901. 



A. W. MUMFORD. 



TO THE REftDDR OP THIS MftGftZINE • • • 

 Eight volumes of Birds and Nature were completed with the Decem- 

 ber, igoo, number. The volumes contained illustrations of Birds, Birds' 

 Eggs, Flowers, Mammals, Fish, Insects, Fruits, Shells and Minerals; and the 

 text contained several valuable articles from the pens of well-known writers and 

 educators. As we have already announced, Birds will be made the chief attrac- 

 tion, and at least four bird-plates will appear in each number. It is our purpose 

 to publish a series of illustrations of gems and ornamental stones in Volume X, 

 beginning with the June, igoi, number. The articles will be written by a high 

 authority on the subject. 



Among the color illustrations of future numbers the following may 

 be mentioned: 



MAY, 1901. 



Surf Scoter. 



Rusty Blackbird or Grackle. 

 Marbled Godwit. 

 Audubon's Oriole. 

 Nautilus Shells. 

 Medicinal Plant: Hops. 

 Flowers: Mountain Laurel, 

 Trailing Arbutus. 

 American Elk. 



JUNE. 1901. 



Brandt's Cormorant. 

 Great Northern Shrike. 

 Sanderling. 

 Bullock's Oriole. 

 Agates. 



Medicinal Plant: CocoaFruit. 

 Flowers: Great Mullein, 

 Moth Mullein. 

 Buffalo. 



The preparation of the birds and other animals for photographing in colors will be 

 under the direction of Mr. Frank M. Woodruff, of The Chicago Academy of Sciences. Mr. 

 Woodruff will also assist the Editor in the selection of subjects: 



During the publication of the eight volumes of Birds and Nature the following 376 

 colored plates have appeared- 



241 Birds. 

 46 Mammals. 

 28 Flowers. 

 14 Medicinal Plants. 

 10 Insects (75 varieties) 

 10 Landscapes. 



7 Minerals and Ores (48 va- 

 rieties). 

 7 Fruits and Nuts (16 species). 

 5 Fishes. 



3 Birds' Eggs (49 species). 

 2 Reptiles (Turtles). 



2 Shells (27 species). 



1 Polished Wood Sections (6 



varieties). 

 1 Showing Change of Color 



in Birds' Feathers. 



