A PUZZLE IN BIRDS 



In the Middle States, up as far as New York City, 

 we may see the brilliantly colored male Cardinal Gros- 

 beak and his more somber-clad mate. Their beautiful 

 songs are a delight about the garden, and their nest 

 may be found in the adjoining shrubbery. The further 

 south we go the more plenty they become. During 

 my trips to the South I have greatly enjoyed the 

 Cardinal. 



Besides the Cardinal, there are other distinctly 

 Southern species in this family of which it is beyond 

 my present purpose to write. But instead, seeing that 

 I mentioned above the American Ornithologists' Union, 

 and also the difficulty of studying such birds as this 

 finch family, I want to advise every one of my bird- 

 loving readers to become an associate member of this 

 organization, if he or she has not already done so. 

 Though it is the greatest ornithological society of 

 America, and includes in its membership the leading 

 scientists, it is intended just as much for beginners in 

 bird study, to increase and cultivate the friendly interest 

 in birds which has now become so widespread. Its 

 "Associate" class of members numbers many hundreds, 

 all over the United States and Canada, including boys 

 and girls, and ladies as well as men. My young friend 

 Ned is an enthusiastic "Associate," and it helps him 

 very much. Through it he knows many other bird- 

 lovers. Its large quarterly magazine, The Auk, the 

 leading bird publication in America, which everyone 

 belonging to it receives, is very instructive and enables 



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