INTRODUCTION 



Surely the year begins in April, when the world 

 has her face freshly washed, a new dress of flower 

 draped green satin, and lifts up her voice in the 

 piping of a million spontaneous feathered song- 

 sters singing out their little hearts in the ecstasy 

 of the mating fever. 



The birds and flowers are Nature's most exqui- 

 site gifts to man. Much as I love flower form, 

 colour and fragrance, and appreciate the medic- 

 inal value of many lovely herbs, with me the palm 

 always is awarded to the birds; because they have 

 flower colour, the grace of flight, the gift of song, 

 the instinct of home making and keeping, and are 

 wonderful insect and weed exterminators. 



Every soul alive to beauty and music and even 

 slightly appreciative of benefits received must love 

 the birds, while from the beginning of time they 

 have been one of the greatest sources of inspiration 

 to poets and painters. The oldest painting pre- 

 served in the world is a picture of birds; while the 

 poets of all time have piped their lays concerning, 

 not only the nightingale, lark and bobolink, but 

 the owl, heron and buzzard, as well. Sweetly as 

 the birds have sung, the best of them never have 



