OUR COUNTRY H O M E 



What a study by itself is the flight of the birds ! How different 

 the outspread soaring of the swallows and the spasmodic opening 

 and closing of the wings which is characteristic of the wood- 

 peckers ! And the bird music ! What a revelation to me was the 

 catbird's varied song! Can one forget the first time the whippoor- 

 will calls or the wail of the screech-owl in the still night air ? How 

 bewildering is that wild indistinguishable charm of bird songs to 

 the uninitiated! It took me years to be sure of even the robin's 

 notes, and I am still on the threshold of that music world whose 

 beauty and purity touch one's deepest sensibilities. 



