birdsall] nature WORK AT CAWP KEHONKA 171 



day around camp the trees are full of warblers, finches, thrushes 

 and sparrows in their seasons, giving the children an opportunity 

 to becoro.e familiar with their appearance and to learn their notes. 

 A large birch near the eating porch is a favorite haimt for warblers 

 and has caused us to form the habit of coming to meals armed with 

 field glasses. The juncos are so tame as to eat crumbs off the floor 

 while we are at table. 



Once they have learned to see and hear, campers find twenty-four 

 hours a day an all too short ''Nature Study Hour". 



Nature Work at Camp Kehonka 



Virginia Field Birdsall 



"Afoot and lighthearted I 

 take to the open road." 



It was with a sense of eager anticipation that I started for Camp 

 Kehonka last summer, after a most inspiring week at the confer- 

 ence of nature leaders on Cape Cod. The camp is situated on the 

 shore of New Hampshire's most picturesque lake — Winnipesaukee. 

 All about, the country is rich in m.aterial for nature study. The 

 lake shores are heavily wooded with hemlock, pine, fir, and birches. 

 Following the winding trails along the shore one comes upon many 

 a brook widening out to the blue waters of the lake. Back of the 

 woodland is the open country stretching away to the unfolding 

 hills beyond. Little wooded islands, like green ferneries, are 

 scattered throughout the lake, making it a veritable " Waters of the 

 Wondrous Isles." 



Our first problem, at the opening of camp, was to arrange a 

 locus operandi for our work. All the camp buildings — the shop, 

 the loom house, the central lodge itself — were filled to their utmost 

 capacity. The only available space seemed to be the front room 

 of a sm.all building known in camp parlance as the "Pullman". 

 In a few days our "Treasure House," as we subsequently called it, 

 was ready for its housewarming. We had arranged tiers of sliclves 

 in one end for our nature library, one long, low shelf for collections 

 of nests and other "finds", and a table for our comixmnd micro- 

 scope. On the walls were hung our bird and flower calendars, 

 designed and executed by the girls, on large sheets of colored card- 

 board. The best designs had been selected in ()i)cn (M)ni])clili()n 

 and were most successful. The central S])ace was left in each 



