INTRODUCTION. 



To EVERY lover of outdoor life the birds are familiar objects, and 

 their society is a continual source of enjoyment. Not only are their 

 colors pleasing to the eye and their voices agreeable to the ear, 

 but their various habits, when observed, excite our admiration of the 

 unerring instinct which directs them in all their movements. 



Upon my younger readers whose tastes may lead them in this 

 direction, I would strongly urge the necessity for keeping a diary in 

 which to make a record of everything connected with bird-life seen 

 during each outing. Various shapes and sizes of books ruled in 

 various ways have been suggested for this purpose, but for a beginner 

 I would recommend a plain page on which to enter notes of the birds 

 seen at such a place on such a date, with any facts relating to their 

 numbers, occupation or manners which may have been observed. 



When this book has been [kept for two or three seasons, even the 

 writer of it will be astonished at the amount and variety of the 

 information accumulated, and the reading of it in after years will 

 recall many of the pleasant experiences of the time when the entries 

 were made. The book will also be very valuable as a work of 

 reference while the history of each species is being investigated. 

 Even the mention of the names of the birds seen, showing that 

 certain species were noticed at a given place on a given date, becomes 

 important, taken in connection with their migration, which is perhaps 

 the most interesting part of their history. 



We have become accustomed to speak of certain birds as being 

 migratory, and we can tell, within a day or two, the time at which 

 they will arrive from the south in spring to take possession of their 

 former box or other nesting place near our houses. By referring to 

 the observations of others made at different points on the continent, 

 we can tell where certain species spend the winter, and likewise how 

 far north they go in summer, and the date of their appearance at 

 the various places where they pause by the way. By following the 

 observations recently made by Professor Cook, we can also judge 

 pretty accurately at what rate of speed the birds travel when coming 



