-IN 1 !MI NT OK "KMTllnl.iH.V 9 



of tlu-ir bird-, how sadly mutilated what re- 



maim (1 would be ! 



Itut why li a\<> a knowledge of birds to |M>ets and naturalists t Uo 



.f to tin- t'lflil ninl Irani tlint birds don, iy in book*. 



but arc concrete, sentient l-vmi;*, whotie acquaintance may bring you 



mre unalloyed (lappings than the wealth i>f the Indies. .John Bur- 



roughs understands this when In- writes of the ft inly "f liinN : "There 



is a fasfiiiati-ni al>ut it ijuitr iivi-rpowrrini;. It fits so well with other 



-with li>hiti);. hunting, fanning, walking, camping out with 



all that taki-s nni- to tin- fu-liU and .,,U. (>n,- may go a blackljerry- 



ing anil inaki- soini- ran- ili-fn\. ry : or while driving his cow to pa- 



tun-, hfar a m-w .-oii^'. or maki- a ni-w oliMTviitimi. Stt-rets lurk on all 



Tlirn- is in-ws in I'vriy \<\i>\\. What no man -vi-r saw U-fc.r* 



may tin- m-xt moment IK- revealed to you. What a new interest the 



have! How you long to explore every nook and corner of 



them!" 



Human friends may JMIS- In-yorid our ken. but our li^t of acquaint- 

 ance- in the bird world increases to the end and shows no vacancies. 

 The marsh the Blackbirds loved may become thositeof a factory, but 

 :il on the < alendar is more certain than that in due time and 

 place we shall hear the tinkling chorus of the epauleted minstrels 

 rising and falling on the crisp morning air. 



" . . . . Time may conit- when never iimre 

 The wilderness shall hear the li"ii roar; 

 But, lon>r a* wok hnll orw from )inuM-lu>l<l perch 

 To rouse the dawn, soft ^ale* shall *p-e<l thy * iiitf, 

 And thy erratic voioe lie faithful to the xpring !" 



The woods of our youth may disappear, but the Thrushes will 

 always sing for us, and their voices, endeared by cherished associa- 

 te: i-. ar. 'U-e echoes of a hundred songs and awaken memories before 

 which the years will vanish. 



