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PREFACE. 



ONE of the greatest charms attached to the study of 

 Ornithology is to keep a careful register day by day 

 and month by month of the various movements and 

 habits of birds. The recording of these facts is abso- 

 lutely the best apprenticeship an aspiring student can 

 serve ; it teaches him to see things for himself, not 

 to rely on statements made by others ; it gets him 

 into the best way of investigating Nature's secrets ; and 

 above all, it furnishes him with an endless store of 

 fascinating information relating to the economy of wild 

 creatures. Diaries nowadays are often rilled with too 

 much trivial, not to say worthless matter with stupid 

 thoughts, and chronicles of trashy incidents, which 

 would be put to much better use were they more often 

 made the receptacle for the story told by Nature and 

 her works. The country is full of charm its interest 

 never wanes ; and that district becomes the most 

 interesting which is the most carefully and intelli- 

 gently explored. 



In the following pages I have endeavoured to place 

 before the reader a few of the stirring incidents and 

 vivid scenes of bird life during the cycle of the year. 

 It has been my object to convince him that interesting 

 information respecting the feathered tribes may be 

 gleaned through every month of the twelve. It has been 

 my constant endeavour to impress on the student the 

 fact that the birds he observes and studies are animated 



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