DELAWARE VALLEY ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. 23 



A thin strip of woodland fringed both banks of the Rancocas 

 where we were wandering. The growth was about equally 

 divided between pine and deciduous trees. Presently we came 

 to a grove of taller pine crowning a little knoll which rose some- 

 what steeply from the bottoms bordering the stream. At the 

 foot of the knoll bubbled a clear strong spring. A more ideal 

 camp sight could hardly be imagined. But what would the 

 owner of the land say to the coming of strangers upon his 

 broad acres? As though in answer to an unspoken prayer 

 there straightway appeared before us a tall son of the soil who 

 looked us over with a keen but kindly glance. He was a man 

 well on in years, full of a native dignity, and a sort of strong 

 gentleness. We told him our story, and somewhat to our sur- 

 prise he seemed to understand. The result was that then and 

 there arrangements were made for the erection of our cabin be- 

 neath the whispering pines. I will not dwell upon our building 

 struggles : suffice it to say that one of the members who posed 

 as an architect draughted plans. There were heated arguments 

 as to the most economical methods of cutting lumber, and it 

 looked at one time as though blood might be shed in connec- 

 tion with the erection of the fireplace and flue. 



But at length there came a lovely day in May, when for the 

 first time we gathered under our newly-erected roof-tree, and 

 taking our lives in our hands boldly plunged into the dangers 

 of amateur cookery. Looking back over the past decade with 

 an eye to our efforts along this line, one is impressed with the 

 fact that man is a creature hard to kill. That first meal ended, 

 we gathered about our broad fireplace and smoked the pipe of 

 peace. Our labors were over, our dream had found fulfilment. 

 Outside the moonlight sifted down through the pines and the 

 wind whispered softly. We were far from the sounds of man. 

 Only the occasional barking of the farmer's dog in the distance 

 seemed to unite us with the outer world. There were the wild 

 cries of the seemingly sleepless Killdeers over in the pasture, 

 and every now and then an Ovenbird or a Catbird would break 

 into song, stirred by the spirit of spring and the bright moon- 

 light. 



Since that day we have come to know the place in intimate 



