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pains to examine into the subject they will 

 find that the lovers of birds are almost invari- 

 abl}' g-iven to travel and adventure. I have 

 found this to be so in almost every case, and 

 will mention one neighborhood as an illustra- 

 tion. In Kalamazoo County, Michig-an, always 

 noted for its collectors, the following- enthusi- 

 astic observers have made fame, if not fortune, 

 in this neighborhood, as well as in other 

 states. This list embraces the most of the 

 old time collectors, some of them having been 

 known to their brother observers for over a 

 quarter of a century. 



Most important is Benjamin Syke, who is 

 at home anywhere in the woods. He has col- 

 lected north and south and has travelled afoot 

 through the pineries of the Lake region, and 

 navigated alone and in a canvas boat the la- 

 goons and rivers of Florida. He knows the 

 songs of all the birds north and south, and is 

 the most resourceful woodsman and agreeable 

 companion that ever climbed a tree or waded 

 a marsh. 



George Sudworth is another extensive 

 traveler and careful observer, and the finest 

 skin maker in the country. He is now devo- 

 ted to forestry and is in that department at 

 Washington, but he writes me that he feels 

 the spirit come upon him to drop everything 



