THE AUDUBON BULLETIN 



Photographed by Robert Ridgway. 



A bit of Bird Haven, Mr. Ridgway's forest preserve near Olney, 111., showing rich growth of 

 wild flowers which appeared after grazing animals were excluded. The flowers shown here are a 

 bright orange-yellow composite, Krigia Dandelion. 



the country as ugly as possible. Of course those who have lived all their 

 lives under such conditions do not realize this as do those who come from 

 more favored sections. 



Southern Illinois has, unfortunately, rather a bad reputation among 

 "outsiders;" but this has been brought about almost entirely by man's 

 abuse, misuse, waste, and neglect, and there are particular sections, even 

 occasional localities or individual properties within areas which deserve, 

 more or less, the prevalent outside opinion, which are fairly above criticism. 

 As a whole, however, Southern Illinois — "Darkest Egypt" as it is some- 

 times contemptuously called — is susceptible of great improvement in many 

 ways. Unquestionably the dominant impression received by a visitor from 

 one of the more advanced sections of the United States is that of ugliness 

 of the landscape, untidiness of farm-house surroundings, wretched roads 

 (made worse by long stretches where most if not all of the trees have been 

 removed and the few that are left disfigured by those ubiquitous "eyesores," 

 advertising signs), and a general air of shiftlessness and backwardness. 

 The land itself, while in general less fertile than that of many other 

 sections, is susceptible of very great improvement and has been brought to 

 its present condition by misuse and neglect — in other words, has simply 

 been worn out. All these conditions, however, are gradually if slowly 

 being changed for the better, excepting only the matter of roadside trees, 

 which are still at the mercy not only of irresponsible road bosses and tele- 

 phone linemen but anyone who chooses to fell, mutilate, or disfigure them. 



That Southern Illinois was once beautiful as well as fertile is attested 

 by many early writers, who, while outspoken and often unsparing in their 



