78 AMATEUR ORNITHOLOGY. 
piled by Mr. H. G. O, Blake, to whom I once wrote and 
asked if such a book would not be forthcoming, feeling 
that “ Walden” was not sufficient to contain all the informa- 
tionon that season which Thoreau was capable of giving. 
Mr. Blake’s answer convinced me that I gave an iota of 
suggestion to the final appearance of this book. I have 
studied Thoreau religiously—I mean in the sense of having 
read his journals almost daily for a number of years. 
Thoreau was a transcendentalist, I was a theolog; but it 
made no trouble with me. No! the kingdom of birds is 
one of the kingdoms of God, teaching by all sources and 
from all sources marvellous parables illustrating His grand 
and beautiful creation. Thoreau’s writings of Spring, Sum- 
mer, Autumn, and Winter, are indispensable to a true lover 
of bird nature, although he treats of kindred topics, as of 
fishes and plants. Thoreau had microscopic eyes which 
few men possess. He looked far into the infinitesmal 
depths of nature. He used the microscope rather than the 
telescope. For this reason he was called a pessimist and 
not an optimist. He was terrene and not celestial. Some 
natures will find benefit here—such natures as are always 
up in the clouds, never down upon the surface of this 
world, where we live humdrum lives. The pots and kettles 
of insect life are as necessary within the realm of economic 
nature as the highest nest of an Eagle upon the distant 
crag. 
There are some other delightful books which were my 
study, such as Waterton’s “ Travels in South America; ”’ White 
of Selborne, whose centennial birthday was recently cele- 
brated by some devout admirers; “ Notes of a Naturalist in 
Her Majesty’s Ship Challenger ;”’ Buckland’s “ Curiosities of 
Natural History ; ” and Wood’s “Birds of the Bible.” Of our 
own American writers, besides Thoreau, my library con- 
tains books of Dr.’C. C. Abbott, who has explored many 
haunts in the valley of the Delaware River; and John 
Burroughs’, writings, not unjustly compared to some of 
