8 



pears to be nothing more to learn among tliem, then 

 will be the time to go abroad and notice those of other 

 countries. But that time will never come, for a whole 

 life time would come far short of being sufficient 

 length to learn all that can be learned in the things 

 around us. The niost learned men always find new 

 and unknown things nearly every day of their lives. 



Our native land exhibits a broad field for study and 

 improvement. Who is able to exhaust all that can be 

 found, or who knows everything in connection with 

 them? 



Besides the brief history of birds, this little volume 

 is extended to insects, animals and flowers, each of 

 which have a division to themselves. Flowers as a 

 general thing are described in Botany, but as this 

 work is not intended as a regular natural history, but 

 rather as a Companion to the naturalist and lover of 

 nature, they will be included in it. A number of our 

 summer species are here botanically analyzed, with all 

 the parts given, together with their families and scien- 

 tific names. Insects will be treated as we see them in 

 their homes, and about their many vocations: I say 

 vocations, for they as well as man have their employ- 

 ments, and are happy in the station assigned to them. 



The study of natural history is very profitable in 

 many ways: first, as giving farmers and gardners in- 

 struction as to what creatures are injurious to him and 

 those which are innocent, thus enabling him to detect 

 the guiltj^ and protect those which are harmless. It 

 proves itself useful in other ways. Who is there but 

 what when they see these beautiful children of nature 

 are glad to know and learn all about them, and not 



