INTRODUCTION 
11 
ing mere knowledge of them, is not 
enough. You must live with the birds, so 
to speak; have daily and seasonal asso¬ 
ciations with them before they come to 
mean much to you. Then, as they linger 
about your house or your camp, or as 
you see them in your walks, they are a 
part of your life, and help give tone and 
color to your day.” 
Dr. Clara Barrus, his secretary and 
friend, gives his answer to a letter from 
students who asked him for hints on writ¬ 
ing. They had read and liked—as who 
would not—his essay on the strawberry. 
And this is what he wrote: 
"Ah! but I loved the strawberry; I 
loved the fields where it grew; I loved the 
birds that sang there, and the flowers 
that bloomed there; and I loved my 
mother who sent me forth to gather the 
berries. I loved all the rural sights and 
sounds. I felt near them, so that, when 
in after years I came to write my essay, 
I had only to obey the old adage, which 
sums all the advice which can be given 
in these matters, 'Look in thy heart and 
write ’ 
