1911. 
Beginning to Know Birds. 
To get the deepest enjoyment out of 
country living we must come in touch 
with out-of-door life at as many points, 
or else as thoroughly in some certain 
lines, as we can. One Gilbert White, who 
lived in Hampshire, England (1720-1793) 
so delighted in the simple sights and 
sounds of his country home anl so mag¬ 
nified his privilege of observing and re¬ 
counting all he saw that many of us 
love him, though kings and statesmen, 
bishops and jurists of his day are for¬ 
gotten. Not only do the sciences of 
woodlands and fields never grow out of 
date, but we ourselves must live to be 
like the old man of “As You Like It, 
“Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans 
everything,” before we need lose our 
pleasure in our field studies. 
People from cities and villages form 
classes and tramp miles, book in hand, 
trying to learn to know the birds. They 
finally succeed in recognizing most of 
them by sight, and possibly by sound, and 
great is the satisfaction they get from 
the excursions and in knowing some¬ 
thing about one of the natural sciences. 
Books for the bird student’s use are no 
longer expensive. Circulating libraries 
hold, in nearly every town, a shelfful 
of pleasant reading about birds. Some 
good manual for instant reference is 
necessary for those who care to increase 
their acquaintance with feathered neigh¬ 
bors, but it need not be an expensive 
volume. Even the little “Bird Guide” 
by Chester A. Reed, a book scarcely 
larger than your hand, and easy to slip 
in the pocket or reticule, will do very 
well if there is a library to which puz¬ 
zling questions can be taken for more 
extended reading up. The pictures of 
this little “Guide” are somewhat colored 
and sufficiently accurate for identifica¬ 
tion and the book is inexpensive. 
A good field glass is, of course, the pet 
possession of every bird gazer, but we 
need not wait to own one before begin¬ 
ning to know the birds. We who live 
where the birds are can manage to get 
good, enough looks at their markings to 
identify all the larger sorts and there is 
work for more than one Summer in 
studying the varieties we can see with- 
out the help of lenses. But a notebook 
should be counted a necessity; keep it 
near at hand during April, May and 
June, and write down all you see, all 
you think you know, with memoranda 
of things you want to know. None of 
us will produce a “Natural History of 
Selborne” masterpiece, but we shall re¬ 
member more accurately if we mean to 
write out what we see, anl to be able 
to turn back to former encounters with 
a puzzling stranger is a great help as 
well as satisfaction* Leave an inch 
space at the top of each page and write 
there the names of the birds mentioned 
below. Underlining the name of the 
bird your note is about will further aid 
in looking up former impressions. Al¬ 
ways date each entry, and number the 
book s pages, and write the year at each 
left hand top corner if you like to have 
things perfectly available. You can then 
refer back to notes of the years before 
or make an index of the warblers identi¬ 
fied, or of any line of special work you 
grow interested in. This is a better plan 
than trying to keep all Springtime entries 
together, Autumn notes by themselves, 
and so on. Nor is it possible to say 
our say about any particular bird except 
in detached paragraphs as knowledge is 
gleaned. When you see an unfamiliar 
bird stare at it with all your eyes, mean¬ 
while.repeating over to yourself a definite 
description of what you see; as, for in¬ 
stance, “not quite so large as a catbird 
but a little that build, a good deal of 
black above, but belly white, white 
patches on wings and some on tail, some 
color (red or brown) along sides.” 
Watch the bird for as long as you can, 
for its behavior is also a guide to its’ 
identity, but keep the words of your de¬ 
scription echoing in mind till you can 
flee to your notebook and there set them 
down. This done, you are ready for 
work with your manual, or “Bird 
Guide,’ or whatever authorities you have 
to consult. Your note written, y®u may 
blur memory all over with mental pic- 
tures of other birds you read about, but 
still there stands, in black and white, 
the record of your visual impressions so 
necessary to your search. 
,,, S . u< i h , a book as Mrs. Mabel Osgood 
Wright s “Citizen Bird” gives one ideas 
as to the families to which birds belong. 
You learn after watching birds a while 
to say to yourself, when you have seen 
a bird sitting on a dead limb and dart¬ 
ing off after insects captured on the 
wing, "Probably one of the flycatchers.” 
If your bird hammers the bark of a tree 
you soon know where to place him. If 
he is a tiny midget and is always on the 
move, dashing about in the treetops and 
perhaps lisping a wheezy little note, you 
feel perfectly safe in searching for his 
name among the warblers. 
In the back of your notebook, or per¬ 
haps in a separate arrangement with 
pages long from left to right, begin 
setting down the dates of the Spring 
arrivals of your feathered friends. Once 
undertaken, such a record becomes of 
lively interest to a country dweller. If 
you have time for roaming afield you 
learn where to look for the first robins 
and redwings. If you must wait for 
them to appear in your dooryard to the 
joy of welcoming them is still added the 
zest of knowing upon what date they 
first gladdened the place the season be¬ 
fore. One way of keeping such a record 
is to write the names of all the birds 
down the left hand margin of the page. 
Have the paper ruled and then draw 
vertical lines perhaps three-fourths of 
an inch apart. At the top of these up- 
and-down spaces place the year’s figures. 
I hen you need write but the month and 
day m the space against the bird’s 
name. As the years pass you will come 
to have, on one. line across the page, 
the story of the bird’s earliest appearing. 
There will be blanks where you forgot 
to record date, years when there was 
sickness, or a visit from home or other 
interruption. But the longer your 
memoranda grows the more you will 
value it. For reasons of accuracy as 
well as proprietorship it is best to ac¬ 
cept nobody’s dates, but to stick to your 
own harvests of ear and eye. 
But, after all, is it worth while to 
learn to know the birds? Ask anyone 
who has given the pastime a fair grip 
upon the affections and do not fear but 
you. will have contracted a like en¬ 
thusiasm after even a season’s trial. 
__A. M. T. 
How to Preserve Goose Grease 
\V hen I have any goose grease, after 
it is rendered I put it in bottles, and to 
every pint I put in 10 cents worth of 
camphor gum, set it into a can of hot 
water and set it on the back of the 
stove until melted. Then use it just as 
you would camphor oil, to rub all sore 
joints or painful feet; it never gets bad, 
the older the better. - e. k. 
Buckwheat Griddle Cakes. 
He had never said anything like it be¬ 
fore, but the first time she tried the 
recipe in her precious “Boston Cook 
-Book for buckwheat griddle cakes the 
young husband remarked, “These cakes 
are very good, Mary, but I think the 
ones my mother used to make were a 
little better.” Thereupon Mary, like a 
sensible young woman, sat down, not to 
9 r y> , u( j write to her mother-in-law 
m Rhode Island for directions for mak- 
mg' those superior cakes. She has used 
the recipe for 20 years, and if the bat¬ 
ter is baked on a hissing hot griddle 
well greased with butter or lard, the 
cakes are a rich brown, tender and de 
licious: One and one-half cups buck 
wheat, one-half cup flour, one table¬ 
spoonful cornmeal, pinch of salt, one- 
fourth of a yeast cake or two-thirds of 
a cup of yeast. Mix witli warm water 
and put in a warm place over night. In 
the morning add one level teaspoonful 
soda dissolved in a little warm water 
and one tablespoonful of molasses. If 
there is any of the batter left, save it to 
mix with next time instead of yeast. 
LOUISE PRINCE FREEMAN. 
l HE KUKAU NEW-YORKEK 
SPEAR Will Trust You 
Wherever You Live—Write 
For His Free Catalog 
A Personal 
Word 
/ » 
The rich and 
prosperous class 
can always com¬ 
mand the lux¬ 
uries of life, but 
the average 
home lover needs 
the Spear System 
of Credit to the 
Nation. I want 
1 ,000,000 families 
to say of me:— 
He helped us 
to furnish and 
beautify our 
homes.” I ask 
for no higher tri¬ 
bute to my life’s 
work. Write for 
my Free Catalog. 
N S “*i! t6r v wher 9 TOU li v0 > you cm buy everything needed 
tor the homo from us on credit and on easy payments 
„„ „ to Bult your convenience. All you noed to do is to mail 
na your name and address and we will at once send you. 
»ro«, our Mammoth Home Furnishing Catalog, con¬ 
taining illustrations from photographs and full des¬ 
criptions of thousands of articles in Furniture, Rugs, 
Carpets and Home Furnishings sold by US on long time, 
open account, easy credit terms. 6 
Credit Buying Made Easy 
, tho a jA of the Bie SP en r Bargain Catalogue you 
can select anything you want from hundrods of articles In 
Refrigerators, Washing Machines, 
Carpels, Clocks, Baby Carriages, 
J* u 0», Sowing Machines, Go-Carts, 
Stoves, Phonographs, Silverware, 
Ranges, Dishes, Ac., Ac.. Ac. 
th o a , vnstly larger and better stock than even 
rl^ht > a?^M>me^wl,h*'yeur’faui^lly 0 at < your I olbow. OUr se * ec * ; ' ona 
Pay When Convenient 
Your credit Is good with us. Why not use ltt 
Under our liberal, open account, easy payment plan 
you can have overy possible advantage In buying for 
your home possessed by the moBt favored and well- 
to-do-shopper in the city stores. Our credit sys- 
ex t 0 nded t 0 honestpoople, everywhere, ro- 
gardloss of their income. You need not deny yonr- 
eelf any article of household comfort or luxury on 
account of a lack of ready cash. Solect what you 
want from our Catalog, pay a little cash down and 
a little each month 
This Beautiful 
Brussels Rug 
Is only one of 
v many great 
l^rug bargains 
shown In 
, the Spear 
Catalog. 
Send 
for It 
now! 
Brussols Rug, 9x12— 
SI.50 down—76o 
per month 
Only S2.2B Down and 
SI.OO Per Month 
Our Prices Are The Lowest 
Whilo our credit terms are the most liberal in the 
■“ eofintry, yet> onr prices are the lowest. 
Ihis is bocauseofour immonso purchas¬ 
ing power and enormous volume of sales. 
YVo buy goods in such vast quantities 
thatwe securo better prices than would 
bo possible to smaller concerns, and 
by extending our business to tens of 
thousands of customers all over the 
country, we can afford to accept just 
one small addod profit from each sale. 
We allow no store or factory on earth 
to undersell ns. Got our prices and 
be your own judge of whether or not we 
save you from 20 to 50 por .cent on your 
homo furnishings. 
Take A Month To Decide 
Anything yon select from 
. our Bargain Catalog will 
1 be shipped on approval. 
Keep the goods 30 days, 
then decide to buy or re¬ 
turn at our expense. Ifyou 
ore not fully satisfied, the 
goods jnay be shipped back 
to ns at onr expense and wo 
will rofund your monoy. 
Big Rocker Bargain 
A largo, comfortable, solid oak 
Rocker with high, widebaek, fully 
tufted and buttonod with heavy 
Ml ill n/l n .1 C . .. J. J _ V *'•1 
Collapsible 
Go-Carts, 
—76c down 
60c ■ month 
Order No. \sk*v j 
r 531 MRra ramed edge. Boat is large and 1 
_ _ *V. OOM. roomy,upholstered with high-grado ’ 
Ppipa (til ftl? black Sylvan leather over full steel 
Flll/t? $‘l*ri/') spring construction, and has a boautifully ruf- 
n 1 edg0 , to ^match back. Construction is solid 
Terms 75c Casb I 01 /*? 0 °. alc throughout, with high gloss golden 
With Ordpp finish. Arms are wide, front posts of handsome 
wwis “ design. Satisfaction guaranteed or money back. 
Balance Payable 50c Monthly Write For Free Catalog Today 
SPEAR & COMPANY, Department 19MM Pittsburg, Pa. 
Makes drudgery in a hot kitchen a thing 
of the pa-st. Start your meals—put into 
cooker-go calling-return to find hot 
meal ready to serve. Can't over-cook. 
Makes food more savory,—Saves half fuel. 
much food. Satisfaction guaranteed__ 
write for free catalog,—information 
about free trial offer,—easy payment 
plan,—and we will send you a 
Coffee Percolator Free 
that gives you as finely brewed 
coffee as can bo had in the most 
expensive restaurants. Saves cof¬ 
fee. Write now. 
W.R.RoYCE M ^“5 B Y? g * 
THE GREATEST 
results in cases of weak di¬ 
gestion are obtained from 
SCOTT'S EMULSION 
because when ordinary foods 
do not digest, it provides the 
needed nourishment in 
highly concentrated form. 
Scott’s Emulsion 
is so easily digested that its 
strength is rapidly absorbed 
by the youngest babe or 
most delicate adult. 
SCOTT'S EMULSION 
is the food that strengthens 
the race, all druggists 
Electric Lights make the brightest, safest, 
cleanest and most reliable lighting system 
known for farms and country homes, r The 
Dayton Electric Lighting Outfits are low in 
cost, easy to install, cost almost nothing to 
operate. Give you better lights than most city 
people enjoy. Write today lor complete illus¬ 
trated catalog showing outfits, fixtures, etc. 
DAYTON ELECTRICAL MFG. CO. 
231 St. Clair Street Dayton, Ohio 
BROWN’S 
Bronchial Troches 
can be depended upon to relieve Sore Throat, 
Hoarseness, Coughing Spells and all lung affec¬ 
tions. They have done thissfor half a century. 
Absolutely harmless—contain no opiates. 
Price, 25c, 50c and $1.00. Sample free 
John I . Brown & Son Boston, Maas. 
WE SHIPHIPPROVAl 
mthout a cent deposit, prepay the frelgh 
and allow to DAYS FREE TRIAL. 
■J ® COSTS one cent to learn ou 
UnH *? r * °f prices and marvelous offer. 
on highest grade 1911 model bicycles* 
FACTORY PRICES SSlA 
a RJJ r of ttr ? s * roni anyone at any pric, 
until you write for our large Art Catalog 
; and learniour "wonderful proposition on fin 
sample bicycle going to your town. 
RIDER AGENTS 
money exhibiting and selling our bicycles 
Wo Soli cheaper than any other factory. 
— TIRES, Coastar-Brakerearwheelo, 
J, repairs and all sundries at half usual prices. 
Do Not Walt; write today for our special efftr. 
MEAD CYCLE CO. f Dept. A80, CHICAGO 
I^.Carpets.Curlains.Blaitos 
From the 
Mill 
We Ptiy 
Freight 
Manufacturers’ prices save yon 
dealers’ profits. We give a binding 
guarantee of satisfaction and save 
you 88 1-8 per cent. You can 
buy the well-known Regal Rug, 
greatest valueknown,$ 1 . 86 . Splendid grade Itrua- 
aels Rug, 9x12 ft., $ 11. 
Famous InvlnclblcVcl. 
vets, 9x12 ft .,$16. Stan¬ 
dard Axmlnnterg, 9X12 
ft., $18.60, Fine quali¬ 
ty Lace Curtains 45c per 
pair and up. Tapestry 
Curtains, Wilton Rugs, 
XdnoleumsatMill prices. 
Write to-day for our NKW 
ILLUSTRATKD CATALOG, 
No. 14. Sent free. Shows lat¬ 
est designs in actual colors. 
UNITED MILLS MFS. CO. 
2451-246? JSSPEg *T.. PWU. 
MARKET GARDENERS’ PAPER 
Weekly Market Growers* Journal—only paper^rinted 
especially for vegetable growers. $1.00 a yeai? 62 is¬ 
sues. £ 01 * 10 cents and names of three market eraxdeners 
we will send it ten weeks with our popular booklet 
-$25,000 a Year From Twelve Acres.^Send foc tree 
sample copies—it is the best way to judge. 
Market Growers’ Journal. 541 Walker Bldg., Louisville, Ky. 
WANATEE-FLORIDA 
Where fortunes are made on small farms 
Rowing Oranges. Grape Fruit and Veg- 
_ stables. Cheap lands now available. Quick 
transportation low freight rates to Eastern 
and Northern markets via S. A. L. Ry. Two 
.and three crops a year, net $500 to $1500 
A Pff acre. Ideal climate year round — no 
I freezes no extreme heat. Write for illus¬ 
trated booklet—it’s free—address. 
J- W. WHITE, Geo’1 Industrial Aft. 
?/■i SI»BO*RO AIN LINE NY. 
DCPT. A 
NORFOLK, VA. 
HOUSEWORK HALVED 
By Syracuse “EASY” Utilities 
SOLD ON TRIAL 
Syracuse “ EASY ” Vacuum Washer cleans completely a tubful of clothes coarse 
or delicate, in 10 minutes of easy effort. Heat water right in rust proof steel tub No 
> swinging of clothes or water. Works lii-e a cistern pump. Sold on 30 days'trial. 
on "marifet '* net'll! Y ac V um Cleaner, hand or electric, most satisfactory 
SLvhi *'| ( ri- tS ‘ ‘j 16 dlrt Wltt ’°ut railing dust, liasv to operate. Very 
durable and efficient. Send for free booklet and Trial Order Form. J 
DODGE & ZUILL, 224 J Dillaye Bldg., Syracuse, N. Y. 
