places. Many people have learned that the charm of a day 
in the big out-of-doors is greater when mere acquaintances 
are sharing the trees and the wide spaces. A few there are, 
with knowledge of wood midgets that can be found in such 
places by keen ears and eyes, who always have friends with 
them that answer to their names, or sing familiar strains. 
They know that hearts beat faster at such times, while all 
the common things of life will be forgotten. The land may 
be strange, the language unknown, but the birds are not; 
and to the delights of new scenes are added the enjoyment | 
that comes from memories of home and other days. — 
It takes a little time to find out any secret, and people 
may not claim they are too busy to begin to know the little 
_ people about them when as busy a man as Roosevelt made 
_ himself an authority on the song and craft of his bird neigh- 
bors. A new interest will be added to life if above the din 
of the city’s main street they catch the call of a martin, or 
hear and know the twitter of a Vaux swift when, a moment 
before, they had fancied themselves shut in by wood, or 
bricks and steel. The mind will call up visions of hidden 
streams, the odors of clean — to help through the hum- 
drum daily routine. 
Boys and girls, or men sn women, whe take up this 
study and get a real interest and knowledge of the birds, 
have a game which they can play for the rest of life. Birds - 
have so many fascinating ways that the enjoyment in them 
is never quite lost. Too many men and women lose touch 
with nature, and almost with joy, as the years slip by, be- 
cause they have forgotten how to play. They no longer like | 
“tag” or leap frog,” and they have not yet learned this 
game of “hide and seek” antes they can always play with 
the birds. | 
There are so many ways to get into this game of “hide 
and seek ;’’ but one of the best is to keep your eyes and ears 
alert. When you see or hear a bird, write out in a notebook 
as clear a description as you can, of what you have seen or 
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