CONTENTS I. The Falling Leaves 1 II. The Pleasures of a Naturalist 11 III. The Flight of Birds 32 IV. Bird Intimacies 39 V. A Midsummer Idyl 69 VI. Near Views of Wild Life 79 VII. With Roosevelt at Pine Knot 101 VIII. A Strenuous Holiday 109 IX. Under Genial Skies 127 I. A Sun-Blessed Land 127 II. Lawn Birds 129 III. Silken Chambers 132 IV. The Desert Note 143 V. Sea-Dogs 148 X. A Sheaf of Nature Notes 152 I. Nature's Wireless 152 II. Maeterlinck on the Bee 156 III. Odd or Even 163 IV. Why and How 165 V. An Insoluble Problem 167 VI. A Live World 169 VII. Darwinism and the War 172 VIII. The Robin 175 IX. The Weasel 177 X. Misinterpreting Nature 179 XI. Natural Sculpture 181 XI. viiiRuminations 184 I. Man a Part of Nature 184 II. Marcus Aurelius on Death 185 III. The Interpreter of Nature 186 IV. Original Source 190 V. The Cosmic Harmony 191 VI. Cosmic Rhythms 193 VII. The Beginnings of Life 194 VIII. Spendthrift Nature 195 XII. New Gleanings in Field and Wood 197 I. Sunrise 197 II. Nature's Methods 199 III. Heads and Tails 205 IV. An Unsavory Subject 206 V. Chance in Animal Life 208 VI. Mosquitoes and Fleas 210 VII. The Change of Climate in Southern California 210 VIII. All-Seeing Nature 212 Index 217 WAYS OF NATURE By John Burroughs CONTENTS PAGE I. Ways of Nature 1 II. Bird-Songs 29 III. Nature with Closed Doors 47 IV. The Wit of a Duck 53 V. Factors in Animal Life 59 VI. Animal Communication 87 VII. Devious Paths 109 VIII. What do Animals Know? 123 IX. Do Animals Think and Reflect? 151 X. A Pinch of Salt 173 XI. The Literary Treatment of Nature 191 XII. A Beaver's Reason 209 XIII. Reading the Book of Nature 231 XIV. Gathered by the Way I. THE TRAINING OF WILD ANIMALS 239 II. AN ASTONISHED PORCUPINE 242 III. BIRDS AND STRINGS 246 IV. MIMICRY 248 V. THE COLORS OF FRUITS 251 VI. INSTINCT 254 VII. THE ROBIN 261 VIII. THE CROW 265 Index 273 WHITMAN A STUDY By John Burroughs CONTENTS page Preliminary 1 Biographical and Personal 23 His Ruling Ideas and Aims 73 His Self-Reliance 85 His Relation to Art and Literature 101 His Relation to Life and Morals 169 His Relation to Culture 205 His Relation to his Country and his Times 229 His Relation to Science 249 His Relation to Religion 257 A Final Word 263 A YEAR IN THE FIELDS Selections From The Writings Of John Burroughs Illustrations From Photographs By Clifton Johnson