Preparing for the coming of the birds . . . . . . . . . . . . 240 LINE CUTS IN TEXT Page The fox that followed the footsteps . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Heads and feet of various birds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Sample page of reporting-blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 The umbrella blind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Nest of the ruby-throated hummingbird . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Bald Eagle's eyrie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Grebe or "water witch" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Canada Geese decoys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 A greedy young Cowbird . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Migration routes of some North American birds . . . . . . . . 71 Lighthouses cause the death of many birds . . . . . . . . . . 76 Tired migrating birds often alight on ships . . . . . . . . . 79 Grouse "budding" in an apple tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Cuckoo raiding a tent of caterpillars . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Screech owl and its prey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Passenger Pigeons are now extinct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 The Great Auk, now extinct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Terns formerly sought by the feather trade . . . . . . . . . . 144 Crowned Pigeon that furnishes the "goura" of the feather trade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 Migrative birds are protected by the Government . . . . . . . 172 The grotesque Wood Ibis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208 Hungry young Egrets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210 Cemented holes shut out the Chickadee . . . . . . . . . . . . 216 Gourds and boxes for Martins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219 A bird bath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235 Coloring of birds upon outline drawings . . . . . . . . . . . 257 {3} THE BIRD STUDY BOOK CHAPTER I FIRST ACQUAINTANCE WITH THE BIRDS It is in spring that wild birds make their strongest appeal to the human mind; in fact, the words "birds" and "spring" seem almost synonymous, so accustomed are we to associate one with the other. All the wild riotous singing, all the brave flashing of wings and tail, all the mad dashing in and out among the thickets or soaring upward above the tree-tops, are impelled by the perfectly natural instinct of mating and rearing young. And where, pray, dwells the soul so poor that it does not thrill in response to the appeals of the ardent lover, even if it be a bird, or feel sympathy upon beholding expressions of parental love and solicitude. Most people, therefore, are interested in such spring bird life as comes to their notice, the extent of this interest depending {4} in part on their opportunity for observation, but more especially, perhaps, on their individual taste and liking for things out of doors.