imself to go about
shooting birds, and we ought to be ashamed of ourselves to talk so about
it?

There, now, don't be vexed with Amy, children. She has known us but a
little while, and she has not seen John's birds, so I do not wonder she
feels indignant.

What is that, May? You have one of John's birds right here in your
school-bag? Show it to Amy.

Isn't it pretty! It is a very charming photograph of a catbird on its
nest.

You see John shoots birds with a camera! His father gave him a beautiful
one for Christmas, and he has made good use of it.

How long did it take you to get that bird, John?

Just hear! He spent more than a week getting acquainted with the bird so
it would sit still on the nest while he took its picture.

I am sure that was a week well spent.

John says he feels better acquainted with the catbird than he would have
been if he had read fifty books about it.

And I am sure he is right. The only way to enjoy a bird and to know it,
is to watch it alive.

A camera is the very best gun in the world for catching birds. And it is
really much better fun to take their pictures than to shoot and kill
them.

It seems to me we have strayed a long way from bugs.

May says she thinks birds are much more interesting than bugs.

That may be, but still we want to know about bugs, too.

Do you think you will know a bug when you see it now?

No, I do not believe you can be sure of that. But at least you know
something about a few bugs.

Some day you will study more carefully how insects are formed, and then
you will understand better how we decide what order they belong to.

We group together the insects that are most like each other.

[Illustration]

~NEUROPTERA~

~TRICHOPTERA~

THE HORNED CORYDALUS

No more bugs, if you please.

We are to make the acquaintance of another order of insect folk this
time.

[Illustration]

I think we can find some worthy members of this new order if we go with
John to a brook he knows of.

Here we are, and it certainly is a lovely brook, whether we find a
dobson in it or not.

Yes, Nell, the dobson is the new insect we shall try to find.

Now, be careful and not get your clothes too wet, but we have to turn
over the stones along the edge of the brook until we find what we are
after.

Mollie wants to know how she is to know it if she finds it.

Well, Mollie, whatever you find that is interesting you must show us.
Even though it i