. . . . . . . . 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
l