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Transcriber's Note: A couple of unusual spellings in the "ads"
have been left as printed.


       *       *       *       *       *




    FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION.

                       _STATE OF NEW YORK_
               _Department of Public Instruction_
                    _SUPERINTENDENT'S OFFICE_

                                _Albany_ December 26, 1896.

  [Illustration: (seal)]
  _Stenographic Letter_
  Dictated by __________


  W. E. Watt, President &c.,
                   Fisher Building,
                       277 Dearborn St., Chicago, Ill.

  My dear Sir:

  Please accept my thanks for a copy of the first publication of "Birds."
  Please enter my name as a regular subscriber. It is one of the most
  beautiful and interesting publications yet attempted in this direction.
  It has other attractions in addition to its beauty, and it must win its
  way to popular favor.

  Wishing the handsome little magazine abundant prosperity,
  I remain

                   Yours very respectfully,
                   [signature]
                                State Superintendent.


       *       *       *       *       *




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        GENERAL OFFICES: 198 Custom House Place, CHICAGO.

      Please mention "BIRDS" when you write to advertisers.




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      Please mention "BIRDS" when you write to advertisers.




                         NOW READY.
                  #THE STORY OF THE BIRDS.#

                  By JAMES NEWTON BASKETT.
    Edited by Dr. W. T. Harris, U. S. Com'r of Education.

                     TABLE OF CONTENTS.

  CHAPTER
      I.--A Bird's Forefathers.
     II.--How did the Birds First Fly, Perhaps?
    III.--A Bird's Fore Leg.
     IV.--Why did the Birds put on Soft Raiment?
      V.--The Cut of a Bird's Frock.
     VI.--About a Bird's Underwear.
    VII.--A Bird's Outer Wrap.
   VIII.--A Bird's New Suit.
     IX.--"Putting on Paint and Frills" among the Birds.
      X.--Color Calls among the Birds.
     XI.--War and Weapons among the Birds.
    XII.--Antics and Odor among the Birds.
   XIII.--The Meaning of Music among Birds.
    XIV.--Freaks of Bachelors and Benedicts in Feathers.
     XV.--Step-Parents among Birds.
    XVI.--Why did Birds begin to Incubate?
   XVII.--Why do the Birds Build So.
  XVIII.--Fastidious Nesting Habits of a few Birds.
    XIX.--What Mean the Markings and Shapes of Bird's Eggs?
     XX.--Why Two Kinds of Nestlings?
    XXI.--How Some Baby Birds are Fed.
   XXII.--How Some Grown-Up Birds get a Living.
  XXIII.--Tools and Tasks among the Birds.
   XXIV.--How a Bird Goes to Bed.
    XXV.--A Little Talk on Bird's Toes.
   XXVI.--The Way of a Bird in the Air.
  XXVII.--How and Why do Birds Travel?
 XXVIII.--What a Bird knows about Geography and Arithmetic.
   XXIX.--Profit and Loss in the Birds.
    XXX.--A Bird's Modern Kinsfolk.
   XXXI.--An Introduction to the Bird.
  XXXII.--Acquaintance with the Bird.

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                      #New Occasions#
             #A Magazine of Social Progress.#
             EDITED BY FREDERICK UPHAM ADAMS.

  Sixty-four large pages devoted to live topics of popular
  interest, not one dull paragraph. Editorials, stories, short
  articles, letters, news items, poetry, humor, puzzles--in short
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                 56 Fifth Ave., Chicago.


      Please mention "BIRDS" when you write to advertisers.


       *       *       *       *       *




                            #BIRDS#

                ILLUSTRATED BY COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY

                       #A MONTHLY SERIAL#

                       DESIGNED TO PROMOTE

                    #KNOWLEDGE OF BIRD-LIFE#



          "With cheerful hop from perch to spray,
             They sport along the meads;
           In social bliss together stray,
             Where love or fancy leads.

           Through spring's gay scenes each happy pair
             Their fluttering joys pursue;
           Its various charms and produce share,
             Forever kind and true."



                        CHICAGO, U. S. A.
           NATURE STUDY PUBLISHING COMPANY, PUBLISHERS
                              1896


       *       *       *       *       *




PREFACE.


It has become a universal custom to obtain and preserve the likenesses
of one's friends. Photographs are the most popular form of these
likenesses, as they give the true exterior outlines and appearance,
(except coloring) of the subjects. But how much more popular and useful
does photography become, when it can be used as a means of securing
plates from which to print photographs in a regular printing press, and,
what is more astonishing and delightful, to produce the REAL COLORS of
nature as shown in the subject, no matter how brilliant or varied.

We quote from the December number of the Ladies' Home Journal: "_An
excellent_ suggestion was recently made by the Department of Agriculture
at Washington that the public schools of the country shall have a new
holiday, to be known as Bird Day. Three cities have already adopted the
suggestion, and it is likely that others will quickly follow. Of course,
Bird Day will differ from its successful predecessor, Arbor Day. We can
plant trees but not birds. It is suggested that Bird Day take the form
of bird exhibitions, of bird exercises, of bird studies--any form of
entertainment, in fact, which will bring children closer to their little
brethren of the air, and in more intelligent sympathy with their life
and ways. There is a wonderful story in bird life, and but few of our
children know it. Few of our elders do, for that matter. A whole day of
a year can well and profitably be given over to the birds. Than such
study, nothing can be more interesting. The cultivation of an intimate
acquaintanceship with our feathered friends is a source of genuine
pleasure. We are under greater obligations to the birds than we dream
of. Without them the world would be more barren than we imagine.
Consequently, we have some duties which we owe them. What these duties
are only a few of us know or have ever taken the trouble to find out.
Our children should not be allowed to grow to maturity without this
knowledge. The more they know of the birds the better men and women they
will be. We can hardly encourage such studies too much."

Of all animated nature, birds are the most beautiful in coloring, most
graceful in form and action, swiftest in motion and most perfect emblems
of freedom.

They are withal, very intelligent and have many remarkable traits, so
that their habits and characteristics make a delightful study for all
lovers of nature. In view of the facts, we feel that we are doing a
useful work for the young, and one that will be appreciated by
progressive parents, in placing within the easy possession of children
in the homes these beautiful photographs of birds.

The text is prepared with the view of giving the children as clear an
idea as possible, of haunts, habits, characteristics and such other
information as will lead them to love the birds and delight in their
study and acquaintance.

                                             NATURE STUDY PUBLISHING


       *       *       *       *       *




                                  #BIRDS.#

                      ILLUSTRATED BY COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY.

 ======================================================================
  VOL. 1.                        MAY, 1897.                     No. 5.
 ======================================================================


NESTING TIME.

    "There swims no goose so gray, but soon or late,
     She takes some honest gander for a mate;"
     There live no birds, however bright or plain,
     But rear a brood to take their place again.
                                              --C. C. M.


Quite the jolliest season of the year, with the birds, is when they
begin to require a home, either as a shelter from the weather, a defence
against their enemies, or a place to rear and protect their young. May
is not the only month in which they build their nests, some of our
favorites, indeed, waiting till June, and even July; but as it is the
time of the year when a general awakening to life and activity is felt
in all nature, and the early migrants have come back, not to re-visit,
but to re-establish their temporarily deserted homes, we naturally fix
upon the first real spring month as the one in which their little hearts
are filled with titillations of joy and anticipation.

In May, when the trees have put on their fullest dress of green, and the
little nests are hidden from all curious eyes, if we could look quite
through the waving branches and rustling leaves, we should behold the
little mothers sitting upon their tiny eggs in patient happiness, or
feeding their young broods, not yet able to flutter away; while in the
leafy month of June, when Nature is perfect in mature beauty, the young
may everywhere be seen gracefully imitating the parent birds, whose sole
purpose in life seems to be the fulfillment of the admonition to care
well for one's own.

There can hardly be a higher pleasure than to watch the nest-building of
birds. See the Wren looking for a convenient cavity in ivy-covered
walls, under eaves, or among the thickly growing branches of fir trees,
the tiny creature singing with cheerful voice all day long. Observe the
Woodpecker tunneling his nest in the limb of a lofty tree, his
pickax-like beak finding no difficulty in making its way through the
decayed wood, the sound of his pounding, however, accompanied by his
shrill whistle, echoing through the grove.

But the nest of the Jay: Who can find it? Although a constant prowler
about the nests of other birds, he is so wary and secretive that his
little home is usually found only by accident. And the Swallow: "He is
the bird of return," Michelet prettily says of him. If you will only
treat him kindly, says Ruskin, year after year, he comes back to the
same niche, and to the same hearth, for his nest. To the same niche!
Think of this a little, as if you heard of it for the first time.

But nesting-time with the birds is one of sentiment as well as of
industry The amount of affectation in lovemaking they are capable of is
simply ludicrous. The British Sparrow which, like the poor, we have with
us always, is a much more interesting bird in this and other respects
than we commonly give him credit for. It is because we see him every
day, at the back door, under the eaves, in the street, in the parks,
that we are indifferent to him. Were he of brighter plumage, brilliant
as the Bobolink or the Oriole, he would be a welcome, though a
perpetual, guest, and we would not, perhaps, seek legislative action for
his extermination. If he did not drive away Bluebirds, whose
nesting-time and nesting-place are quite the same as his own, we might
not discourage his nesting proclivity, although we cannot help
recognizing his cheerful chirp with generous crumbs when the snow has
covered all the earth and left him desolate.

                                              C. C. MARBLE.




NATIONAL COUNCIL OF WOMEN.

  EXTRACT FROM THE REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON DRESS, BY ITS CHAIRMAN,
                          MRS. FRANK JOHNSON.


BIRDS, WINGS AND FEATHERS EMPLOYED AS GARNITURE.

From the school-room there should certainly emanate a sentiment which
would discourage forever the slaughter of birds for ornament.

The use of birds and their plumage is as inartistic as it is cruel and
barbarous.


THE HALO.

"One London dealer in birds received, when the fashion was at its
height, a single consignment of thirty-two thousand dead humming birds,
and another received at one time, thirty thousand aquatic birds and
three hundred thousand pairs of wings."

       Think what a price to pay,
       Faces so bright and gay,
          Just for a hat!
    Flowers unvisited, mornings unsung,
    Sea-ranges bare of the wings that o'erswung--
          Bared just for that!

       Think of the others, too,
       Others and _mothers_, too,
          Bright-Eyes in hat!
    Hear you no mother-groan floating in air,
    Hear you no little moan--birdling's despair--
          Somewhere for that?

       Caught 'mid some mother-work,
       Torn by a hunter Turk,
          Just for your hat!
    Plenty of mother-heart yet in the world:
    All the more wings to tear, carefully twirled!
         _Women want_ that?

       Oh, but the shame of it,
       Oh, but the blame of it,
          Price of a hat!
    Just for a jauntiness brightening the street!
    This is your halo--O faces so sweet--
         _Death_, and for that!--W. C. GANNETT.


       *       *       *       *       *




 [Illustration: From col. Chi. Acad. Sciences.
                SCREECH OWL.]

THE MOTTLED OR "SCREECH" OWL.


"Night wanderer," as this species of Owl has been appropriately called,
appears to be peculiar to America. They are quite scarce in the south,
but above the Falls of the Ohio they increase in number, and are
numerous in Virginia, Maryland, and all the eastern districts. Its
flight, like that of all the owl family, is smooth and noiseless. He may
be sometimes seen above the topmost branches of the highest trees in
pursuit of large beetles, and at other times he sails low and swiftly
over the fields or through the woods, in search of small birds, field
mice, moles, or wood rats, on which he chiefly subsists.

The Screech Owl's nest is built in the bottom of a hollow trunk of a
tree, from six to forty feet from the ground. A few grasses and feathers
are put together and four or five eggs are laid, of nearly globular form
and pure white color. This species is a native of the northern regions,
arriving here about the beginning of cold weather and frequenting the
uplands and mountain districts in preference to the lower parts of the
country.

In the daytime the Screech Owl sits with his eyelids half closed, or
slowly and alternately opening and shutting, as if suffering from the
glare of day; but no sooner is the sun set than his whole appearance
changes; he becomes lively and animated, his full and globular eyes
shine like those of a cat, and he often lowers his head like a cock when
preparing to fight, moving it from side to side, and also vertically, as
if watching you sharply. In flying, it shifts from place to place "with
the silence of a spirit," the plumage of its wings being so extremely
fine and soft as to occasion little or no vibration of the air.

The Owl swallows its food hastily, in large mouthfuls. When the retreat
of a Screech Owl, generally a hollow tree or an evergreen in a retired
situation, is discovered by the Blue Jay and some other birds, an alarm
is instantly raised, and the feathered neighbors soon collect and by
insults and noisy demonstration compel his owlship to seek a lodging
elsewhere. It is surmised that this may account for the circumstance of
sometimes finding them abroad during the day on fences and other exposed
places.

Both red and gray young are often found in the same nest, while the
parents may be both red or both gray, the male red and the female gray,
or vice versa.

The vast numbers of mice, beetles, and vermin which they destroy render
the owl a public benefactor, much as he has been spoken against for
gratifying his appetite for small birds. It would be as reasonable to
criticise men for indulging in the finer foods provided for us by the
Creator. They have been everywhere hunted down without mercy or justice.

During the night the Screech Owl utters a very peculiar wailing cry, not
unlike the whining of a puppy, intermingled with gutteral notes. The
doleful sounds are in great contrast with the lively and excited air of
the bird as he utters them. The hooting sound, so fruitful of "shudders"
in childhood, haunts the memory of many an adult whose earlier years,
like those of the writer, were passed amidst rural scenery.




THE SCREECH OWL.


I wouldn't let them put my picture last in the book as they did my
cousin's picture in March "BIRDS." I told them I would screech if they
did.

You don't see me as often as you do the Blue-bird, Robin, Thrush and
most other birds, but it is because you don't look for me. Like all
other owls I keep quiet during the day, but when night comes on, then my
day begins. I would just as soon do as the other birds--be busy during
the day and sleep during the night--but really I can't. The sun is too
bright for my eyes and at night I can see very well. You must have your
folks tell you why this is.

I like to make my nest in a hollow orchard tree, or in a thick
evergreen. Sometimes I make it in a hay loft. Boys and girls who live in
the country know what a hay loft is.

People who know me like to have me around, for I catch a good many mice,
and rats that kill small chickens. All night long I fly about so quietly
that you could not hear me. I search woods, fields, meadows, orchards,
and even around houses and barns to get food for my baby owls and their
mamma. Baby owls are queer children. They never get enough to eat, it
seems. They are quiet all day, but just as soon as the sun sets and
twilight gathers, you should see what a wide awake family a nest full of
hungry little screech owls can be.

Did you ever hear your mamma say when she couldn't get baby to sleep at
night, that he is like a little owl? You know now what she means. I
think I hear my little folks calling for me so I'll be off. Good night
to you, and good morning for me.




 [Illustration: From col. F. M. Woodruff.
                ORCHARD ORIOLE.
                4/5 Life-size.]

THE ORCHARD ORIOLE.

    The Orchard Oriole is here.
    Why has he come? To cheer, to cheer--C. C. M.


The Orchard Oriole has a general range throughout the United States,
spending the winter in Central America. It breeds only in the eastern
and central parts of the United States. In Florida it is a summer
resident, and is found in greatest abundance in the states bordering the
Mississippi Valley. This Oriole appears on our southern border about the
first of April, moving leisurely northward to its breeding grounds for a
month or six weeks, according to the season, the males preceding the
females several days.

Though a fine bird, and attractive in his manners and attire, he is not
so interesting or brilliant as his cousin, the Baltimore Oriole. He is
restless and impulsive, but of a pleasant disposition, on good terms
with his neighbors, and somewhat shy and difficult to observe closely,
as he conceals himself in the densest foliage while at rest, or flies
quickly about from twig to twig in search of insects, which, during the
summer months, are his exclusive diet.

The favorite haunts of this very agreeable songster, as his name
implies, are orchards, and when the apple and pear trees are in bloom,
and the trees begin to put out their leaves, his notes have an ecstatic
character quite the reverse of the mournful lament of the Baltimore
species. Some writers speak of his song as confused, but others say this
attribute does not apply to his tones, the musician detecting anything
but confusion in the rapidity and distinctness of his gushing notes.
These may be too quick for the listener to follow, but there is harmony
in them.

In the Central States hardly an orchard or a garden of any size can be
found without these birds. They prefer to build their nests in apple
trees. The nest is different, but quite as curiously made as that of the
Baltimore. It is suspended from a small twig, often at the very
extremity of the branches. The outer part of the nest is usually formed
of long, tough grass, woven through with as much neatness and in as
intricate a manner as if sewed with a needle. The nests are round, open
at the top, about four inches broad and three deep.

It is admitted that few birds do more good and less harm than our
Orchard Oriole, especially to the fruit grower. Most of his food
consists of small beetles, plant lice, flies, hairless caterpillars,
cabbage worms, grasshoppers, rose bugs, and larvae of all kinds, while
the few berries it may help itself to during the short time they last
are many times paid for by the great number of insect pests destroyed,
making it worthy the fullest protection.

The Orchard Oriole is very social, especially with the king bird. Most
of his time is spent in trees. His flight is easy, swift, and graceful.
The female lays from four to six eggs, one each day. She alone sits on
the eggs, the male feeding her at intervals. Both parents are devoted to
their young.

The fall migration begins in the latter part of July or the beginning of
August, comparatively few remaining till September.




THE MARSH HAWK.


One of the most widely distributed birds of North America is the Marsh
Hawk, according to Wilson, breeding from the fur regions around Hudson's
Bay to Texas, and from Nova Scotia to Oregon and California. Excepting
in the Southern portion of the United States, it is abundant everywhere.
It makes its appearance in the fur countries about the opening of the
rivers, and leaves about the beginning of November. Small birds, mice,
fish, worms, and even snakes, constitute its food, without much
discrimination. It is very expert in catching small green lizards,
animals that can easily evade the quickest vision.

It is very slow on the wing, flies very low, and in a manner different
from all others of the hawk family. Flying near the surface of the
water, just above the weeds and canes, the Marsh Hawk rounds its
untiring circles hour after hour, darting after small birds as they rise
from cover. Their never ending flight, graceful as it is, becomes
monotonous to the watcher. Pressed by hunger, they attack even wild
ducks.

In New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, where it sweeps over the low
lands, sailing near the earth, in search of a kind of mouse very common
in such situations, it is chiefly known as the Mouse Hawk. In the
southern rice fields it is useful in preventing to some extent the
ravages of the swarms of Bobolinks. It has been stated that one Marsh
Hawk was considered by planters equal to several <DW64>s for alarming
the rice birds. This Hawk when feeding is readily approached.

The birds nest in low lands near the sea shore, in the barrens, and on
the clear table-lands of the Alleghanies, and once a nest was found in a
high covered pine barrens of Florida.

The Marsh Hawks always keep together after pairing, working jointly in
building the nest, in sitting upon the eggs, and in feeding the young.
The nest is clumsily made of hay, occasionally lined with feathers, pine
needles, and small twigs. It is built on the ground, and contains from
three to five eggs of a bluish white color, usually more or less marked
with purplish brown blotches. Early May is their breeding time.

It will be observed that even the Hawk, rapacious as he undoubtedly is,
is a useful bird. Sent for the purpose of keeping the small birds in
bounds, he performs his task well, though it may seem to man harsh and
tyranical. The Marsh Hawk is an ornament to our rural scenery, and a
pleasing sight as he darts silently past in the shadows of falling
night.

 [Illustration: From col. Chi. Acad. Sciences.
                MARSH HAWK.]




CHICKADEE.

Bird of the Merry Heart.


Here is a picture of a bird that is always merry. He is a bold, saucy
little fellow, too, but we all love him for it. Don't you think he looks
some like the Canada Jay that you saw in April "BIRDS?"

I think most of you must have seen him, for he stays with us all the
year, summer and winter. If you ever heard him, you surely noticed how
plainly he tells you his name. Listen--"Chick-a-dee-dee; Chick-a-dee;
Hear, hear me"--That's what he says as he hops about from twig to twig
in search of insects' eggs and other bits for food. No matter how bitter
the wind or how deep the snow, he is always around--the same jolly,
careless little fellow, chirping and twittering his notes of good
cheer.

Like the Yellow Warblers on page 169, Chickadees like best to make their
home in an old stump or hole in a tree--not very high from the ground.
Sometimes they dig for themselves a new hole, but this is only when they
cannot find one that suits them.

The Chickadee is also called Black-capped Titmouse. If you look at his
picture you will see his black cap. You'll have to ask someone why he is
called Titmouse. I think Chickadee is the prettier name, don't you?

If you want to get well acquainted with this saucy little bird, you want
to watch for him next winter, when most of the birds have gone south.
Throw him crumbs of bread and he will soon be so tame as to come right
up to the door step.




THE SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER.


Flycatchers are all interesting, and many of them are beautiful, but the
Scissor-tailed species of Texas is especially attractive. They are also
known as the Swallow-tailed Flycatcher, and more frequently as the
"Texan Bird of Paradise." It is a common summer resident throughout the
greater portion of that state and the Indian Territory, and its breeding
range extends northward into Southern Kansas. Occasionally it is found
in southwestern Missouri, western Arkansas, and Illinois. It is
accidental in the New England states, the Northwest Territory, and
Canada. It arrives about the middle of March and returns to its winter
home in Central America in October. Some of the birds remain in the
vicinity of Galveston throughout the year, moving about in small flocks.

There is no denying that the gracefulness of the Scissor-tailed
Flycatcher should well entitle him to the admiration of bird-lovers, and
he is certain to be noticed wherever he goes. The long outer tail
feathers he can open and close at will. His appearance is most pleasing
to the eye when fluttering slowly from tree to tree on the rather open
prairie, uttering his twittering notes, "Spee-spee." When chasing each
other in play or anger these birds have a harsh note like "Thish-thish,"
not altogether agreeable. Extensive timber land is shunned by this
Flycatcher, as it prefers more open country, though it is often seen in
the edges of woods. It is not often seen on the ground, where its
movements are rather awkward. Its amiability and social disposition are
observed in the fact that several pairs will breed close to each other
in perfect harmony. Birds smaller than itself are rarely molested by
it, but it boldly attacks birds of prey. It is a restless bird,
constantly on the lookout for passing insects, nearly all of which are
caught on the wing and carried to a perch to be eaten. It eats moths,
butterflies, beetles, grasshoppers, locusts, cotton worms, and, to some
extent, berries. Its usefulness cannot be doubted. According to Major
Bendire, these charming creatures seem to be steadily increasing in
numbers, being far more common in many parts of Texas, where they are a
matter of pride with the people, than they were twenty years ago.

The Scissor-tails begin housekeeping some time after their arrival from
Central America, courting and love making occupying much time before the
nest is built. They are not hard to please in the selection of a
suitable nesting place, almost any tree standing alone being selected
rather than a secluded situation. The nest is bulky, commonly resting on
an exposed limb, and is made of any material that may be at hand. They
nest in oaks, mesquite, honey locust, mulberry, pecan, and magnolia
trees, as well as in small thorny shrubs, from five to forty feet from
the ground. Rarely molested they become quite tame. Two broods are often
raised. The eggs are usually five. They are hatched by the female in
twelve days, while the male protects the nest from suspicious intruders.
The young are fed entirely on insects and are able to leave the nest in
two weeks. The eggs are clear white, with markings of brown, purple, and
lavender spots and blotches.

 [Illustration: From col. F. M. Woodruff.
                SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER.]




THE BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE.

    "Chic-chickadee dee!" I saucily say;
    My heart it is sound, my throat it is gay!
    Every one that I meet I merrily greet
    With a chickadee dee, chickadee dee!
    To cheer and to cherish, on roadside and street,
    My cap was made jaunty, my note was made sweet.

        Chickadeedee, Chickadeedee!
        No bird of the winter so merry and free;
        Yet sad is my heart, though my song one of glee,
        For my mate ne'er shall hear my chickadeedee.

    I "chickadeedee" in forest and glade,
    "Day, day, day!" to the sweet country maid;
    From autumn to spring time I utter my song
    Of chickadeedee all the day long!
    The silence of winter my note breaks in twain,
    And I "chickadeedee" in sunshine and rain.

        Chickadeedee Chickadeedee!
        No bird of the winter so merry and free;
        Yet sad is my heart, though my song one of glee,
        For my mate ne'er shall hear my chickadeedee.--C. C. M.


A saucy little bird, so active and familiar, the Black-Capped Chickadee,
is also recognized as the Black Capped Titmouse, Eastern Chickadee, and
Northern Chickadee. He is found in the southern half of the eastern
United States, north to or beyond forty degrees, west to eastern Texas
and Indian Territory.

The favorite resorts of the Chickadee are timbered districts, especially
in the bottom lands, and where there are red bud trees, in the soft wood
of which it excavates with ease a hollow for its nest. It is often wise
enough, however, to select a cavity already made, as the deserted hole
of the Downy Woodpecker, a knot hole, or a hollow fence rail. In the
winter season it is very familiar, and is seen about door yards and
orchards, even in towns, gleaning its food from the kitchen remnants,
where the table cloth is shaken, and wherever it may chance to find a
kindly hospitality.

In an article on "Birds as Protectors of Orchards," Mr. E. H. Forbush
says of the Chickadee: "There is no bird that compares with it in
destroying the female canker-worm moths and their eggs." He calculated
that one Chickadee in one day would destroy 5,550 eggs, and in the
twenty-five days in which the canker-worm moths run or crawl up the
trees 138,750 eggs. Mr. Forbush attracted Chickadees to one orchard by
feeding them in winter, and he says that in the following summer it was
noticed that while trees in neighboring orchards were seriously damaged
by canker-worms, and to a less degree by tent caterpillars, those in the
orchard which had been frequented by the Chickadee during the winter and
spring were not seriously infested, and that comparatively few of the
worms and caterpillars were to be found there. His conclusion is that
birds that eat eggs of insects are of the greatest value to the farmer,
as they feed almost entirely on injurious insects and their eggs, and
are present all winter, where other birds are absent.

The tiny nest of the Chickadee is made of all sorts of soft materials,
such as wool, fur, feathers, and hair placed in holes in stumps of
trees. Six to eight eggs are laid, which are white, thickly sprinkled
with warm brown.

Mrs. Osgood Wright tells a pretty incident of the Chickadees, thus: "In
the winter of 1891-2, when the cold was severe, the snow deep, and the
tree trunks often covered with ice, the Chickadees repaired in flocks
daily to the kennel of our old dog Colin and fed from his dish, hopping
over his back and calling Chickadee, dee, dee, in his face, a proceeding
that he never in the least resented, but seemed rather to enjoy it."




PROTHONOTARY YELLOW WARBLERS.


Quite a long name for such small birds--don't you think so? You will
have to get your teacher to repeat it several times, I fear, before you
learn it.

These little yellow warblers are just as happy as the pair of wrens I
showed you in April "BIRDS." In fact, I suspect they are even happier,
for their nest has been made and the eggs laid. What do you think of
their house? Sometimes they find an old hole in a stump, one that a
woodpecker has left, perhaps, and there build a nest. This year they
have found a very pretty place to begin their housekeeping. What kind of
tree is it? I thought I would show only the part of the tree that makes
their home. I just believe some boy or girl who loves birds made those
holes for them. Don't you think so? They have an upstairs and a down
stairs, it seems.

Like the Wrens I wrote about last month, they prefer to live in swampy
land and along rivers. They nearly always find a hole in a decayed
willow tree for their nest--low down. This isn't a willow tree, though.

Whenever I show you a pair of birds, always pick out the father and the
mother bird. You will usually find that one has more color than the
other. Which one is it? Maybe you know why this is. If you don't I am
sure your teacher can tell you. Don't you remember in the Bobolink
family how differently Mr. and Mrs. Bobolink were dressed?

I think most of you will agree with me when I say this is one of the
prettiest pictures you ever saw.




 [Illustration: From col. Chi. Acad. Sciences.
                CHICKADEE.
                Life-size.]




 [Illustration: From col. Chi. Acad. Sciences.
                PROTHONOTARY WARBLER.]

THE PROTHONOTARY, OR GOLDEN SWAMP WARBLER.


The Golden Swamp Warbler is one of the very handsomest of American
birds, being noted for the pureness and mellowness of its plumage. Baird
notes that the habits of this beautiful and interesting warbler were
formerly little known, its geographical distribution being somewhat
irregular and over a narrow range. It is found in the West Indies and
Central America as a migrant, and in the southern region of the United
States. Further west the range widens, and it appears as far north as
Kansas, Central Illinois, and Missouri.

Its favorite resorts are creeks and lagoons overshadowed by large trees,
as well as the borders of sheets of water and the interiors of forests.
It returns early in March to the Southern states, but to Kentucky not
before the last of April, leaving in October. A single brood only is
raised in a season.

A very pretty nest is sometimes built within a Woodpecker's hole in a
stump of a tree, not more than three feet high. Where this occurs the
nest is not shaped round, but is made to conform to the irregular cavity
of the stump. This cavity is deepest at one end, and the nest is closely
packed with dried leaves, broken bits of grasses, stems, mosses, decayed
wood, and other material, the upper part interwoven with fine roots,
varying in size, but all strong, wiry, and slender, and lined with hair.

Other nests have been discovered which were circular in shape. In one
instance the nest was built in a brace hole in a mill, where the birds
could be watched closely as they carried in the materials. They were not
alarmed by the presence of the observer but seemed quite tame.

So far from being noisy and vociferous, Mr. Ridgway describes it as one
of the most silent of all the warblers, while Mr. W. Brewster maintains
that in restlessness few birds equal this species. Not a nook or corner
of his domain but is repeatedly visited during the day. "Now he sings a
few times from the top of some tall willow that leans out over the
stream, sitting motionless among the marsh foliage, fully aware,
perhaps, of the protection afforded by his harmonizing tints. The next
moment he descends to the cool shadows beneath, where dark,
coffee- waters, the overflow of a pond or river, stretch back
among the trees. Here he loves to hop about the floating drift-wood, wet
by the lapping of pulsating wavelets, now following up some long,
inclining, half submerged log, peeping into every crevice and
occasionally dragging forth from its concealment a spider or small
beetle, turning alternately its bright yellow breast and olive back
towards the light; now jetting his beautiful tail, or quivering his
wings tremulously, he darts off into some thicket in response to a call
from his mate; or, flying to a neighboring tree trunk, clings for a
moment against the mossy hole to pipe his little strain, or look up the
exact whereabouts of some suspected insect prize."




THE INDIGO BUNTING.


The Indigo Bunting's arrival at its summer home is usually in the early
part of May, where it remains until about the middle of September. It is
numerous in the eastern and middle states, inhabiting the continent and
seacoast islands from Mexico, where they winter, to Nova Scotia. It is
one of the very smallest of our birds, and also one of the most
attractive. Its favorite haunts are gardens, fields of deep clover, the
borders of woods, and roadsides, where, like the Woodpecker, it is
frequently seen perched on the fences.

It is extremely active and neat in its manners and an untiring singer,
morning, noon, and night his rapid chanting being heard, sometimes loud
and sometimes hardly audible, as if he were becoming quite exhausted by
his musical efforts. He mounts the highest tops of a large tree and
sings for half an hour together. The song is not one uninterrupted
strain, but a repetition of short notes, "commencing loud, and rapid,
and full, and by almost imperceptible gradations for six or eight
seconds until they seem hardly articulated, as if the little minstrel
were unable to stop, and, after a short pause, beginning again as
before." Baskett says that in cases of serenade and wooing he may mount
the tip sprays of tall trees as he sings and abandon all else to melody
till the engrossing business is over.

The Indigo Bird sings with equal animation whether it be May or August,
the vertical sun of the dog days having no diminishing effect upon his
enthusiasm. It is well known that in certain lights his plumage appears
of a rich sky blue, varying to a tint of vivid verdigris green, so that
the bird, flitting from one place to another, appears to undergo an
entire change of color.

The Indigo Bunting fixes his nest in a low bush, long rank grass, grain,
or clover, suspended by two twigs, flax being the material used, lined
with fine dry grass. It had been known, however, to build in the hollow
of an apple tree. The eggs, generally five, are bluish or pure white.
The same nest is often occupied season after season. One which had been
used for five successive summers, was repaired each year with the same
material, matting that the birds had evidently taken from the covering
of grape vines. The nest was very neatly and thoroughly lined with hair.

The Indigo feeds upon the ground, his food consisting mainly of the seed
of small grasses and herbs. The male while moulting assumes very nearly
the color of the female, a dull brown, the rich plumage not returning
for two or three months. Mrs. Osgood Wright says of this tiny creature:
"Like all the bright-hued birds he is beset by enemies both of earth and
sky, but his sparrow instinct, which has a love for mother earth, bids
him build near the ground. The dangers of the nesting-time fall mostly
to his share, for his dull brown mate is easily overlooked as an
insignificant sparrow. Nature always gives a plain coat to the wives of
these gayly dressed cavaliers, for her primal thought is the safety of
the home and its young life."

 [Illustration: From col. Chi. Acad. Sciences.
                INDIGO BIRD.
                Life-size.]




THE NIGHT HAWK.


The range of the Night Hawk, also known as "Bull-bat," "Mosquito Hawk,"
"Will o' the Wisp," "Pisk," "Piramidig," and sometimes erroneously as
"Whip-poor-will," being frequently mistaken for that bird, is an
extensive one. It is only a summer visitor throughout the United States
and Canada, generally arriving from its winter haunts in the Bahamas, or
Central and South America in the latter part of April, reaching the more
northern parts about a month later, and leaving the latter again in
large straggling flocks about the end of August, moving leisurely
southward and disappearing gradually along our southern border about the
latter part of October. Major Bendire says its migrations are very
extended and cover the greater part of the American continent.

The Night Hawk, in making its home, prefers a well timbered country. Its
common name is somewhat of a misnomer, as it is not nocturnal in its
habits. It is not an uncommon sight to see numbers of these birds on the
wing on bright sunny days, but it does most of its hunting in cloudy
weather, and in the early morning and evening, returning to rest soon
after dark. On bright moonlight nights it flies later, and its calls are
sometimes heard as late as eleven o'clock.

"This species is one of the most graceful birds on the wing, and its
aerial evolutions are truly wonderful; one moment it may be seen soaring
through space without any apparent movement of its pinions, and again
its swift flight is accompanied by a good deal of rapid flapping of the
wings, like that of Falcons, and this is more or less varied by numerous
twistings and turnings. While constantly darting here and there in
pursuit of its prey," says a traveler, "I have seen one of these birds
shoot almost perpendicularly upward after an insect, with the swiftness
of an arrow. The Night Hawk's tail appears to assist it greatly in these
sudden zigzag changes, being partly expanded during most of its
complicated movements."

Night Hawks are sociable birds, especially on the wing, and seem to
enjoy each other's company. Their squeaking call note, sounding like
"Speek-speek," is repeated at intervals. These aerial evolutions are
principally confined to the mating season. On the ground the movements
of this Hawk are slow, unsteady, and more or less laborious. Its food
consists mainly of insects, such as flies and mosquitos, small beetles,
grasshoppers, and the small night-flying moths, all of which are caught
on the wing. A useful bird, it deserves the fullest protection.

The favorite haunts of the Night Hawk are the edges of forests and
clearings, burnt tracts, meadow lands along river bottoms, and
cultivated fields, as well as the flat mansard roofs in many of our
larger cities, to which it is attracted by the large amount of food
found there, especially about electric lights. During the heat of the
day the Night Hawk may be seen resting on limbs of trees, fence rails,
the flat surface of lichen-covered rock, on stone walls, old logs,
chimney tops, and on railroad tracks. It is very rare to find it on the
ground.

The nesting-time is June and July. No nest is made, but two eggs are
deposited on the bare ground, frequently in very exposed situations, or
in slight depressions on flat rocks, between rows of corn, and the like.
Only one brood is raised. The birds sit alternately for about sixteen
days. There is endless variation in the marking of the eggs, and it is
considered one of the most difficult to describe satisfactorily.




THE NIGHT HAWK.


As you will see from my name, I am a bird of the night. Daytime is not
at all pleasing to me because of its brightness and noise.

I like the cool, dark evenings when the insects fly around the
house-tops. They are my food and it needs a quick bird to catch them. If
you will notice my flight, you will see it is swift and graceful. When
hunting insects we go in a crowd. It is seldom that people see us
because of the darkness. Often we stay near a stream of water, for the
fog which rises in the night hides us from the insects on which we feed.

None of us sing well--we have only a few doleful notes which frighten
people who do not understand our habits.

In the daytime we seek the darkest part of the woods, and perch
lengthwise on the branches of trees, just as our cousins the
Whippoorwills do. We could perch crosswise just as well. Can you think
why we do not? If there be no woods near, we just roost upon the ground.

Our plumage is a mottled brown--the same color of the bark on which we
rest. Our eggs are laid on the ground, for we do not care to build
nests. There are only two of them, dull white with grayish brown marks
on them.

Sometimes we lay our eggs on flat roofs in cities, and stay there during
the day, but we prefer the country where there is good pasture land. I
think my cousin Whippoorwill is to talk to you next month. People think
we are very much alike. You can judge for yourself when you see his
picture.

 [Illustration: From col. Chi. Acad. Sciences.
                NIGHT HAWK.
                3/5 Life-size.]




THE WOOD THRUSH.

                  "With what a clear
    And ravishing sweetness sang the plaintive Thrush;
    I love to hear his delicate rich voice,
    Chanting through all the gloomy day, when loud
    Amid the trees is dropping the big rain,
    And gray mists wrap the hill; foraye the sweeter
    His song is when the day is sad and dark."


So many common names has the Wood Thrush that he would seem to be quite
well known to every one. Some call him the Bell Thrush, others Bell
Bird, others again Wood Robin, and the French Canadians, who love his
delicious song, Greve des Bois and Merle Taune. In spite of all this,
however, and although a common species throughout the temperate portions
of eastern North America, the Wood Thrush can hardly be said to be a
well-known bird in the same sense as the Robin, the Catbird, or other
more familiar species; "but to every inhabitant of rural districts his
song, at least, is known, since it is of such a character that no one
with the slightest appreciation of harmony can fail to be impressed by
it."

Some writers maintain that the Wood Thrush has a song of a richer and
more melodious tone than that of any other American bird; and that, did
it possess continuity, would be incomparable.

Damp woodlands and shaded dells are favorite haunts of this Thrush, but
on some occasions he will take up his residence in parks within large
cities. He is not a shy bird, yet it is not often that he ventures far
from the wild wood of his preference.

The nest is commonly built upon a horizontal branch of a low tree, from
six to ten--rarely much more--feet from the ground. The eggs are from
three to five in number, of a uniform greenish color; thus, like the
nest, resembling those of the Robin, except that they are smaller.

In spite of the fact that his name indicates his preference for the
woods, we have seen this Thrush, in parks and gardens, his brown back
and spotted breast making him unmistakable as he hops over the grass for
a few yards, and pauses to detect the movement of a worm, seizing it
vigorously a moment after.

He eats ripening fruits, especially strawberries and gooseberries, but
no bird can or does destroy so many snails, and he is much less an enemy
than a friend of the gardener. It would be well if our park
commissioners would plant an occasional fruit tree--cherry, apple, and
the like--in the public parks, protecting them from the ravages of every
one except the birds, for whose sole benefit they should be set aside.
The trees would also serve a double purpose of ornament and use, and the
youth who grow up in the city, and rarely ever see an orchard, would
become familiar with the appearance of fruit trees. The birds would
annually increase in numbers, as they would not only be attracted to the
parks thereby, but they would build their nests and rear their young
under far more favorable conditions than now exist. The criticism that
birds are too largely destroyed by hunters should be supplemented by the
complaint that they are also allowed to perish for want of food,
especially in seasons of unusual scarcity or severity. Food should be
scattered through the parks at proper times, nesting boxes provided--not
a few, but many--and then

    The happy mother of every brood
    Will twitter notes of gratitude.




THE WOOD THRUSH.

The Bird of Solitude.


Of all the Thrushes this one is probably the most beautiful. I think the
picture shows it. Look at his mottled neck and breast. Notice his large
bright eye. Those who have studied birds think he is the most
intelligent of them all.

He is the largest of the Thrushes and has more color in his plumage. All
who have heard him agree that he is one of the sweetest singers among
birds.

Unlike the Robin, Catbird, or Brown Thrush, he enjoys being heard and
not seen.

His sweetest song may be heard in the cool of the morning or evening. It
is then that his rich notes, sounding like a flute, are heard from the
deep wood. The weather does not affect his song. Rain or shine, wet or
dry, he sings, and sings, and sings.

During the light of day the Wood Thrush likes to stay in the cool shade
of the woods.

Along toward evening, after sunset, when other birds are settling
themselves for the night, out of the wood you will hear his evening
song.

It begins with a strain that sounds like, "Come with me," and by the
time he finishes you are in love with his song.

The Wood Thrush is very quiet in his habits. So different from the
noisy, restless Catbird.

The only time that he is noisy is when his young are in danger. Then he
is as active as any of them.

A Wood Thrush's nest is very much like a Robin's. It is made of leaves,
rootlets and fine twigs woven together with an inner wall of mud, and
lined with fine rootlets.

The eggs, three to five, are much like the Robin's.

Compare the picture of the Wood Thrush with that of the Robin or Brown
Thrush and see which you think is the prettiest.

 [Illustration: From col. F. M. Woodruff.
                WOOD THRUSH.
                Life-size.]




THE AMERICAN CATBIRD.


The Catbird derives his name from a fancied resemblance of some of his
notes to the mew of the domestic cat. He is a native of America, and is
one of the most familiarly known of our famous songsters. He is a true
thrush, and is one of the most affectionate of our birds. Wilson has
well described his nature, as follows:

"In passing through the woods in summer I have sometimes amused myself
with imitating the violent chirping or clucking of young birds, in order
to observe what different species were round me; for such sounds at such
a season in the woods are no less alarming to the feathered tenants of
the bushes than the cry of fire or murder in the street is to the
inhabitants of a large city. On such occasion of alarm and
consternation, the Catbird is first to make his appearance, not single
but sometimes half a dozen at a time, flying from different quarters to
the spot. At this time those who are disposed to play on his feelings
may almost throw him into a fit, his emotion and agitation are so great
at what he supposes to be the distressful cries of his young. He hurries
backward and forward, with hanging wings, open mouth, calling out louder
and faster, and actually screaming with distress, until he appears
hoarse with his exertions. He attempts no offensive means, but he wails,
he implores, in the most pathetic terms with which nature has supplied
him, and with an agony of feeling which is truly affecting. At any other
season the most perfect imitations have no effect whatever on him."

The Catbird is a courageous little creature, and in defense of its young
it is so bold that it will contrive to drive away any snake that may
approach its nest, snakes being its special aversion. His voice is
mellow and rich, and is a compound of many of the gentle trills and
sweet undulations of our various woodland choristers, delivered with
apparent caution, and with all the attention and softness necessary to
enable the performer to please the ear of his mate. Each cadence passes
on without faltering and you are sure to recognize the song he so
sweetly imitates. While they are are all good singers, occasionally
there is one which excels all his neighbors, as is frequently the case
among canaries.

The Catbird builds in syringa bushes, and other shrubs. In New England
he is best known as a garden bird. Mabel Osgood Wright, in "Birdcraft,"
says: "I have found it nesting in all sorts of places, from an alder
bush, overhanging a lonely brook, to a scrub apple in an open field,
never in deep woods, and it is only in its garden home, and in the
hedging bushes of an adjoining field, that it develops its best
qualities--'lets itself out,' so to speak. The Catbirds in the garden
are so tame that they will frequently perch on the edge of the hammock
in which I am sitting, and when I move they only hop away a few feet
with a little flutter. The male is undoubtedly a mocker, when he so
desires, but he has an individual and most delightful song, filled with
unexpected turns and buoyant melody."




THE CATBIRD.


What do you think of this nest of eggs? What do you suppose Mrs.
Catbird's thoughts are as she looks at them so tenderly? Don't you think
she was very kind to let me take the nest out of the hedge where I found
it, so you could see the pretty greenish blue eggs? I shall place it
back where I got it. Catbirds usually build their nests in hedges,
briars, or bushes, so they are never very high from the ground.

Did you ever hear the Catbird sing? He is one of the sweetest singers
and his song is something like his cousin's, the Brown Thrush, only not
so loud.

He can imitate the songs of other birds and the sounds of many animals.
He can _mew_ like a cat, and it is for this reason that he is called
"Catbird." His sweetest song, though, is soft and mellow and is sung at
just such times as this--when thinking of the nest, the eggs, or the
young.

The Catbird is a good neighbor among birds. If any other bird is in
trouble of any sort, he will do all he can to relieve it. He will even
feed and care for little birds whose parents have left them. Don't you
think he ought to have a prettier name? Now remember, the Catbird is a
Thrush. I want you to keep track of all the Thrushes as they appear in
"BIRDS." I shall try to show you a Thrush each month.

Next month you shall see the sweetest singer of American birds. He, too,
is a Thrush. I wonder if you know what bird I mean. Ask your mamma to
buy you a book called "Bird Ways." It was written by a lady who spent
years watching and studying birds. She tells so many cute things about
the Catbird.

 [Illustration: From col. Chi. Acad. Sciences.
                CATBIRD.
                3/5 Life-size.
                CHICAGO COLORTYPE CO.]


       *       *       *       *       *




#Amateur Photography.#


 [Illustration: FLASH LIGHT PICTURE MADE WITH "DEXTER" CAMERA.]

Amateur Photography is the most delightful pastime one can indulge in.
Aside from the pleasure and amusement derived, it cultivates the
artistic taste, the love of nature, is a source of instruction, and may
be made to serve many useful purposes. The "Dexter" is small, neat and
compact. Makes pictures 3-1/2x3-1/2 inches square and will produce
portraits, landscapes, groups, interiors or flashlights equally as well
as many higher priced cameras. Will carry three double plate holders
with a capacity of six dry plates. Each camera is covered with black
morocco grain leather, also provided with a brilliant finder for snap
shot work. Has a Bausch & Lomb single acromatic lens of wonderful depth
and definition and a compound time and instantaneous shutter which is
a marvel of ingenuity. A separate button is provided for time and
instantaneous work so that a twist of a button or pulling of a lever is
not necessary as in most cameras. A tripod socket is also provided so
that it can be used for hand or tripod work as desired. All complicated
adjustments have been dispensed with so that the instrument can be
manipulated with ease by the youngest amateur. Full and explicit
instructions are sent with each camera. Send _#5c stamps#_ for sample
picture and descriptive circulars.


 #The "Dexter" Camera.#
 Sent to any address in U.S. or Canada upon receipt of #$4.00.#
 Send by P. O. Money Order or Express Order.

 [Illustration: Makes pictures 3-1/2x3-1/2 inches square.
  Measures 4-1/2x5-1/2x7. Weighs only 15 ounces.]


             _#SEARS JEWELRY CO., General Agents,#_
                225 Dearborn St., Chicago, Ill.
             Manufacturers, Importers and Dealers in
            Jewelry, Watches, Diamonds and Novelties.

      Sole Agents for the South African Off-Color Diamonds,
                ($3.00 per carat, unmounted), and
        Manufacturers Agents and Introducers of Novelties
                   to the trade and street men.




               #TEACHERS' CO-OPERATIVE ASSOCIATION.#
              #101 Auditorium Building, CHICAGO, ILL.#

        Positions filled, 3,700. Seeks Teachers ambitious for
        advancement, rather than those without positions.




 [Illustration]

 CAMERAS        #Martin G. Good#
 KODAKS           Photographic
  AND                   Supplies
 Chemicals
              AMATEUR
            HEADQUARTERS
      Developing and Printing
      _Mail orders solicited_

          STEWART BUILDING
 N.W. Cor. State and Washington Sts.
                   92 State St. CHICAGO




 [Illustration]       #EARN A BICYCLE#
                  #600 Second Hand Wheels.#
             _All Makes._ GOOD AS NEW. $5 to $15.
                  New High Grade '96 models,
                 fully guaranteed, $17 to $25.
                  #_Special Clearing Sale._#
                  Ship anywhere on approval.

        We will give a responsible agent in each town
        FREE USE of sample wheel to introduce them. Our
        reputation is well known throughout the country.

             #Write at once for our special offer.#
             #P. R. MEAD & PRENTISS, Chicago, Ill.#




                 #ILLINOIS MEDICAL COLLEGE.#
                      _The Chicago Summer School of Medicine._

         #_Co-Educational._# Incorporated by the State of Illinois.
         Sessions open early in March, and last six months. For
         information, address,
                 R. N. HALL, M. D., President,
                 J. J. M. ANGEAR, A. M., M. D., Treasurer,
                 H. H. BROWN, M. D., Secretary, or
                 W. F. WAUGH, A. M., M. D., Dean.
         #_103 State St., Chicago._#




 [Illustration]

    EASY TOUCH,                                    UNIFORM WORK,

                      NO END OF GOOD POINTS
                     ABOUT THE SMITH PREMIER

                          "IMPROVEMENT
                      THE ORDER OF THE AGE."

    DURABILITY,                                    BEAUTY OF DESIGN.

             In Improvements--The Leader.
                In Construction--Mechanically Correct.
                   In Operation--Simple and Satisfactory.

              SEND FOR PREMIER NEW PICTORIAL CATALOGUE.

                 #The Smith Premier Typewriter Co.#
                     SYRACUSE, N. Y., U. S. A.

            Branch Offices in 42 Principal Cities in the
                     United States and England.

                  _CHICAGO OFFICE, 154 MONROE ST._




              #NO SHADED LETTERS!#    #NO WORD SIGNS!#
   STIDGER'S SHORTHAND. Shortest, Easiest, Quickest Learned, and
   Most Rapidly Written System in the world. #Learned in one month.#
   STIDGER, 184 Dearborn St. Chicago. Taught by mail. Send for circular.




 [Illustration]      #The Whitely Exerciser.#
                       #_For Health,_#
                           #_Strength, and_#
                           #_Beauty._#
                  Send for illustrated pamphlet.
               Complete machine, prepaid, #_$3.00_#.

                      #WHITELY EXERCISER CO.#
                       154 Lake St., CHICAGO.




        #At 1/4 Price#   Gold and Silver Watches, Bicycles,
                         Tricycles, Guns and Pistols, Carts,
                         Buggies, Wagons, Carriages, Safes,
                         Sleighs, Harness, Cart Tops, Skids,

                            [Illustration]

    Sewing Machines, Accordeons,   Organs,  Pianos,   Cider Mills,
    Cash Drawers,    Feed Mills,   Stoves,  Kettles,  Bone Mills,
    Letter Presses,  Jack Screws,  Trucks,  Anvils,   Hay Cutters,
    Press Stands,    Copy Books,   Vises,   Drills,   Road Plows,
    Lawn Mowers,     Coffee Mills, Lathes,  <DW12>s,  Dump Carts,
    Corn Shellers,   Hand Carts,   Forges,  Scrapers, Wire Fence,
    Fanning Mills,   Wringers,     Engines, Saws,     Steel Sinks,
    Grain Dumps,     Crow Bars,    Boilers, Tools,    Bit Braces,
    Hay, Stock, Elevator, Railroad, Platform and Counter SCALES.

        Send for free Catalogue and see how to save Money.
      152 So. Jefferson St., CHICAGO SCALE CO., Chicago, Ill.




  #_PRICE $8.90._#

  [Illustration]

              #_Now is your Opportunity._#

  Regular size, finest quality. Full 14-karat gold filled,
  20 year case, fitted with Elgin or Waltham gilded works;
  #_full jeweled_# top plate, and all modern improvements;
  hunting cases; stem wind and stem set. An elegant and
  reliable time-keeper at a low price. Guaranteed for 20
  years in every particular.

  Sent C. O. D. subject to examination on receipt of 50 cents,
  which amount will be deducted from your bill.




  #_LUCKY PIN_#        [Illustration]
         #_Gold or Oxidized Silver_#,
  with Emerald or Ruby Eyes. Perfect imitation of
  Skull and Crossbones. Very popular. Sells at sight.
  Special terms to agents.

  Sample by mail, 25 cents.

  Send for catalogue of Jewelry, Watches, Novelties, Etc.

           #CULLEN & LAWRENCE,#
          #225 Dearborn Street,#
                       #CHICAGO, ILL.#


   Please mention "BIRDS" when you write to Advertisers.




                       [Illustration]

                         #MONARCH#

                   #THE LADIES FAVORITE#

           #"RIDE A MONARCH AND KEEP IN FRONT."#

   #MONARCH CYCLE MFG CO.#    #CHICAGO.NEW YORK.LONDON#


   Please mention "BIRDS" when you write to Advertisers.




 [Illustration: ELKHART LAKE.]

 Summer Excursion Tickets to the resorts of Wisconsin, Minnesota,
 Michigan, Colorado, California, Montana, Washington, Oregon, and British
 Columbia; also to Alaska, Japan, China, and all Trans-Pacific Points, are
 now on sale by the CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE & ST. PAUL RAILWAY. Full and
 reliable information can be had by applying to Mr. C. N. SOUTHER, Ticket
 Agent, 95 Adams Street, Chicago.




 [Illustration]

     #THE# ...
      #"BIRD"#

            #_$75.00_#

 _Or Ninety Subscriptions to "Birds."_

                DIAMOND OR DROP FRAME.

 This wheel is made especially for the Nature Study Publishing Co., to
 be used as a premium. It is unique in design, of material the best, of
 workmanship unexcelled. No other wheel on the market can compare
 favorably with it for less than $100.00.


              #SPECIFICATIONS FOR 1897 "BIRD" BICYCLE.#

#_Frame._#--Diamond pattern; cold-drawn seamless steel tubing; 1-1/8 inch
tubing in the quadrangle with the exception of the head, which is 1-1/4
inch. Height, 23, 24, 25 and 26 inches. Rear triangle 3/4 inch tubing in
the lower and upright bars. #_Frame Parts._#--Steel drop forgings,
strongly reinforced connections. #_Forks._#--Seamless steel fork sides,
gracefully curved and mechanically reinforced. #_Steering Head._#--9, 11
and 13 inches long, 1-1/4 inches diameter. #_Handle Bar._#--Cold-drawn,
weldless steel tubing, 7/8 inch in diameter, ram's horn, upright or
reversible, adapted to two positions. #_Handles._#--Cork or corkaline;
black, maroon or bright tips. #_Wheels._#--28 inch, front and rear. #_Wheel
Base._#--43 inches. #_Rims._#--Olds or Plymouth. #_Tires._#--Morgan &
Wright, Vim, or Hartford. #_Spokes._#--Swaged, Excelsior Needle Co.'s best
quality; 28 in front and 32 in rear wheel. #_Cranks._#--Special steel,
round and tapered; 6-1/2 inch throw. #_Pedals._#--Brandenburg; others on
order. #_Chain._#--1/4 inch, solid link, with hardened rivet steel
centers. #_Saddle._#--Black, attractive and comfortable; our own make.
#_Saddle Post._#--Adjustable, style "T." #_Tread._#--4-7/8 inches.
#_Sprocket Wheels._#--Steel drop forgings, hardened. #_Gear._#--68 regular;
other gears furnished if so desired. #_Bearings._#--Made of the best
selected high-grade tool steel, carefully ground to a finish after
tempering, and thoroughly dust-proof. All cups are screwed into hubs and
crank hangers. #_Hubs._#--Large tubular hubs, made from a solid bar of
steel. #_Furnishing._#--Tool-bag, wrench, oiler, pump and repair kit.
#_Tool Bags._#--In black or tan leather, as may be preferred. Handle bar,
hubs, sprocket wheels, cranks, pedals, seat post, spokes, screws, nuts and
washers, nickel plated over copper; remainder enameled. #_Weight._#--22
and 24 pounds.

 #_Send for Specifications for Diamond Frame._#


                      #OTHER PREMIUMS OFFERED.#

 "Bird" Wheel No. 2, '97 model,
   Price $60.00, given for 70 subscriptions to "Birds."

 Boys' "Bird" or Girls' "Bird," '97 model,
   Price $45.00, given for 50 subscriptions to "Birds."

 The Monarch '97 Model Bicycle,
   Price $100.00, given for 150 subscriptions to "Birds."

 The Racycle, Narrow Tread, '97 model,
   Price $100.00, given for 150 subscriptions to "Birds."


          #THE ...#
             #"DEXTER"#
                 #CAMERA.#

 [Illustration: The "Dexter" Camera. Pictures 3-1/2 x 3-1/2. $4.00,
                or eight subscriptions to "Birds."]

 Produces portraits, landscapes, groups and flashlights better than many
 higher priced instruments. It will hold three double plate holder with
 a capacity of six dry plates. It is covered with black morocco grain
 leather, and provided with finder. Send for full description. Price
 $4.00, or eight subscriptions to "Birds."

 #_Photake Camera._# Pictures 2 x 2, portraits, landscapes, flashlight.
 Price $2.50, or six subscriptions to "Birds."

 The "Lakeside" Tennis Racket. Price $4.00, or nine subscriptions to
 "Birds."

 The "Greenwood" Tennis Racket. Price $3.30, or seven subscriptions to
 "Birds."

 The Crown Fountain Pen,
   Price $2.25, given for three subscriptions to "Birds."

 The Stay-Lit Bicycle Lamp,
   Price $2.50, given for five subscriptions to "Birds."

 Youth's Companion and Reversible Blackboard,
   Price $3.50, given for eight subscriptions to "Birds."

 Webster's International Dictionary--sheep--indexed,
   Price $10.75, twenty annual subscriptions to "Birds."

 Oxford Bibles,
   Prices $3.70 to $10.70, given for seven to twenty annual
   subscriptions to "Birds."

 The Twentieth Century Library,
   Price, each $1.00, given for two annual subscriptions to "Birds."

 Tuxedo Edition of Poets,
   Price, each $1.00, given for two annual subscriptions to "Birds."

 The Story of the Birds, 12mo., cloth,
   Price 65c, given for three annual subscriptions to "Birds."

 We call special attention to The Story of the Birds, by James Newton
 Baskett, M. A., as an interesting book to be read in connection with our
 magazine, "BIRDS." It is well written and finely illustrated. Persons
 interested in Bird Day should have one of these books. We can furnish
 nearly any book of the Poets or Fiction or School Books as premiums to
 "BIRDS." We can furnish almost any article on the market as premiums for
 subscriptions to "BIRDS," either fancy or sporting goods, musical
 instruments, including high-grade pianos, or any book published in this
 country. We will gladly quote price or number of subscriptions
 necessary.


                #_NATURE STUDY PUBLISHING CO._#

 Agents Wanted in every Town and City to represent "BIRDS."     _CHICAGO._




            #Premiums given for Subscriptions for "Birds."#

          #_"The Quad" Camera_#
                  _Known the world around_

 [Illustration: $5.00, or Nine Subscriptions for "Birds"]

     Takes pictures 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 inches. Has the simplest action.
     Is easy to handle. Quickest to reload. Uses glass plates. Never
     gets out of order. Neat and durable.
             #_Given for 9 Subscriptions for "Birds,"_#
     or sold on receipt of price. Anyone can secure nine subscriptions
     for our beautiful magazine.




               #_The Odorless Standard Cycle Lamp_#
                                   #_"The Lamp of the Season"_#

  [Illustration: Price $3.00. Given for Five Subscriptions for "Birds."]

  None better. Highly finished. Hand-ground Lens. Perfect Reflector. Burns
  benzine or kerosene. Filled from the outside. "Outshines them all," and
  always stays lit.

  Who can't get five acquaintances to take "Birds" for one year at $1.50?




  We give below a list of publications, especially fine, to be read in
  connection with our new magazine, and shall be glad to supply them at
  the price indicated, or as premiums for subscriptions for "Birds."

  "Birds Through an Opera Glass"                  75c. or 2 subscriptions.
  "Bird Ways"                                     60c. "  2       "
  "In Nesting Time"                              $1.25 "  3       "
  "A Bird Lover of the West"                      1.25 "  3       "
  "Upon the Tree Tops"                            1.25 "  3       "
  "Wake Robin"                                    1.00 "  3       "
  "Birds in the Bush"                             1.25 "  3       "
  "A-Birding on a Bronco"                         1.25 "  3       "
  "Land Birds and Game Birds of New England"      3.50 "  8       "
  "Birds and Poets"                               1.25 "  3       "
  "Bird Craft"                                    3.00 "  7       "
  "The Story of the Birds"                         .65 "  2       "
  "Hand Book of Birds of Eastern North America"   3.00 "  7       "




  See our notice on another page concerning Bicycles. Our "Bird" Wheel
  is one of the best on the market--as neat and attractive as "Birds."

  We shall be glad to quote a special price for teachers or clubs.

  We can furnish any article or book as premium for subscriptions for
  "Birds."

                  Address,
          #_Nature Study Publishing Co.    Chicago, Ill._#




#Nature Study Publishing Company.#

The Nature Study Publishing Company is a corporation of educators and
business men organized to furnish correct reproductions of the colors
and forms of nature to families, schools, and scientists. Having secured
the services of artists who have succeeded in photographing and
reproducing objects in their natural colors, by a process whose
principles are well known but in which many of the details are held
secret, we obtained a charter from the Secretary of State in November,
1896, and began at once the preparation of photographic color plates for
a series of pictures of birds.

The first product was the January number of "BIRDS," a monthly magazine,
containing ten plates with descriptions in popular language, avoiding as
far as possible scientific and technical terms. Knowing the interest
children have in our work, we have included in each number a few pages
of easy text pertaining to the illustrations. These are usually set
facing the plates to heighten the pleasure of the little folks as they
read.

Casually noticed, the magazine may appear to be a children's publication
because of the placing of this juvenile text. But such is not the case.
Those scientists who cherish with delight the famous handiwork of
Audubon are no less enthusiastic over these beautiful pictures which are
painted by the delicate and scientifically accurate fingers of Light
itself. These reproductions are true. There is no imagination in them
nor conventionalism. In the presence of their absolute truth any written
description or work of human hands shrinks into insignificance. The
scientific value of these photographs can not be estimated.

To establish a great magazine with a world-wide circulation is no light
undertaking. We have been steadily and successfully working towards that
end. Delays have been unavoidable. What was effective for the production
of a limited number of copies was inadequate as our orders increased.
The very success of the enterprise has sometimes impeded our progress.
Ten hundred teachers in Chicago paid subscriptions in ten days. Boards
of Education are subscribing in hundred lots. Improvements in the
process have been made in almost every number, and we are now assured of
a brilliant and useful future.

When "BIRDS" has won its proper place in public favor we shall be
prepared to issue a similar serial on other natural objects, and look
for an equally cordial reception for it.


#PREMIUMS.#

To teachers we give duplicates of all the pictures on separate sheets
for use in teaching or for decoration.

To other subscribers we give a color photograph of one of the most
gorgeous birds, the Golden Pheasant.

Subscriptions, $1.50 a year including one premium. Those wishing both
premiums may receive them and a year's subscription for $2.00.

We have just completed an edition of 50,000 back numbers to accommodate
those who wish their subscriptions to date back to January, 1897, the
first number.

We will furnish the first volume, January to June inclusive, well bound
in cloth, postage paid, for $1.25. In Morocco, $2.25.


#AGENTS.#

10,000 agents are wanted to travel or solicit at home.

We have prepared a fine list of desirable premiums for clubs which any
popular adult or child can easily form. Your friends will thank you for
showing them the magazine and offering to send their money. The work of
getting subscribers among acquaintances is easy and delightful. Agents
can do well selling the bound volume. Vol. 1 is the best possible
present for a young person or for anyone specially interested in nature.

Teachers and others meeting them at institutes do well as our agents.
The magazine sells to teachers better than any other publication because
they can use the extra plates for decoration, language work, nature
study, and individual occupation.

                            NATURE STUDY PUBLISHING COMPANY,
                                  277 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO.




#OUR PREMIUMS#

The Golden Pheasant, a picture of wonderful beauty, almost life-size, in
a natural scene, plate 13 x 18 inches, on card 19 x 25 inches, is given
to Annual Subscribers. The price on this picture in art stores is $3.50.

Instead of the GOLDEN PHEASANT, teachers who prefer may have duplicate
pictures of each bird each month, on a separate sheet, to use in the
school-room.


#BIRDS Volume I.#

                      #JANUARY TO JUNE, 1897#
                         #READY JUNE 15th#

Contains sixty full-page magnificent illustrations of beautiful birds
and one hundred pages of popular text, adapted to old and young.

Bound in a durable and attractive form.

Illustrations made by Color Photography--the only book in the world thus
illustrated.

For Sale by all Newsdealers and Booksellers, and by Subscription.

  CLOTH,   $1.25

  MOROCCO,  2.25

Sent by mail to any address in the United States or Canada on receipt of
price or three annual subscriptions to BIRDS for cloth binding or five
for morocco.

  Address Mail Orders to
               #Nature Study Publishing Co.,#
                       #CHICAGO, ILL.#





End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Birds Illustrated by Color Photography
[May, 1897], by Various

*** 