ng, and do not expect to
find species at any other time of year than within the dates
mentioned. By thus narrowing down the possibilities the task is much
simplified. As a final resort, the National Association of Audubon
Societies stands ready to help all scouts who are positively
"stumped," and if the descriptive slips are mailed with return
envelopes to the secretary of the association, 1974 Broadway, New York
City, an identification will be made, if the information furnished
renders it in any way possible.

The next time you see a bird that you have once identified, you will
probably remember its name, and in this way you will be surprised to
find how rapidly your bird acquaintance will grow. After a time even
the flight of a bird or its song will be enough to reveal an old
acquaintance, just as you can often recognize a boy friend by his walk
or the sound of his voice, without seeing his face. And what a new joy
in life there is for anybody that really knows the birds about him. He
can pick from the medley of bird songs the notes of the individual
singers; he knows when to look for old friends of the year before; no
countryside is ever lonely for him, for he finds birds everywhere and
knows that any moment he may make some rare discovery or see a bird
before unknown to him.

Bird Lists

A scout should make a list of all the birds he has positively
identified. This is his "life list" and is added to year by year. In
addition he will keep daily lists of the birds seen on special trips
in the field. Two or more patrols can enjoy a friendly rivalry by
covering different regions and seeing which can observe the largest
variety of birds. Hundreds of well-known {88} ornithologists often
have the fun of this kind of competition, sending in their lists to a
central bureau. As many as one hundred and twenty different kinds of
birds have been counted in a single day by one energetic band of
bird-lovers. Such a list is, however, attainable only under
exceptionally favorable circumstances and by skilled observers who
know their country thoroughly. For most scouts, thirty to forty
species on a summer day, and fifty to sixty during the spring
migration, would be regarded as a good list.

88 Boy Scouts

[Illustration: Bob-white at feeding station.]

Nesting Season

Undoubtedly the most interesting season to study birds is during the
nesting period which is at its height in June. It takes a pair of
sharp eyes to