o has lately gone along through the woods or
across the fields. One afternoon by the rarest chance I found three
Quails' nests containing eggs. The next morning I took out a friend to
share the pleasure of my discoveries. We found every nest destroyed
and the eggs eaten. My trail the evening before lay through cultivated
fields, and it was thus easy for us to find in the soft ground the
tracks of the fox or small dog that, during the night, had followed the
trail with calamitous results to the birds. When finding the nests I
had made the mistake of going to within a few inches of them. Had I
stopped six feet away the despoiler that followed probably never would
have known there was a nest near, for unless a dog approaches within a
very few feet of a _brooding_ Quail it seems not to possess the power
of smelling it.

[Illustration: The Fox that Followed the Footsteps]

{7}

_Going Afield._--It is rarely necessary to go far afield to begin the
study of birds. Often one may get good views of birds from one's open
window, as many species build their nests close to the house when the
surroundings are favourable. Last spring {8} I counted eighteen kinds
of birds one morning while sitting on the veranda of a friend's house,
and later found the nests of no less than seven of them within sight of
the house. When one starts out to hunt birds it is well to bear in
mind a few simple rules. The first of these is to go quietly. One's
good sense would of course tell him not to rush headlong through the
woods, talking loudly to a companion, stepping upon brittle twigs, and
crashing through the underbrush. Go quietly, stopping to listen every
few steps. Make no violent motions, as such actions often frighten a
bird more than a noise. Do not wear brightly coloured clothing, but
garments of neutral tones which blend well with the surroundings of
field and wood. It is a good idea to sit silently for a time on some
log or stump, and soon the birds will come about you, for they seldom
notice a person who is motionless. A great aid to field study is a
good _Field Glass_. A glass enables one to see the colours of small
birds hopping about the shrubbery, or moving through the branches of
trees. With its {9} aid one may learn much of their movements, and
even observe the kind of food they consume. A very serviceable glass
may be secured at a price varying from five to ten dollars. The
National Association of Audubon Societ