ng denizens of the field, the forest, and the shore, while
the juvenile autobiographies have received the approval of the highest
ornithological authority.

The publishers take pleasure in the announcement that the general
excellence of BIRDS will be maintained in subsequent volumes. The
subjects selected for the third and fourth volumes--many of them--will
be of the rare beauty in which the great Audubon, the limner _par
excellence_ of birds, would have found "the joy of imitation."

NATURE STUDY PUBLISHING COMPANY.

BIRDS.
ILLUSTRATED BY COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY
================================
VOL. II. JULY NO. 1
================================

BIRD SONG.

It should not be overlooked by the young observer that if he would
learn to recognize at once any particular bird, he should make himself
acquainted with the song and call notes of every bird around him. The
identification, however, of the many feathered creatures with which we
meet in our rambles has heretofore required so much patience, that,
though a delight to the enthusiast, few have time to acquire any great
intimacy with them. To get this acquaintance with the birds, the
observer has need to be prepared to explore perilous places, to climb
lofty trees, and to meet with frequent mishaps. To be sure if every
veritable secret of their habits is to be pried into, this pursuit will
continue to be plied as patiently as it has ever been. The opportunity,
however, to secure a satisfactory knowledge of bird song and bird life
by a most delightful method has at last come to every one.

A gentleman who has taken a great interest in BIRDS from the appearance
of the first number, but whose acquaintance with living birds is quite
limited, visited one of our parks a few days ago, taking with him the
latest number of the magazine. His object, he said, was to find there
as many of the living forms of the specimens represented as he could.
"Seating myself amidst a small grove of trees, what was my delight at
seeing a Red Wing alight on a telegraph wire stretching across the park.
Examining the picture in BIRDS I was somewhat disappointed to find that
the live specimen was not so brilliantly marked as in the picture.
Presently, however, another Blackbird alighted near, who seemed to be
the veritable presentment of the photograph. Then it occured to me