Excerpt from Our Birds and Their Nestlings Since permanent interest in any subject cannot be awakened through occasional lessons, it is believed that much profit will come from a few weeks' continuous read ing along a single line, - reading which will create a love for the beautiful through understanding. Ignorance closes the door to much of our best' literature, which can be interpreted only through a sympathetic familiarity with nature. Color, sound, and movement are always attractive to childhood, and nowhere can they be found in such pleas ing combination as in the bird world. The study of its busy little inhabitants in their natural environment will not only add pleasure to the walks of the child, but will help him to a knowledge of the adaptation of all life to its surroundings. It will also lead to the intelligent appreciation of litera ture and music. Since the birth of time the birds have inspired poets and musicians. They have also given the keenest pleas ure to countless thousands who have never attempted to express what they felt. To interest a child in these guests of our groves, - these feathered entertainers who are also workers in our fields and orchards, - is to put him in possession of a wellspring of interest as enduring as life itself. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.