Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-06-09
DRIFT.


as II all this stirring life did not exist"
II you want TO be cow inced of the truth
OF those words OF Mrs. Olive Thorne Miller
you need only read her latest and most
charming bird book just issued from the
press OF Messsrp. Houghton, Mifliln & 20
Boston. When used to have more time
than have nowadays, often spent hours,
even days, In watching the ''tragedies ana
comedies" that are enacted In what Thorean
calls the supper stories" Of earth, the trees
had made myself tolerably well acquainted
with my friends and nelghbors in feathers.
hut did not see or hear q tenth part OF
what might and should have learned. or
this Mrs Mille.'s book, .ln Nesting Time"
enough, however, to know that ali the
scenes and Incidents which she describes
In her volume are true to life, occur all
around IN every season, and may be heard
and seen by anyone who Will look and
listen.
OF course one must know how to look
ana listen. More depends ON this than
upon the mere activity OF the eyes and
ears. The heart has as much 70 do with IL
a. the mere outer senses. To use common
but good Expression, "Your heart has to be
In IL" Birds are too finely organized
beings to reveal themselves, their personal
characteristics and inner natures, to any one
who 10 not In real sympathy with tbom,
whose mind and heart are not In
attitude OF receptiveness, appreciation,
marvellous degree in which Mrs.
Miller has been able to enter into the inner
life OF the bird-world is altogether owing to
this. Before we can truly know the birds,
the birds must have learned TO know us
and must know us TO be the kind OF persons
to whom they can safely reveal them selves.
Certainly our author may feel proud of the
extent to which she has been taken into the
birds confidence. Tnoy evidently think
as we'll OF her as she does OF them
Mrs. Miller herself says on this subject
words to almost the same effect. "a
delightful field Of work awaits the young
| naturalist OF to-day. Our predecessors
have devoted their energies to classifying
| and arranging. They have dissected and
| weighed and measured every psrt OF tho
| little bodies they know to a traction the
length OF wings and tails they have pulled
/ to pieces the nests, 'clutched' the eggs, an
blown and mounted and labeled and set up
In cases the whole external of tho little
creaturee. All that can DO learned by
| violence, all the characteristics evolved by
fear and distress arc duly set down In the
b0oks You shall find n catalogue OF the
robins possessions In the shape OF feathers
| and bones, pictures OF his internal anatomy,
| illustrations OF bis work In nest building,
| and specimens In all stages, but In tho
whole world Of these books you shall not
find the robin. The soul OF the robin
has escaped them, 1t is not to be taken by
force.
"I do not Gnd fault; 1t needed TO TO
done, hsppiiy-let us hope-it Is done, and
more enticing field is now open, namely
| to mako personal acquaintance with the
| birds, find out how they live, their man.
pers and customs and their individual
characters. This is one OF the me ct charm.
| ing studies I'm the world, but much moro
is required than gun and little or much
| scientific knowledge. There Is infinite
| patience, perseverance,, untiTing devotion,
| and more, quick eye and ear, and sym.
pathetic heart. II you do not love the
birds you cannot understand them."
or course, sno means we must love them
not for their fine feathers only, and a.
"lovely" ornaments for bonnots. In view
Of the prevalence OF feather trimming,
: among the ladies, am a little dubious a,
D to the correctness of what Mrs. Miller say
. | as to the peculiar fitness of woman for tn,
study OF bird life. i am afraid the feath
!, ers still have moro attractions and interes
"the SOULS" OF birds Mono tho less fer
: vently, however, do wish that our girls
. would prove me wrong In this, and Mrs
| Miller right in her assertion that " In some
, ways II (the life. study OF birds), is partic-
uiarly suited to woman with hor great pa
patience and quiet manners. Once inter
, | este q In the lives in the upper stories
you will find them most absorbing novels
| will pail upon you, fancy.work seem friv-
| olous, society duties bore, and tslk-loud
I enough 10 interfere with listening-an i'm
| pertiDence."
/ al think there arc, perhaps some mon In
, Lancaster who will thank mo tor recon-
mendinR this charming study OF bird life
| to the ladies'.
ain Nesting Time" Is tho Lest possible
argument In favor OF Mrs. MiIlef's asssr-
| ton, For no mans blrd-studies, not eyop
John Burroughs, or Bradford Torrey's, or
Maurice Thompson's, reveal q more inti-
mate acquaintance with the manners and
customs, the ways and habits and espe,
cially the characters and soul life, OF birds
than do the delightful chapters of this
book and no one, man or woman, has
succeeded in describing all these more accu.
Ia.eiy,sympatheticaliy,a aItlessly, and "irom
the inside,' thsn Is here done. 1t Is lust Il q
book 10 take with one into tho country, 10
| enjoy In the orchard or under the trees OF
| the forest. 1t IL u book to read when one
wants to rest, to get away from tho COM
, pany of human beings, OF which we soma
times get tired, away from the artiticialities
OF society, away from thoughts of business,
money making and the struggle for ex.
istence An ideal vacation book.
1t does seem strange that more Young
ladies especially do not interest themsel YES
In the delightful study of birds and bird
life. 1t Is much more fascinating occu ps-
ton than, for example, that OF botsnIzlpg
In which many Of them engage with such
enthusiasm and success, AZ least found II
, | 40, and | should think girls would find n
much more interesting than boys. and az
Mrs. Miller says, they ought to have certain n
special talents for 1t denied to their less
finely strung brothers.
Perhaps they don't know how much tina,
is interesting is in the study They need
only read I" La Nesting Time" 10 find ont.
Such scene, for instance, as this, surely
would charm every one to behold, and IL is
only one OF an inhnlte variety OF ways and
| manners that may be obser we'd by sny sym
pathetic student Of the bird world. 1t took
place In Mrs. Miller's ayiary, bus | have
seen very similar dramas enacted ont in
the woods IL is description of pair of
blue birds courting:
"The irst thing l noticed" SAYS nur
author, " was At worm. feeding time, One
J day had given each o. them their portion,
The female swallowed hers instantly, and
l turned to another cage, when l heard a
low, coaxiog cry many times repeated. |
looked around, The male stood on the
upper perch, still holding his worm, which
he usually dispatched as quickly as his
| mate did hers and she was ON a lower
| porch, looking up at him, mouth opeu,
wings flutIering, asking for it. While /
looked, he hoped down beside her, she
opened her mouth wide, and he isd her as
/ q al