The San Francisco call., 1895-05-19

find after journeying many miles by train
or in steam yacht, or even by chartering
donkey and ascending mountain. You
may make elaborate preparations for visit
ing Nature and not find her at home when
you arrive, bag and baggage, with all your
microscopes and books. On the other
! hand you may find her, if you love her,
crevice between two stones. You may
sweep the horizon with your fieldglass,
searching for Natures wonders, and miss
whole chain of evolutionary processes
close at your feet Nature works on q
small scale just as conscientiously as she
does in her mammoth undertakings. /
can judge of how a sandbar forms at the
mouth of the Sacramento by observing
how the minute particles washed down by
the rivulet have heaped themselves up
| just where the stream runs into yonder
pool. All you need bring to the affable
old dame is just yourself, your loving eyes,
your alert mind. Sit you quietly down
almost anywhere in her haunts and she
lllshow you treasures undreamt of.
made myself part of the landscape,
here in my snuggery, and awaited devel-
opments.
A red-eyed towhee bunting came fitting
in where was sitting quietly, and as
quietly f1uttered away when he discovered
me. The birds have the keenest ewes in
quadruped's great reliance to warn him of
danger-is very deficient with most of
them. This is why birds are always ap-
parently taken by surprise when they
catch sight of you. They have not first
scented you, or even heard you, though
their ears are fairly keen. Bird intelli-
gence, quick as it is, has curious limita-
tions. The little creatures come quickly
to recognize that man with gun is dam
gerous, and they will flee from him while
making no effort to fly away, unless closely
approached, by one who is unarmed.
When new arrivals come about my place
they are usually thrown into panic at
sight OF my fieldglass, but it does not take
them long to learn that the instrument is
quite harmless.
On the other hand they never seem to
learn that a human being on horseback
may mean mischief. / have frequently
ridden into field to study the birds and
found that they minded my presence no
more than that of the cattle and horses.
an instantaneous dispersal of the congre-
cation. &c. too, might whistle to them
to my lungs exhaustion, and they would
listen most attentively. Let me speak a
word, however, and at the first sound the
audience was gone. There seems to be
something in the human voice that strikes
terror to all wild-birdkind.
/ had evidently stumbled upon favorite
haunt of the birds, for presently gold
| finch few almost into my face. Then q
| funny little titmouse perched just beside
| me and began to chirp before he discov-
| cred me. he gave most dramatic start
when he spied me, and sprang to higher
branch. sat motionless and he was pres
| entity reassured. By and by he was joined
| by another and in due time third tit
mouse hoped down from above, and the
three sat quietly contemplating me. They
were evidently young birds. their crested
heads absurdly big for their tiny bodies,
and doubt whether their round, aston.
| ished eyes had ever before beheld human
creature. As they sat there, innocent and
confiding, little rowdy OF song-sparrow
the branch, and then, little feathered rep
rebate that he was. he deliberately hoped
sidewise until, one by one, he had knocked
those small birdlings off their perch. The
little things fed. chirping, and our spar.
row, too, hastened to take himself of
! doubtless fearing the vengeance Of papa