The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette. (Starkville, Miss.) 1910-1920, 1910-09-10

great American excepting possibly Thomas JEFF
ferson) has exceeded him. Here in the last is
sue of the Outlook for example, he has a charm
ing article on English Song Birds" reporting :
days walk he took in England with Sir Edward
Grey, giving the names of forty-one birds he saw
and the names of the twenty-three OF these forty
one that he heard sing. Although toasted b,
Kings and Emperors. the ex-President says of THU
walking trip: Altogether passed no pleasante
twenty-four hours during my entire Europear
trip" And he got back to Americ,
when everybody supposed that he was wholly alb
sorbed in politics the multitude Of visitors AND
messages that greeted him. Mr.. Roosevelt found
time to how many American song birds h,
could hear in twenty-four hours as compared wit,
the kinds and number heard in the twenty-fou,
hours during which his English observations wer,
made We quote:
On the evening of the first day sat In my
rocking chair on the broad veranda looking
across the sound towards the glory of the
sunset. The thickly -grassed hillside sloped
down in front OF me to a belt of forest from
which rose the golden. lesurely Ginning of
the wood thrushes. chanting their vespers:
through the still air came the MARBLE of
vireo and tanager. and after nghtfali We
heard the flight song of an oven bird from
the same belt Of timber. Overhead an oriole
sang In the weeping elm. now and then break
Ing his song to scold like an overgrown
wren. Song sparrows and catbirds sang In
the shrubbery; one robin had built its nest
over the front. and one over the back door.
and there was a chippys nest In the wistaria
vine by the porch. During the next twenty
-FOUR hours | saw and heard. either right
around the house or while walking down to
battle. through the woods. the following
forty-two birds:
Little Green Heron. Quail. Red-Taiied
Hawk. Yellow-Blled Cuckoo, Kingashcr.
Flicker Hummingbrd. Swift. Meadow Lark.
Red-Winged Blackbird. Sharp-Tailed Finch.
Song Sparrow. Chipping Sparrow. Bush Spar
row, Purple Finch. Baltimore oriole. Cow
bunting. Robin. Wood Thrush. Trasher, Cat
BIRD, Scarlet Tanager, Red-Eyed vireo. Vel
low warbler, Black-Throated Green Warbler.
King Bird. Wood Peewee. Grow. Blue Jay.
Cedar Bird, White-Breasted Swallow. Oven
Bird, Thistlehnch. Vesperfnch Indigo Blunt
ing Iowhee Grasshopper Sparrow, and
Screech OWL
We are taking space TO reprint this extract
from Mr.. Roosevelts article simply to comment
MS example to our farm boys and girls-and ou,
older farming folk for that matter How man,
OIL our readers hearing the song birds every da,
- 'heIr h'es can name as many OF them as town
oreo ROOSEVELT Because We do not open on,
eyes TO- and make friends of. the common every
aay siories OF existence. most OF us never hall
learn the joys Of living. Every farm boy or cir
should count 1t a necessary part OF HIS or he,
education to learn the names and habits of all
our common song birds. and insects, and thu
names OF our common wild flowers. stars and con
stehations, etc, etc. The trouble Ia. of course
'hat many parents do not know themselves and
30 can not teach their children. Hence ever,
Schooi library should contain nature books which
"ouia enable children to identify any bird. flow
er, insect, or star about which thew might he ir
doubt and the teacher should also be an author
ity on such matters