PUBLISHERS NOTE JOHN BURROUGHSS first book, Wake- Robin, contained a chapter entitled The In- vitation. It was an invitation to the study of birds. He has reiterated it, implicitly if not ex- plicitly, in most of the books he has published since then, and many of his readers have joyfully accepted it. Indeed, such an invitation from Mr. Burroughs is the best possible intro- duction to the birds of our Northeastern States, and it is likewise an introduction to some very good reading. To convey this invitation to a wider circle of young readers the most interest- ing bird stories in Mr. Burroughss books have been gathered into a single volume. A chapter is given to each species of bird, and the chapters are arranged in a sort of chronological order, according to the time of the birds arrival in the spring, the nesting time, or the season when for some other reason the is species particularly con- spicuous. In taking the stories out of their original setting a few slight verbal alterations have been necessary here and there, but these have been made either by Mr. Burroughs himself or with his approval. 501447 CONTENTS THE BLUEBIRD 1 THE BLUEBIRD poem . 13 THE ROBIN 15 THE FLICKER 21 THE PHOSBE 28 THE COMING OF PHEBE poem . . . . .31 THE COWBIRD 33 THE CHIPPING SPARROW 36 THE CHEWINK 39 THE BROWN THRASHER 42 THE HOUSE WREN 47 THE SONG SPARROW 53 THE CHIMNEY SWIFT 61 THE OVEN-BIRD 69 THE CATBIRD 72 THE BOBOLINK 77 THE BOBOLINK poem THE WOOD THRUSH 83 THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE 91 THE WHIP-POOR-WILL 95 THE BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER A SEARCH FOR A RARE NEST . 82 100 vi CONTENTS THE MARSH HAWK A MARSH HAWKS NEST, A YOUXG HAWK, AND A VISIT TO A QUAIL ON HER NEST . . 106 THE WINTER WREN 119 THE CEDAR-BIRD 122 THE GOLDFINCH 125 THE HEN-HAWK 130 THE RUFFED GROUSE, OR PARTRIDGE 133 THE PARTRIDGE poem 137 THE CROW 138 THE CROW poem 144 THE NORTHERN SHRIKE 147 THE SCREECH OWL 151 THE CHICKADEE 157 THE DOWNY WOODPECKER 161 THE DOWNY WOODPECKER poem .... 169 INDEX . . 173 ILLUSTRATIONS GOLDFINCH in color, page 125 .... Frontispiece A PAIR OF BLUEBIRDS 8 FLICKER in color CHEWINK, MALE AND FEMALE in color .... 40 WOOD THRUSH 84 BALTIMORE ORIOLE, MALE AND FEMALE .... 92 WHIP-POOR-WILL 96 DOWNY WOODPECKER in color 22 162 BIRD STORIES FROM BURROUGHS THE BLUEBIRD IT is sure to be a bright March morning when you first hear the bluebirds note and it is as if the milder influences up above had found a voice and let a word fall upon your ear, so tender is it and so prophetic, a hope tinged with a regret. There never was a happier or more devoted husband than the male bluebird. He is the and escort of the female at all gay champion times, and while she is sitting he feeds her reg- ularly. It is very pretty to watch them building their nest. The male is very active in hunting out a place and exploring the boxes and cavities, but seems to have no choice in the matter and is anxious only to please and encourage his mate, who has the practical turn and knows what will do and what will not. After she has suited her- self he applauds her immensely, and away the two go in quest of material for the nest, the male acting as guard and flying above and in advance --This text refers to the Paperback edition.