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The Burgess Bird Book for Children
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THE BURGESS BIRD BOOK FOR CHILDREN
Thornton W. Burgess
TO THE CHILDREN AND THE BIRDS
OF AMERICA THAT THE BONDS OF LOVE AND
FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN THEM MAY BE
STRENGTHENED
THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED
PREFACE
This book was written to supply a definite need.
Its preparation
was undertaken at the urgent request of booksellers
and others
who have felt the lack of a satisfactory medium of
introduction
to bird life for little children. As such, and
in no sense
whatever as a competitor with the many excellent books
on this
subject, but rather to supplement these, this volume
has been
written.
Its primary purpose is to interest the little child
in, and to
make him acquainted with, those feathered friends
he is most
likely to see. Because there is no method of
approach to the
child mind equal to the story, this method of conveying
information has been adopted. So far as I am
aware the book is
unique in this respect. In its preparation an
earnest effort has
been made to present as far as possible the important
facts
regarding the appearance, habits and characteristics
of our
feathered neighbors. It is intended to be at
once a story book
and an authoritative handbook. While it is intended
for little
children, it is hoped that children of larger growth
may find in
it much of both interest and helpfulness.
Mr. Louis Agassiz Fuertes, artist and naturalist,
has marvelously
supplemented such value as may be in the text by his
wonderful
drawings in full color. They were made especially
for this volume
and are so accurate, so true to life, that study of
them will
enable any one to identify the species shown.
I am greatly
indebted to Mr. Fuertes for his cooperation in the
endeavor to
make this book of real assistance to the beginner
in the study of
our native birds.
It is offered to the reader without apologies of any
sort. It was
written as a labor of love—love for little
children and love for
the birds. If as a result of it even a few children
are led to a
keener interest in and better understanding of our
feathered
friends, its purpose will have been accomplished.
THORNTON
W. BURGESS
CONTENTS
