NEARLY EVERYBODY ENJOYS to an extent the singing of birds and the
colors of flowers; to the majority, however, the enjoyment is casual,
generalized, vague, in the same category as that derived from a short
spell of prattling by a healthy baby. Individuals who study birds and
native flora experience an almost daily refreshment of the spirit and
growth of the intellect. For them the world is an unending Garden of
Delight and a hundred-yard walk down a creek that runs through town
or pasture is an exploration. Hardly anything beyond good books, good
pictures and music, and good talk is so contributory to the enrichment
of life as a sympathetic knowledge of the birds, wild flowers, and other
native fauna and flora around us.
The books listed are dominantly scientific. Some include keys to
identification. Once a person has learned to use the key for identifying
botanical or ornithological species, he can spend the remainder of his
life adding to his stature.