| | | |  | |  | | | | | FLOWERS The best rule for wild flowers is to leave them as nature in-tended. They are becoming all too rare and fade before they can be brought home for a bouquet. For a pressed-flower scrapbook, pick them only where they are in abundance, and press immediately.
To press, place a section of newspaper on a hard surface,
156
does a queer dance; he is hopping forward, scratching back— uncovering the new grass seed just planted. Sharp observa-tion will reveal a fascinating world.
Here are a few rules for bird watching: (1) Remain quiet.
(2) Move slowly. (3) Keep a distance; don’t check nests unless sure they are abandoned. (4) Don’t collect nests or eggs unless abandoned. (5) Make notes on the spot, to pre-vent forgetting or getting confused.
Points to record when possible: (1) Where the bird was seen (in a pine tree, in a meadow, etc.). (2) What it was eating. (3) How large it is, what color, what kind of bill, how it flies. (4) What is its call? (5) Was it alone or with many others? (6) Type of nest and eggs (climbing to observe may drive a mother bird away never to return, but ground nests present less of a problem).
Make a list of the points above, then look up the bird in a book (see references, below) or chart. Take books when traveling. Keep a neat, permanent notebook with your own information and notes, plus the name and page number of the book where information and pictures were found.
| | | |
