Roy Bedichek (1878–1959) was a naturalist and folklorist.

A Texan wholly devoted to his native Southwest, he was regional but not provincial.... Roy Bedichek was a true scientist, with a luminous curiosity more like the ancient Greeks' than today's. (Audubon) . . Texas cannot really be known without reading Adventures with a Texas Naturalist. - A. C. Greene (The 50 Best Books on Texas) Whether studying the effects of grazing goats on roadside wildflowers or reveling in the fiery beauty of a vermilion flycatcher, Bedichek writes with a marvelous style that begs quotation at every turn. - John and Gloria Tveten (Houston Chronicle) A book that should be required reading in high school or college, one that ought to be in every deer camp or in every biker's pack. It is a thoughtful book but also pleasant to the senses. It is a book that can be read once and then delved into again some other time, as enduring as nature itself. (Austin American-Statesman)

• Introduction by Rick BassForewordAcknowledgmentsAuthor's Introduction1. Fences: Fields and Pastures2. Fences: Right-of-Ways3. Still Water4. The Wing Of The Swallow5. Killers6. A Bird and a Flower7. "Co-Operatives"8. "Co-Operatives" (continued)9. Denatured Chickens10. Davis Mountains Holiday: En Route11. Davis Mountains Holiday: In Camp12. The Golden Eagle13. The Golden Eagle: Soarer14. Nature Lore in Folklore15. Folk-Naming of Birds and Flowers16. The Mockingbird: Character and Disposition17. Mockingbird: Singer18. Mockingbird: Does He Mock?19. Heronry on Keller's Creek20. Nest Hunger21. Root and Rock22. Cedar CutterErrataThe Author's EmendationsIndex