by the ,library of ,congress7 ,,bird ,,day ,,how ,,to ,,prepare ,,for ,,it ,,by ,,charles ,a4 ,,babcock1 ,a4,m41 ,,ll4,b4 ,superintendent of ,schools1 ,oil ,city1 ,pennsylvania ,,silver1 ,,burdett ,,and ,,company ,,new ,,york ,,boston ,,chicago ,,copyright1 #aija1 ,,by ,,silver1 ,,burdett ,,and ,,company 99 99 99 99 99 ,,this ,,book ,,is ,,dedicated ,,to ,,the ,,lovers ,,of ,,children ,,and ,,of ,,birds 99 99 99 99 99 ,,author',s ,,note ,the aim of this book is to assist school children in the accurate study of a few birds4 ,it is believed that if this be attained1 further study of birds will take care of itself4 ,thanks are due the ,audubon ,society1 ornithologists1 educators1 and legislators1 for the generous approbation and assistance which they have given the ,bird ,day movement4 ,special thanks are due the ,department of ,agriculture for permission to use the illustrations in this volume4 ,those on pages #fe1 #fg1 #fi1 #ga1 #gc1 #ge1 #gg1 #gi1 #he1 #hg1 #hi1 #ic1 and #ie are printed from electrotypes from the original illustrations appearing in ,farmer's ,bulletin1 ,no4 #ed4 ,those on pages #ha and #hc are from the ,yearbook of the ,department for #ahii1 and that on page #ia from the ,yearbook for #ahih4 ,all these publications are issued by the ,department4 ,,contents ,i4 ,,history ,,of ,,the ,,movement ,,for ,,bird ,,day ,,ii4 ,,the ,,value ,,of ,,birds ,,iii4 ,,the ,,destruction ,,of ,,birds ,,iv4 ,,plan ,,of ,,study ,v4 ,,further ,,suggestions ,,vi4 ,,directions ,,for ,,written ,,work ,,vii4 ,,programs ,,for ,,bird ,,day ,,viii4 ,,the ,,poets ,,and ,,the ,,birds ,,ix4 ,,objects ,,and ,,results ,,of ,,bird ,,day ,x4 ,,some ,,representative ,,birds 99 99 99 99 99 ,,part ,i ,,bird ,,day4 ,,how ,,to ,,prepare ,,for ,,it 99 99 99 99 99 ,,bird ,,day ,,how ,,to ,,prepare ,,for ,,it ,i ,,history ,,of ,,the ,,movement ,,for ,,bird ,,day ,in the spring of #ahid the writer's attention was attracted to the interest of the children in that part of their nature study which related to birds4 ,their descriptions of the appearance and habits of the birds they had observed were given with evident pleasure4 ,they had a strong desire to tell what they had seen1 not in the spirit of rivalry1 but with the wish of adding to the knowledge of a subject in which all were equally interested4 ,it was thought that this work would be done with even more effectiveness if a day were appointed to be celebrated as ,bird ,day4 ,with the hope of making a memorable occasion of the day for those taking part in it1 several of the noted friends of birds were asked to write something to the children1 and to give their opinion of the introduction of ,bird ,day into the schools4 ,secretary ,j4 ,sterling ,morton1 the father of ,arbor ,day1 responded with the following earnest letter1 which was at once given to the public through ,washington dispatches1 and later was sent out from the ,department of ,agriculture1 in circular ,no4 #ag3-- ,,washington1 ,d4 ,c41 ,april #bc1 #ahid4 ,,mr4 ,c4 ,a4 ,,babcock1 ,,superintendent ,,of ,,schools1 ,,oil ,,city1 ,,pa4 ,dear ,sir1--,your proposition to establish a ,bird ,day on the same general plan as ,arbor ,day1 has my cordial approval4 ,such a movement can hardly fail to promote the development of a healthy public sentiment toward our native birds1 favoring their preservation and increase4 ,if directed toward this end1 and not to the encouragement of the importation of foreign species1 it is sure to meet the approval of the ,american people4 ,it is a melancholy fact that among the enemies of our birds two of the most destructive and relentless are our women and our boys4 ,the love of feather ornamentation so heartlessly persisted in by thousands of women1 and the mania for collecting eggs and killing birds so deeply rooted in our boys1 are legacies of barbarism inherited from our savage ancestry4 ,the number of beautiful and useful birds annually slaughtered for bonnet trimmings runs up into the hundreds of thousands1 and threatens1 if it has not already accomplished1 the extermination of some of the rarer species4 ,the insidious egg-hunting and pea-shooting proclivities of the small boy are hardly less widespread and destructive4 ,it matters little which of the two agencies is the more fatal1 since neither is productive of any good4 ,one looks to the gratification of a shallow vanity1 the other to the gratification of a cruel instinct and an expenditure of boyish energy that might be profitably diverted into other channels4 ,the evil is one against which legislation can be only palliative and of local efficiency4 ,public sentiment1 on the other hand1 if properly fostered in the schools1 would gain force with the growth and development of our boys and girls1 and would become a hundredfold more potent than any law enacted by the ,state or ,congress4 ,i believe such a sentiment can be developed1 so strong and so universal that a respectable woman will be ashamed to be seen with the wing of a wild bird on her bonnet1 and an honest boy will be ashamed to own that he ever robbed a nest or wantonly took the life of a bird4 ,birds are of inestimable value to mankind4 ,without their unremitting services our gardens and fields would be laid waste by insect pests4 ,but we owe them a greater debt even than this1 for the study of birds tends to develop some of the best attributes and impulses of our natures4 ,among them we find examples of generosity1 unselfish devotion1 of the love of mother for offspring1 and other estimable qualities4 ,their industry1 patience1 and ingenuity excite our admiration2 their songs inspire us with a love of music and poetry2 their beautiful plumages and graceful manners appeal to our aesthetic sense2 their long migrations to distant lands stimulate our imaginations and tempt us to inquire into the causes of these periodic movements2 and finally1 the endless modifications of form and habits by which they are enabled to live under most diverse conditions of food and climate--on land and at sea--invite the student of nature into inexhaustible fields of pleasurable research4 ,the cause of bird protection is one that appeals to the best side of our natures4 ,let us yield to the appeal4 ,let us have a ,bird ,day--a day set apart from all the other days of the year to tell the children about the birds4 ,but we must not stop here4 ,we should strive continually to develop and intensify the sentiment of bird protection1 not alone for the sake of preserving the birds1 but also for the sake of replacing as far as possible the barbaric impulses inherent in child nature by the nobler impulses and aspirations that should characterize advanced civilization4 ,respectfully1 ,j4 ,,sterling ,,morton1 ,secretary of ,agriculture4 ,other friends of the birds responded cordially to the request1 as will be seen by the following letters3-- ,,west ,,park1 ,n4 ,y41 ,april #bb1 #ahid4 ,dear ,sir1--,in response to yours of the seventeenth1 ,i enclose a few notes about birds to be read upon your ,bird ,day--just an item or two to stimulate the curiosity of the young people4 ,the idea is a good one1 and ,i hope you may succeed in starting a movement that may extend to all the schools of the country4 ,very truly yours1 ,,john ,,burroughs4 #fbh ,,hancock ,,street1 ,,brooklyn1 ,n4 ,y41 ,april #be1 #ahid4 ,,mr4 ,c4 ,a4 ,,babcock4 ,dear ,sir1--,yours of the nineteenth is received4 ,i am delighted to know that your school children are to have a ,bird ,day4 ,i wish ,i could be there to tell them something of the delight of getting acquainted with their little brothers in feathers2 how much more interesting they are when alive and doing all sorts of quaint and charming things than when dead and made into skins or stuffed2 and how much greater is the pleasure of watching them to see how they live1 where they get their dinner1 how they take care of themselves1 than of killing them1 or hurting them1 or even just driving them away4 ,if the boys and girls only try keeping still and watching birds to see what they will do1 ,i am sure no boy will ever again want to throw a stone at one1 and no girl ever to have a dead bird on her hat4 ,very truly yours1 ,,olive ,,thorne ,,miller4 ,,clinton1 ,april #cj1 #ahid4 ,my ,dear ,sir1--,it strikes me that your idea is a particularly happy one4 ,should you institute a ,bird ,day1 the feathered tribe ought to furnish music for the occasion4 ,a chorus of robins and thrushes and a few other songsters would be more appropriate than an orchestra4 ,with thanks for your cordial good wishes1 ,i am1 ,yours faithfully1 ,,clinton ,,scollard4 ,from the ,department of ,public ,instruction of ,pennsylvania this encouraging letter was received3-- ,,harrisburg1 ,april #bg1 #ahid4 ,,superintendent ,c4 ,a4 ,,babcock4 ,dear ,sir1--,in your plan to inaugurate a ,bird ,day you have struck a capital idea4 ,when in the name of agriculture a scalp act can be passed resulting in a year and a half in the payment of #ge1jjj by the county treasuries of ,pennsylvania for the destruction of birds that were subsequently proved to belong to the feathered friends of the farmer1 it is high time to make our pupils acquainted with the habits and ways of the feathered tribes4 ,some birds remain with us the whole year1 others are summer sojourners1 still others are only transient visitors4 ,how much of the beauty of our environment is lost by those who never listen to the music of the birds and never see the richness of their plumage6 ,may success attend you in carrying out your new idea of a ,bird ,day4 ,very truly yours1 ,,nathan ,c4 ,,schaeffer1 ,superintendent of ,public ,instruction4 ,bradford ,torrey gives an additional title to the day1 showing his appreciation of it3-- ,,wellesley ,,hills1 ,,mass41 ,april #ba1 #ahid4 ,dear ,mr4 ,babcock1--,your young people are to be congratulated4 ,bird ,day is something new to me--a new saints' day in my calendar1 so to speak4 ,the thought is so pleasing to me that ,i wish you had given me its date1 so that in spirit ,i might observe it with you4 ,tell your pupils that to cultivate an acquaintance with things out of doors--flowers1 trees1 rocks1 but especially animate creatures1 and best of all1 birds--is one of the surest ways of laying up happiness for themselves2 and laying up happiness is even better than laying up money1 though ,i am so old-fashioned a body and so true a ,yankee as to believe in that also4 ,all the naturalists ,i have known have been men of sunny temper4 ,let your boys and girls cultivate their eyes and ears1 and their hearts and minds as well1 by the study of living birds1 their comings and goings1 their songs and their ways2 let them learn to find out things for themselves2 to know the difference between guess-work and knowledge2 and they will thank you as long as they live for having encouraged them in so good a cause4 ,with all good wishes for the success of your first ,bird ,day--and many to come after it1 ,very truly yours1 ,,bradford ,,torrey4 ,the first observance of ,bird ,day1 ,may #d1 #ahid1 is briefly set forth in the following paragraph from the ,new ,england ,journal of ,education3-- ,the day was observed in the ,oil ,city schools with a degree of enthusiasm which was good to see4 ,the amount of information about birds that was collected by the children was simply amazing4 ,original compositions were read1 informal discussions were held1 talks by teachers were given1 and the birds in literature were not forgotten or overlooked4 ,the interest was not confined to the children1 one gentleman surprising the classes in which his children celebrated the day by presenting to them artistic programs of the exercises4 ,it seems to those interested that the idea simply needs to be made known to meet with a warm welcome1 akin to that with which we greet our first robin or song sparrow in the spring4 ,,ii ,,the ,,value ,,of ,,birds ,probably few people understand the value of birds or comprehend how closely and yet how extensively their lives are interwoven with other forms of life4 ,the general sentiment in regard to them1 at the best1 has been that they are harmless1 even interesting and beautiful creatures2 but the idea that they are one of the most important classes of creation1 a class upon which the existence of many other classes depends1 has never been widely prevalent4 ,suppose we were asked which is of more use to man1 the fishes of our waters or the birds of our forests and fields8 ,many of us would unhesitatingly answer in favor of the fishes4 ,if all of these denizens of the rivers1 lakes1 and seas should be destroyed1 it would be a stupendous calamity4 ,mankind would universally deplore it2 and if the nations of the world should1 at any time1 become convinced that such a thing might occur1 how quickly they would take all possible means to prevent it6 ,all civilized people now have laws to preserve this food supply and are making expensive and laborious efforts to increase it4 ,any one who should destroy thousands of tons of these edible swimmers1 simply for their heads and tails1 or fins and scales1 would be regarded as a dangerous person4 ,but if our supposition were realized1 if every fin and gill were to disappear from the waters of the globe1 what would be the result8 ,a misfortune1 truly1 for the fins represent a large part of the world's supply of food1 and this loss would be felt more deeply as time went on1 because the ocean will not raise its rent1 however crowded may be the population of its shores4 ,the effort to secure the fish might be applied1 however1 in other directions and be equally remunerative4 ,harvest would still follow seedtime2 the gold of autumn still reward the shallow mines of spring4 ,but suppose we were forced to the dreadful alternative of choosing between the birds and the quadrupeds1 again1 the most of us would probably decide against the birds4 ,if the four-footed beasts should disappear from the earth1 it would be a much greater disaster than the destruction of the fishes4 ,a much larger fraction of the food supply would be lost2 while many of these animals contribute to man's comfort and necessities in almost innumerable ways4 ,most nations have learned to cherish their friends with hoofs and horns1 and even some of those with claws4 ,cruelty to animals is now generally forbidden by law2 and their wanton destruction would be regarded with horror4 ,no one would be permitted to slaughter large numbers of them because he might wish to sell their horns or ears or the tips of their tails4 ,by the departure of the quadrupeds the life of man would be rendered much more difficult1 but would still be possible4 ,from fish and fowl he could obtain a supply of meat limited in variety1 yet sufficient for his needs4 ,the treasures of the vegetable world would still be his1 though he would miss the help of his animal allies in securing them2 but his ingenuity would help him to supply this loss1 in part1 at least4 ,consider now what would be the effect of the total destruction of birds4 ,birds are nature's check to the amazing power of insects to increase4 ,if insect life were allowed free course1 it would soon overpower vegetation2 and plant life--and1 therefore1 animal life1 including that of man--would be impossible upon this globe4 ,this is an astounding conclusion1 but it is sustained by the judgment of every man of science who has investigated the subject4 ,how long could the ravages of insects be stayed were the birds gone8 ,we should have to depend upon a few predaceous beetles1 the bats1 and upon the sprayers and squirtguns which throw insecticides4 ,think of the aesthetic loss in substituting these agencies for the sweet spirits of the wood and field6 ,besides not being musical or charming in action1 they would not prove efficient4 ,birds are therefore essential to the life of man4 ,their preservation is not merely a matter of sentiment1 or of education in that high and fine feeling1 kindness to all living things4 ,it has a utilitarian side of vast extent1 as broad as our boundless fields and our orchards' sweep4 ,the birds are nature's guarantee that the reign of the crawlers and spinners shall not become universal4 ,the plague of locusts shall be upon those who sin against them4 ,,iii ,,the ,,destruction ,,of ,,birds ,from almost all sections of the country comes the plaint that the song birds are fast disappearing4 ,less and less numerous are the yearly visitations of the thrushes1 warblers1 song sparrows1 orioles1 and the others whose habits have been so delightful and whose music has been so cheering to their open-eyed and open-hearted friends4 ,many1 who when listening to the hymn-like cadences of the wood thrush have felt that the place was holy ground1 are now keenly regretting that this vesper song is so rare2 the honest sweetness of the song sparrow mingles with the coarser sounds less often in the accustomed places4 ,not many now find the meadows spattered all over with music by the bobolink1 as ,thoreau did4 ,john ,burroughs says that the bluebird is almost extinct in his section of country4 ,the writer1 though a frequent visitor to the fields and woods1 has succeeded in seeing only one pair of these beautiful birds in two seasons1 where they were abundant a few years ago1 when almost every orchard bore a good crop of them4 ,a friend who is a good observer has had the same experience4 ,a careful exploration of the country within a radius of five miles resulted in the discovery of only two pairs of bobolinks1 having their nests luckily in the same field4 ,the males sang together in friendly rivalry4 ,the sparkling1 tinkling notes seemed to come in a rippling tumble1 two or three at a time1 from each throat4 ,each started his song with his feet barely touching his perch1 his body quivering1 his wings half extended1 as if he were almost supported by the upward flow of his melody4 ,after circular flights he alighted first upon one frail1 swinging perch1 then upon another1 the wonderful sounds not ceasing1 as if he were tracing magic rings of song round his home1 and making them thick in places4 ,it was a musical embodiment of the love of life and of its joyousness4 ,the brown thrush is also absent from places where once there were many4 ,a farmer in this neighborhood states that a few years ago the treetops near his house seemed to be filled with these fine singers4 ,now he hears only one or two during the season4 ,last ,may the writer found three nests at least a mile apart1 but they were destroyed before the time of hatching1 and the birds went about silent as if brooding upon their trouble4 ,it is doubtful if they will build next season in that vicinity4 ,no doubt the clearing away of the forests and the settling up of the country are responsible for the scarcity of the birds in part1 but only in part4 ,if they were let alone1 many of the most interesting and useful birds would build near even our city homes1 and our gardens and fields would again become populous with them4 ,the wearing of feathers and the skins of birds for ornament is the chief cause of the final flight of many of our songsters4 ,it is stated that a ,london dealer received at one time more than thirty thousand dead humming birds4 ,not only brightly colored birds1 but any small birds1 by means of dyes1 may come at last to such base uses4 ,it is estimated by some of the ,audubon societies that ten million birds were used in this country in one season4 ,all these bodies1 which are used to make beauty much more beauteous seem1 are steeped in arsenical solutions to prevent their becoming as offensive to the nostrils of their wearers as they are to the eyes of bird lovers4 ,the use of dead birds for adornment is a constant object lesson in cruelty1 a declaration louder than any words that a bird's life is not to be respected4 ,it is currently reported that a million bobolinks were destroyed in ,pennsylvania alone last year to satisfy the demand of the milliners4 ,if this garniture of death is in good taste1 then our ,north ,american ,indian in his war paint and feathers was far ahead of his time4 ,let us hope that some oracle of fashion will decree that if the remains of animals must be used for adornment1 the skins of mice and rats shall be offered up4 ,their office seems to be principally that of scavengers1 and their gradual but certain extinction would not matter if the ,christian nations should become1 pari passu1 more cleanly4 ,the squirrel could also be used effectively1 mounted as if half flying1 with his hind feet fastened to the velvet pedestal1 or sitting upon his haunches with a nut between his fore paws4 ,the squirrel's main concern seems to be to prevent the undue extension of the nut-bearing trees--an office man has already well taken upon himself--and besides1 he destroys fruit1 injures trees1 and is a great enemy of birds4 ,his gradual extinction would be tolerated by a civilized nation4 ,all these things may take the hues of the rainbow and are capable of infinite variety of arrangement4 ,there certainly seems to be no good reason why in a few years some combination of them may not be considered as effective as a row of dead humming birds4 ,the world may be saved in this way from presenting a spectacle that should excite the pity of gods and men--the spectacle of the destruction of one of the most beautiful1 the most harmless1 and the most useful classes of creation1 at the command of the senseless whims of fashion4 ,then1 too1 the sportsmen's guns and the small boys' slings and shooters of various sorts are constantly bringing down numbers of the feathered songsters4 ,in many parts of our country men and boys roam the fields1 shooting at every bird they see1 and their action is tacitly approved by the community4 ,this survival of the barbarous instinct to kill is condoned as sport4 ,if these people were to spend this time in following the birds with opera glass and notebook to study them1 they might not be so readily understood--they might even be taken for mild lunatics1 so utterly is public sentiment perverted on this subject4 ,a little consideration shows this destruction to be more disastrous than at first appears4 ,according to the latest biological science1 every species of animals must have long ago reached the limit beyond which it could not greatly increase its numbers4 ,however great its tendency to increase might be1 its natural obstacles and enemies would increase in like proportions till at last the two would balance each other1 and there could be no further increase in the number of individuals of that species4 ,all classes of animals in a state of nature must have reached this balanced condition generations ago4 ,this is true of the birds4 ,their natural enemies are capable of preventing their increase2 that is1 they can and do destroy every year as many as are hatched that year4 ,now if man be added as a new destructive agency1 the old enemies1 being still able to destroy as many as before1 will soon sweep them out of existence4 ,warnings have been sent out by the ,united ,states ,department of ,biology that several species of birds are already close to extinction4 ,we know that this is true of the passenger pigeon4 ,this bird used to come ,north in flocks so extensive as sometimes to obscure the sun1 like a large1 thick cloud4 ,now they come no more4 ,italy is practically songless1 we are told4 ,if man would right the wrong that he has done1 he must not only stop destroying the birds1 but he must take all possible means to preserve them and to protect them from their natural foes4 ,laws for bird protection have been passed in many of our states2 but these have been found effective only where they were not needed4 ,they are1 however1 right1 and will help in the development of correct sentiment4 ,what is most needed is knowledge of the birds themselves1 their modes of life1 their curious ways1 and their relations to the scheme of things4 ,to know a bird is to love him4 ,birds are beautiful and interesting objects of study1 and make appeals to children that are responded to with delight4 ,children love intensely the forms of nature--the clouds1 the trees1 the flowers1 the animals--all of the great beautiful world outside of themselves1 and it is their impulse to become acquainted with this world2 for this they feel enthusiasm and love4 ,marjorie ,fleming1 the little playmate of ,scott1 who at the age of six could recite passages from ,shakespeare and ,burns so that the great bard would sob like a child or shout with laughter1 may be taken as the universal voice of childhood4 ,she writes in her diary1 ,i am going to a delightful place where there is ducks1 cocks1 hens1 bubblejacks1 two dogs1 two cats and swine which is delightful4 ,in another place she says1 ,braehead is extremely pleasant to me by the company of swine1 geese1 cocks1 etc41 and they are the delight of my soul4 ,the waste of time in our public schools has been commented upon and some of the causes have been pointed out2 but is not the chief reason the fact that much of the work of the school is unrelated to the world of the child8 ,at least the child does not see the connection4 ,he leaves at the threshold the things which he loves and desires intensely to investigate1 and begins his intellectual development with abstractions1 with the three ,r's4 ,it is said that teachers cannot succeed unless they love their work4 ,how can we expect children to succeed and not waste time1 not become disheartened at work that1 so far as they can discover1 has little more relation to their interests than to the mountains of the moon8 ,we look to nature study to supply the missing links between the child's life and his school work2 to afford opportunities for the interested observation of things1 and to furnish a strong impulse toward expression4 ,it has been well said that the best result of the primary schools is the power to use correctly one's own language4 ,the chief obstacle in the development of this power is the want of an impulse to express4 ,what can afford a stronger tendency to describe than the attempt to report observations that have been made with interest1 even with delight8 ,,iv ,,plan ,,of ,,study ,begin as soon after the first of ,january as possible4 ,assign two periods a week of from ten to twenty minutes each for bird study in the school4 ,continue the work during these periods until after the celebration of ,bird ,day in ,may4 ,if no other bird is to be found1 the ,english sparrow will answer4 ,place the following questions upon the blackboard3-- ,,the ,,english ,,sparrow ,how long is this bird from the tip of its beak to the end of its tail8 ,what is the color of its head8 ,of its throat8 ,of its breast8 ,of the underparts of its body8 ,of its back8 ,of its wings8 ,what is the length1 shape1 and color of its bill8 ,what is the color of its legs and feet8 ,how many toes upon each foot1 and which way do they point8 ,does it walk1 hop1 or run upon the ground8 ,is its tail square1 or notched8 ,is its flight even and steady1 or bounding8 ,what is the difference in appearance between the male and female8 ,the children should be directed to answer these questions from their own observation1 at the next period of study4 ,for the lowest grades two or three questions will be enough for the first attempt1 and even then the variety of answers will be surprising4 ,no other questions should be taken until the first are answered correctly4 ,the teacher should have an opera glass or a small field glass with which to make her own observations4 ,it is obvious that the more glasses there are among the children1 the better4 ,it is advisable for the teacher to make short excursions with the children to the streets to assist them in answering these questions4 ,these can be made at the close of school4 ,as a preparation1 have some crumbs or seeds scattered where the birds have been seen4 ,continue work with these questions until each one can give a reasonably accurate description of the appearance of the bird and of its movements4 ,have the older pupils write this4 ,it will make a good language lesson4 ,the next questions should have reference to the life and characteristics of the bird4 ,what does it eat8 ,put out crumbs or scraps of meat and see if the bird will eat them4 ,what sounds does the bird make8 ,does it sing8 ,imitate as many of its sounds as you can4 ,determine from its actions what its disposition is4 ,for example--,is it courageous8 ,is it quarrelsome8 ,is it inclined to fight8 ,is it selfish8 ,frequently a single incident in a bird's life will furnish an answer to several of these questions4 ,two sparrows were seen attempting to take possession of the same straw4 ,each held firmly to his end of the straw4 ,a regular tug of war ensued4 ,they pulled one another about for some time on the top of an awning1 and finally1 becoming tired of this1 they dropped the straw and furiously attacked each other4 ,they fought with beak and claw1 paying no attention to the spectators1 and fell exhausted to the sidewalk1 where they lay upon their backs until able to hop slowly away from each other4 ,it was some little time before they recovered strength to fly in opposite directions1 conquering and unconquered4 ,early in ,march advise the children to watch the direction of the sparrows' flight4 ,they will discover that some of them are carrying straws or feathers or other material for nest building4 ,notice the position and style of these nests4 ,those built early in the season are always in protected places1 under the eaves of houses or in holes in trees or in bird boxes4 ,some of those built later are in exposed places1 clumsy affairs1 but well thatched with straw1 having an entrance on one side4 ,this nest building may be watched during the entire season1 for the ,english sparrow raises more broods than any other of our birds4 ,the interpretation of the actions which indicate any of a bird's characteristics is a valuable part of the study on account of its exercise of the imagination and the reason4 ,a plan similar to the foregoing should be followed with each bird that is studied4 ,with almost all other birds the study will be far more interesting4 ,the ,english sparrow may be considered as the ,a ,b ,c of birds in his appearance and in the kind of life he leads4 ,he is therefore a good subject to begin with4 ,but even he will be found to exhibit unexpected individuality4 ,after a few days of this study1 or at least before the spring birds begin to arrive1 direct the children to try the following experiments4 ,scatter crumbs where they may be seen from the windows4 ,nail cups in the trees containing sugar and water1 and others containing seeds4 ,nail up a bone or two1 and a piece of suet as large as your two hands4 ,this last will be relished by the birds1 for it provides the kind of food most needed in cold weather4 ,watch carefully the birds that are attracted by the food4 ,after feeding awhile they will become quite tame and may be closely approached4 ,write a description of each bird upon the plan used for the ,english sparrow4 ,encourage the children to add any observations of their own which throw light upon the habits and character of the birds1 since one object of this study is the development of right feeling toward them4 ,among the first to arrive will probably be the blue jay1 chickadee1 or black-capped titmouse1 and one or more of the woodpeckers4 ,these all show individual character and are well worth studying4 ,the blue jay by his striking appearance and outlandish voice challenges attention4 ,he will be found to possess some gentlemanly traits4 ,to illustrate1 a number of blue jays were seen taking turns1 waiting in line1 to feed upon a bone where there was room for only one at a time4 ,there was no scramble1 no hurrying of the one who was eating4 ,the blue jay is a most devoted parent1 though not considered a good citizen by other birds4 ,contrary to the usual belief1 he has a beautiful song4 ,it is sweet and low and almost as varied as the catbird's1 and can be heard only a short distance4 ,it has a reminiscent character1 as if he were thinking of past joys4 ,the black-capped titmouse or the chickadee is noticeable for his sprightliness and cheeriness1 and for his trim1 tailor-made appearance4 ,emerson's poem worthily celebrates his brave spirit4 ,he flits around a limb and clings to it with his head up or down1 with his feet up or down1 as if his movements were not physical exertions1 but mental efforts4 ,his simple little song rings out at all hours of the coldest day4 ,the woodpecker gives himself freely to study4 ,one winter we frequently counted from twelve to fourteen children standing under the tree on which a little sapsucker was at work4 ,the upturned faces of the children did not disturb him at all1 although he was only a little above their heads4 ,he drilled away as if his work in the world was the work which must be done4 ,a downy woodpecker with a slightly wounded wing was brought into one of our schoolrooms1 where he lived contentedly for several days1 pecking a dead treetop1 which the boys brought in for him after a good deal of thought and several excursions4 ,the only food he seemed to like was sweetened water1 although the children brought him a great variety to choose from4 ,no visitor to a schoolroom ever produced a better effect4 ,his presence1 instead of interfering with the regular order1 pleased the children1 and they did their work even better than usual4 ,when his wing was healed he was dismissed from school through the window1 and his flight to a neighboring treetop was anxiously watched4 ,upon many other occasions wounded birds have been brought into our schools4 ,some recovered and others died1 but each visit was an epoch in the life of the school4 ,the other birds most likely to visit this feast during ,january are the flicker1 crow1 purple finch1 song sparrow1 white-breasted nuthatch1 snow-flake2 ,american crossbill1 white-throated sparrow1 tree sparrow1 junco1 winter wren1 golden-crowned kinglet1 brown creeper1 and even the solitary robin4 ,the sparrow hawk and the sharp-shinned hawk may visit the vicinity to feed upon the other feeders4 ,on the first of ,january ,i saw a sparrow hawk sitting on the spire of a church in the heart of a city of eighteen thousand people4 ,after selecting a victim from the sparrows on the street below1 he calmly spread his wings and pounced upon him1 or with no effort at concealment chased the bird whose flight was nearest4 ,a female sparrow hawk wintered in the eaves of an apartment house in ,morningside ,park1 ,new ,york ,city4 ,english sparrow was its principal diet1 and every morning and afternoon an observer might have seen the hawk soar to the park grounds on its hunting trips4 ,a few years ago a sharp-shinned hawk visited our yard4 ,apparently he lived upon the sparrows there for several days4 ,there was no skill in his hunting or effort to take the game unawares4 ,when he wanted a bird he simply left his perch and captured it by speed of wing4 ,his ease of flight was remarkable2 as a little boy said1 ,he just opened his wings and sailed away4 ,he stayed until the sparrows left the neighborhood4 ,as the season advances the birds will come in greater numbers4 ,on the first of ,april a little girl in one of our schools had identified and described seventeen different species of birds which she had seen in her yard4 ,the same child fed a family of chipping sparrows2 they became so tame that they would come to meet her when she came with crumbs1 and would pick them up even when they dropped close to her feet4 ,the next year this family evidently came again and raised another brood and brought them along to be fed1 for seven and sometimes eight would come when she called4 ,the ,english sparrow came also1 and the little maid drove them away without the chippies being disturbed4 ,a boy from one of our schools was even more fortunate4 ,in his yard were a number of trees in which ample provision had been made for the birds4 ,late in ,april1 with other kinds a pair of scarlet tanagers and a pair of rose-breasted grosbeaks visited the trees4 ,these stayed and soon seemed to feel quite at home4 ,to the great delight of their neighbors1 the house-dwellers1 they built their nests1 the grosbeaks in a tree near one side of the porch1 the tanagers in one near the opposite side4 ,they became so friendly that sometimes when the boy came out upon the porch and played softly on a mouth organ1 the grosbeak's silvery warble and the tanager's loud1 clear voice joined him4 ,brief written descriptions should be made by the pupils1 similar to the following3-- ,,bluebird4--,length1 six and a half inches2 extent of wings1 about twelve inches2 color1 back1 azure blue2 throat1 breast1 and sides1 dull crimson2 underpart1 white2 bill and legs1 blackish2 eye1 brown2 arrives early in ,march2 leaves in late ,november4 ,song1 soft and pleasing warble2 sings both in flight and at rest2 nests in holes of trees or posts1 or in bird houses4 ,,chickadee4--,length1 about five and a half inches2 extent of wings1 about eight inches2 legs1 bluish gray2 bill1 black2 back1 brownish gray2 throat1 chin1 and top of head1 black2 sides of head1 white2 underparts1 whitish2 wing and tail feathers margined with white2 nests in holes in trees and stumps4 ,the common name arises from their familiar note of chic-a-dee-dee4 ,,catbird4--,length1 nine inches2 extent of wings1 eleven and a half inches2 bill and feet1 black2 eye1 brown2 color1 slate color1 somewhat lighter beneath2 top of head and tail1 black2 reddish under the wings2 arrives in ,may1 leaves in ,october2 nests in bushes2 lives in gardens and woodside thickets2 has a sharp cry not unlike the mewing of a cat1 but is a gifted songster4 ,,meadow ,,lark4--,length1 about ten and a half inches2 extent of wings1 about sixteen and a half inches2 female is smaller2 body1 thick and stout2 legs1 large2 hind toe reaches out beyond the tail1 its claw twice as long as the middle one2 bill1 brown1 lighter at the base1 dark towards the point2 feet and legs1 light brown2 throat1 breast1 and edge of wing1 bright yellow2 breast with a large black crescent2 nests on the ground in the open field2 clumsy in flight and in walking2 song1 a plaintive whistle2 arrives in ,march1 leaves in ,october4 ,,barn ,,swallow4--,length1 six and three fourths inches2 spread of wings1 twelve and a half inches2 bill1 black2 legs and feet1 light brown2 color1 upper parts glossy steel blue2 tail1 very deeply forked1 outer tail feathers much longer and narrower than the others2 forehead1 chin1 and throat1 deep chestnut2 rest of the underparts lighter2 nests usually in barns4 ,,wood ,,thrush4--,length1 eight inches2 spread of wings1 thirteen inches2 legs and feet1 flesh-colored2 bill1 blackish1 lighter at base2 upper parts cinnamon brown1 brightest on top of the head1 and shading into olive near the tail2 lower parts white and marked with roundish1 dusky spots2 arrives the first of ,may1 leaves in ,october4 ,song consists of sweet1 ringing1 bell-like notes4 ,later these outlines should be expanded into free descriptions1 containing all that the pupil has learned about the bird1 his habits1 his character1 and his life4 ,each school should aim to possess a bird manual1 for the identification of the species4 ,the following are recommended as sufficient for the purpose3 ,birds of the ,united ,states1 by ,a4 ,c4 ,apgar2 ,birds of ,eastern ,north ,america1 by ,frank ,m4 ,chapman2 ,bird ,craft1 by ,mabel ,osgood ,wright2 ,birds of ,pennsylvania1 second edition1 by ,warren 7this may possibly be obtained at second-hand bookstores72 ,our ,common ,birds and ,how to ,know ,them1 by ,grant4 ,the report of your own state upon birds1 if there is one1 will also furnish valuable information4 ,v ,,further ,,suggestions ,direct the children to put up boxes for martins1 bluebirds1 and wrens4 ,these may be also put up around the schoolhouses1 if fortunately there is a yard with trees4 ,boxes for the martins should be large1 containing fifteen or more compartments1 each ten inches high by eight wide and eight deep1 and each having a separate entrance4 ,the martin box or house should be placed twenty feet from the ground1 upon the top of a strong post or platform sustained by four smaller posts4 ,if vines are planted at the foot of the supports1 they will be ornamental and will make the houses more attractive to the birds4 ,the ,english sparrows will occupy these compartments2 but if the martins conclude to take possession they will push out the sparrows and their belongings without assistance4 ,every spring ,i am amused in watching the summary process of ejectment which the martins serve upon the sparrows that have taken possession of their houses4 ,in the morning the sparrows may be in undisturbed possession1 but by afternoon the martins occupy their old quarters1 having pushed out the nests of the sparrows with their eggs or young4 ,the boxes for bluebirds and wrens should be smaller and have only one compartment4 ,they should be nailed in the tops of trees4 ,if the ,english sparrows build in them their nests should be broken up2 and this repeatedly1 so long as they persist in building4 ,if this is not done the wrens and bluebirds will not come4 ,they are incapable of coping with the sparrows4 ,note when the different birds arrive in the spring1 making in this way a bird calendar4 ,notice also when the birds gather together into flocks in the late summer or autumn1 preparatory to taking their leave4 ,the last bird of his kind to leave should be as carefully noted as the first to arrive in your calendar4 ,distinguish carefully the birds of passage that stop only a short time to rest on their journeys north and south1 and those that stay and help to make the summer4 ,you will need to make frequent excursions afield1 always taking your notebook4 ,take first a small area and master the birds in that2 then gradually extend your territory4 ,you can take no more healthful or happy exercise4 ,it will greatly increase the interest of children in all their school duties if their teachers make occasional bird journeys with them4 ,limit the size of the party to that number which will keep still as a mouse while in bird-land4 ,encourage the children also to make frequent excursions by themselves1 in parties of three or four4 ,instruct them to have the sun at their backs and to carry if possible one glass with each party4 ,reports of these excursions can be made in school1 while particular attention should be given to the exchange of the knowledge of bird haunts4 ,this can be done during the period devoted to bird study4 ,direct the party of excursionists to observe the same birds1 notebook in hand1 and let each one immediately put down what he actually sees4 ,afterward compare results4 ,in this way improvement will be made in rapidity and accuracy of observing4 ,there are two ways by which birds may be closely approached4 ,the first is to go to some locality where birds have been seen and to stand or sit in perfect quiet and wait for them to come4 ,we have known some of the shyest wood birds to come within a few feet of the motionless observer4 ,it is not an uncommon thing for one who waits to be able to look directly into the eyes of the ,american redstart1 the chestnut-sided and golden-winged warbler1 the wood thrush1 catbird1 and of almost any other of the birds4 ,if one can imitate the owl and make a fair hoot1 otherwise keeping still1 he may attract many birds that will feel bound to settle the question of his identity4 ,a young friend of mine1 by a good imitation of a blue jay's quack1 finds many little woods' folks peering at him from the trees which he might not otherwise see4 ,the smack which is produced by violently kissing the back of the closed fingers will call many birds from their hiding places1 especially during the nesting season4 ,the sound is similar to that of a bird in distress4 ,the second method is to follow a bird very quietly and slowly1 being careful not to make any motions which would startle him4 ,in this way a shore lark has been followed all over a field1 the observer gradually coming near enough to the bird to see what he was doing1 and to watch his movements as he pulled the larvae of beetles out of the ground1 cracked their cases1 and ate the contents4 ,all birds that feed in the fields1 the meadow larks1 the plovers1 and the sparrows1 may be studied in the same way4 ,it is commonly thought to be difficult to get close to the veery4 ,on one occasion1 while the writer and a companion were resting from a long ramble1 the air was suddenly suffused with the songs of veeries4 ,the music seemed to fill the woods1 as an organ seems to fill the church with sound4 ,it was weird and suggestive and never to be forgotten4 ,the still1 deep woods seemed like enchanted ground where nothing evil could come4 ,after some search we saw one of the birds in a tree not far from us4 ,as we approached him he flew to another tree4 ,we humbly followed on foot from tree to tree1 when to our surprise he stopped on a low tree on the outskirts of the wood and allowed us to come almost within reach of him1 and to stand wonder-stricken while he sang in answer to his companions4 ,we stayed for twenty minutes motionless4 ,it was difficult to believe that this bird was singing4 ,his notes had a ventriloquous effect1 his beak was scarcely parted1 and it was only by the trembling of the feathers of his throat that we were sure the song came from him4 ,since this time we have frequently found the veeries2 in fact one locality is known to us as ,veeryville4 ,it is not necessary to live in the country in order to be a bird student and to carry out the suggestions here given4 ,all the large cities have parks where birds may be observed and be encouraged to become friendly to the observer4 ,central ,park in ,new ,york is the home of a great variety of birds4 ,bronx ,park is said to be a paradise for them4 ,on ,boston ,common most of the birds which come to that latitude have been seen4 ,there is no city so poor that it cannot boast of a few birds in its vicinity4 ,great interest and delight may be added to the study of birds by the use of the camera4 ,if the teacher or one of the older pupils is so fortunate as to have a kodak and will take it when visiting the woods1 or will focus it upon birds in the dooryard1 the pictures may possess much value4 ,to attempt to take a bird in flight is1 of course1 a difficult matter1 though it may be done2 but birds upon the nest1 birds feeding their young1 or in the trees above the nest1 evidently protecting it1 have been successfully taken4 ,birds' nests with the eggs in make most fascinating pictures4 ,at an entertainment given by the ,pennsylvania ,audubon ,society in ,philadelphia in ,december1 #ahih1 the audience with one accord cheered the picture of a nest which was thrown upon a screen4 ,work of this kind is especially adapted for high schools1 and there are sure to be several painstaking amateurs among the pupils4 ,to possess genuine value from the point of view of the naturalist1 the pictures should not be touched up1 no matter how much artistic beauty might thus be given to them2 they should be entirely true to nature4 ,on no account should children be encouraged to make collections of birds or of eggs4 ,the only objection the author has felt to the very fine bird manuals before the public is that they contain minute directions for the preparation of dead birds for purposes of mounting and preservation1 and also for the collection and preservation of birds' eggs4 ,if this were to cause the school children of the country to set out to make collections of birds and of eggs in order to study them1 the study would better be omitted4 ,nothing more deadly than an opera glass should be aimed at a bird for a generation4 ,the utility of a collection is not so great2 a dead bird's plumage is not as beautiful as in life1 and he loses every attitude and movement which makes him an individual4 ,a corpse is not a bird4 ,persons who can identify birds by one glimpse of them through the trees1 or by a few notes of their song1 or by their flight are frequently at a loss to identify the same birds when they are dead1 unless they are familiar with the dead birds4 ,the only collection the children should be encouraged to make is that of nests after the birds are through with them2 and especially of nests with whose family history they are acquainted4 ,these may be brought into the schoolroom4 ,in one of our school yards the children discovered a pair of red-eyed vireos building4 ,the nest was so situated that it could be seen from one of the upper schoolroom windows4 ,after the young had left1 the nest was taken down1 and to the pleasure which the children had enjoyed in watching its builders and their family was added another4 ,they found in the bottom of the nest little bits of the papers they had used in school with their letters and figures upon them4 ,,vi ,,directions ,,for ,,written ,,work ,have the children give anecdotes about birds that they have observed4 ,let them describe actions which they saw them perform1 paying particular attention to the ways of birds in eating4 ,for example1 sparrows were observed carrying hard crusts of bread to a little pool of water1 formed in a dent in a tin roof1 to soften before attempting to eat them4 ,day after day crusts were put out1 and the water was renewed4 ,written descriptions of birds feeding their young4--,young birds live entirely upon insect life4 ,it has been computed that a bird during the first few weeks of its life consumes nearly one and one half times its weight of insects daily4 ,note the amazing amount of insect life that will be destroyed by the birds of a neighborhood in a single season4 ,give1 if possible1 illustrations from your own observation4 ,a robin was noticed feeding one of its young1 which sat on a limb with its mouth open1 crying for more1 except when it was stopped with food4 ,the parent came with her beak filled with worms twenty-seven times in less than as many minutes1 and then left her child seemingly as hungry as ever1 for he complained and hopped along the limb1 keeping a sharp lookout for several minutes4 ,that chick must have been as full of worms as a fisherman's bait-box4 ,picture the condition of our lawns1 gardens1 and groves if all the birds were suddenly banished and the insects held full sway4 ,in this connection1 the writer should study and make quotations or abstracts from ,the ,birds of ,killingworth1 by ,longfellow4 ,in a recent lecture1 ,prof4 ,witmer ,stone1 of ,philadelphia1 cited many facts to show that birds are nature's great check on the excess of insects1 and that they keep the balance between plants and insect life4 ,ten thousand caterpillars1 it has been estimated1 could destroy every blade of grass on an acre of cultivated ground4 ,in thirty days from the time it is hatched an ordinary caterpillar increases #aj1jjj times in bulk1 and the food it lives and grows on is vegetable4 ,the insect population of a single cherry tree infested with aphides was calculated by a prominent entomologist at no less than twelve million4 ,the bird population of cultivated country districts has been estimated at from seven hundred to one thousand per square mile4 ,this is small compared with the number of insects1 yet as each bird consumes hundreds of insects every day1 the latter are prevented from becoming the scourge they would be but for their feathered enemies4 ,mr4 ,e4 ,h4 ,forbush1 ,ornithologist of the ,board of ,agriculture of ,massachusetts1 states that the stomachs of four chickadees contained #a1jbh eggs of the cankerworm4 ,the stomachs of four other birds of the same species contained about #fjj eggs and #aje female moths of the cankerworm4 ,the average number of eggs found in twenty of these moths was #ahe2 and as it is estimated that a chickadee may eat thirty female cankerworm moths per day during the twenty-five days which these moths crawl up trees1 it follows that in this period each chickadee would destroy #ach1gej eggs of this noxious insect4 ,a pamphlet issued by the ,department of ,agriculture of the ,united ,states says that the cuckoo1 which is common in all the ,eastern ,states1 has been conclusively shown to be much given to eating caterpillars1 and1 unlike most birds1 does not reject those that are covered with hair4 ,in fact1 cuckoos eat so many hairy caterpillars that the hairs pierce the inner lining of their stomach and remain there1 so that when the stomach is opened and turned inside out1 it appears to be lined with a thin coating of hair4 ,this bird also eats beetles1 grasshoppers1 sawflies1 and spiders4 ,it turns out from the investigations of the department that the suspicion with which all farmers look upon woodpeckers is undeserved by that bird4 ,these birds rarely leave an important mark upon a healthy tree1 but when a tree is affected by wood-boring larvae the insects are accurately located1 dislodged1 and devoured4 ,in case the holes from which the borers are taken are afterward occupied and enlarged by colonies of ants1 these ants are drawn out and eaten4 ,woodpeckers are great conservators of forests1 and to them more than to any other agency is due the preservation of timber from hordes of destructive insects4 ,the department defends the much-abused crow and states that he is not by any means the enemy of the farmer1 in which role he is generally represented4 ,the pamphlet shows that he is known to eat frogs1 toads1 salamanders1 and some small snakes1 and that he devours ,may beetles1 ,june bugs1 grasshoppers1 and a large variety of other destructive insects4 ,it is admitted that he does some damage to sprouting corn1 but this can be prevented by tarring the seed1 which not only saves the corn1 but forces the crow to turn his attention to insects4 ,insects injurious to vegetation4--,essays may be written describing some of the insects injurious to fruit trees2 also the birds that feed largely upon these insects--the warblers1 thrushes1 orioles1 wrens1 woodpeckers1 vireos1 and others4 ,tell1 if possible1 from your own observation1 of their curious1 but effective1 ways of finding their food4 ,describe how the birds inspect the trees1 limb by limb and bud by bud1 in their eager search for the eggs1 larvae1 and mature forms of insects4 ,note1 especially1 the oriole as he runs spirally round a branch to the very tip1 then back to the trunk1 treating branch after branch in the same way1 till the whole tree has been thoroughly searched1 almost every bud having been in the focus of those bright eyes4 ,it is hard to describe which is the more beautiful--their brilliant1 flaming colors or their bugle-like bursts of music4 ,is the woodpecker's drumming1 and apparent listening with the side of his head turned to the tree1 all for fun1 and nothing for reward8 ,birds that feed upon the potato beetle4--,the grosbeaks and the tanagers4 ,describe these4 ,why are these and other brightly colored birds so shy8 ,what has been the effect of the extensive killing of them for ornament1 and the equally cruel practice of securing their young to be kept in cages8 ,note how much more attractive our fields and gardens would be if these beautiful beings were common in them1 and by their quaint ways were teaching us manners4 ,personations of birds4--,ask the children to write personations of birds1 as if the writer were the bird4 ,give them the following directions3 ,write in the first person4 ,describe yourself as accurately as you are able1 without telling your name4 ,tell of your habits and manner of life1 your summer and winter homes1 your home cares--your nest building1 your parental joys and anxieties1 the enemies you have to avoid4 ,mention at some length the trouble you take to give your little ones a good start in life1 and to enable them to earn their own living4 ,describe your songs1 and try to indicate why they differ1 and what you mean by each one4 ,try to present a somewhat complete picture of the bird and its life1 from the bird's point of view4 ,at the close of your personation the hearers may vote upon the name of the bird presented4 ,a family of birds may also be described1 as if they were persons1--and are they not8 ,a very fine model of this kind of work is ,our ,new ,neighbors at ,ponkapog1 by ,t4 ,b4 ,aldrich4 ,have essays written upon the following subjects3-- ,are there birds that do not sing8 ,what is the attitude of other birds to the owl8 ,is any country too cold1 or any too warm1 for birds8 ,have birds individuality8 ,what is the largest bird of ,north ,america8 ,the smallest8 ,what laws has your state made about birds8 ,ought the government to own the birds8 7,that is1 make laws for their protection47 ,is the blue jay wicked8 ,what birds walk8 ,do birds travel at night1 during their migrations8 ,beginning in ,march1 note for several days the different kinds of birds you see1 which were not seen the day before4 ,make at least two observations daily1 one in the morning and one after school4 ,when is the greater number of new birds seen1 in the morning or in the afternoon8 ,or1 if you live in a comparatively quiet neighborhood1 even in a large city1 go out at night and listen for bird sounds in the air4 ,you need not go far to make this trial--your own back door opens into all outdoors4 ,what states have established a ,bird ,day by law8 ,is woman cruel or only thoughtless8 ,do robins raise more than one brood in a season8 ,if so1 do they use the same nest twice8 ,if they raise two broods1 what becomes of the first1 while the mother is sitting upon the eggs for the second8 ,watch for a robin leading out his family4 ,notice the feeding1 after the birds are large enough to run and fly fairly well4 ,the young birds are placed apart1 and kept apart by the parent1 who visits each one in turn1 and rebukes any who tries to be piggish1 sometimes rapping it with his bill when it runs out of turn4 ,notice this parent teaching the young to sing4 ,it is a very interesting sight4 ,what birds have you heard sing at night8 ,more birds sing at night than is commonly supposed4 ,the female robin calls to her mate frequently during the night1 and he responds with a song4 ,the catbird also sings at night4 ,last ,may one was heard to sing three nights in succession from eleven o'clock until daylight in response to little complaining calls from his mate4 ,the song sparrow1 warblers1 and many other birds sing at night4 ,their songs at these times sound as if the bird were sleepy and reluctant to sing1 or as if he were startled and were hurrying through the performance4 ,make a note of songs heard at night and try to determine the cause4 ,learn to distinguish the call of the female from the song of the male4 ,the kinds of nests4--,what birds are weavers8 ,what ones are masons or plasterers8 ,what ones are tailors1 in the construction of their nests8 ,find a pair of birds engaged in nest building2 robins may generally be found4 ,learn to distinguish the male from the female in appearance1 as well as voice4 ,notice what materials they are using4 ,which bird takes the lead in building8 ,what does the other bird do8 ,does he ever carry material1 or does he simply act as escort8 ,does he ever protect his mate from other birds8 ,write this out1 carefully drawing your conclusions from your own observations4 ,after the young birds have left the nest and have no further use for it1 you may take the nest and examine it closely4 ,you will find that while there is a similarity in the nests of the same kind of birds1 they differ considerably in the materials of which they are composed4 ,for example1 the typical robin's nest consists of straws and hairs plastered together with mud and lined with some soft material1 but others have been found made entirely of raveled rope2 others of carpet rags4 ,the bird evidently is not guided in this matter by blind instinct1 but uses its reason in adapting materials that are at hand4 ,if you are fortunate you may find a pair of orioles building their nest4 ,place some bright-colored yarn or string in pieces of convenient length where the birds will see them4 ,some of them are almost sure to be woven into the nest4 ,the oriole's nest may be attached to a limb by two or more cords2 if it is1 notice how it is prevented from swinging by side ropes4 ,you will find it guyed against the prevailing winds4 ,the oriole frequently ties several twigs together1 and so uses these to suspend his nest4 ,notice the nest pouch2 those built near houses are quite shallow2 those near forests are much deeper4 ,can you tell why8 ,the wings of birds4--,describe the different kinds1 as short and round1 or long and slender1 and the effect of the wing-shape upon the bird's motion in the air4 ,describe the flights of different birds4 ,songs of birds4--,write the syllables which seem to you to express the different songs of birds4 ,notice the different songs of the same bird4 ,a song sparrow was observed to have twelve different songs4 ,he sang each one several times over1 as if each song had a number of verses4 ,then changing his position1 he would sing another4 ,to most ears the robin's song is always the same1 but close attention discovers that there are variations4 ,many birds are genuine musicians and compose as they sing1 not having formal songs4 ,free description of birds4--,write description of some bird of your acquaintance1 noting the following3-- ,its appearance4--,color1 gait1 flight1 size from tip of beak to end of tail1 spread of wings4 ,its common name4--,why given8 ,time of arrival and departure4 ,character4--,is it trustful1 or shy and retiring8 ,song4--,season when song is most frequent1 also times of day4 ,does it consist of many or only a few notes8 ,is it cheery1 like the robin's1 or tuneful1 like the thrush's1 or rollicking and rapturous1 like the bobolink's1 or a ,romanza1 like the catbird's8 ,notice the different emotion sounds1 the notes of fear1 of parental or conjugal reprimand1 of joy1 of anger1 of deep sorrow1 made by the bird at times4 ,food4--,insects 7kinds71 seeds1 fruit1 etc4 ,nest4--,where placed1 how made8 ,incidents4--,from the writer's knowledge of the bird4 ,this bird in literature4--,what writers have described1 what poets have immortalized him8 ,how did they characterize him8 ,some of the following books are almost indispensable to one who wishes to know the birds3-- ,wake ,robin1 ,john ,burroughs2 ,birds and ,poets1 ,john ,burroughs2 ,the ,birds and ,seasons of ,new ,england1 ,wilson ,flagg2 ,upland and ,meadow1 ,charles ,c4 ,abbott2 ,bird ,ways1 ,olive ,thorne ,miller2 ,birds through an ,opera ,glass1 ,florence ,a4 ,merriam2 ,birds in the ,bush1 ,bradford ,torrey2 ,the ,birds ,about ,us1 ,charles ,c4 ,abbott2 ,from ,blomidon to ,smoky1 ,frank ,bolles4 ,recent magazines should be searched and the current ones scrutinized for articles by any of the above-named writers4 ,destruction of birds4--,find out how many birds are annually slaughtered in the ,united ,states1 and for what purposes4 ,in the report of the ,american ,ornithologist ,union published in #ahhf1 it was estimated that about five million birds were annually required to fill the demand for the ornamentation of the hats of the ,american women4 ,in #ahif it was estimated that the number thus used was ten million4 ,the slaughter is not confined to song-birds2 everything that wears feathers is a target for the bird butcher4 ,the destruction of #dj1jjj terns in a single season on ,cape ,cod1 a million rail and reed birds 7bobolinks7 killed in a single month near ,philadelphia1 are facts that may well furnish food for reflection4 ,the swamps and marshes of ,florida are well known to have become depopulated of their egrets and herons1 while the state at large has been for years a favorite slaughter ground of the milliners' emissaries4 ,an article in ,forest and ,stream1 speaking of the destruction of birds on ,long ,island1 states that during a short period of four months #bj1jjj were supplied to the ,new ,york dealers from a single village4 ,the ,audubon ,society of ,massachusetts has looked up the figures and reports that it is proved that into ,england alone between #be1jjj1jjj and #cj1jjj1jjj birds are imported yearly1 and that for ,europe the number reaches #aej1jjj1jjj4 ,hence1 the fashionable craze has annually demanded between #bjj1jjj1jjj and #cjj1jjj1jjj birds4 ,from the ,east ,indies alone a dealer in ,london received #djj1jjj humming birds1 #f1jjj birds of paradise1 and #djj1jjj miscellaneous birds4 ,in an auction room1 also in ,london1 within four months1 over #hjj1jjj ,east and ,west ,indian and ,brazilian bird skins1 besides thousands of pheasants and birds of paradise1 were put up for sale4 ,this demand for birds has been going on for a quarter of a century1 and billions of rich-plumaged creatures have been slaughtered to meet it1 and several of the feathered tribes have been exterminated4 ,write to the following for literature upon the destruction of birds3-- ,humane ,education ,committee1 #fa ,westminster ,street1 ,providence1 ,r4 ,i42 ,george ,t4 ,angell1 ,boston1 ,mass42 ,secretary of the ,massachusetts ,audubon ,society1 ,boston1 ,mass42 ,secretary of the ,new ,york ,audubon ,society at ,new ,york2 ,secretary of the ,department of ,agriculture1 ,washington1 ,d4 ,c42 ,secretary of the ,audubon ,society of ,pennsylvania at ,philadelphia2 also write to the ,department of ,agriculture of your own state4 ,,vii ,,programs ,,for ,,bird ,,day ,a ,bird ,day exercise1 in order to have much value educationally1 should be largely the result of the pupils' previous work1 and should not be the mere repetition of a prepared program taken verbatim from some paper or leaflet4 ,it is1 of course1 better to have the pupils recite this leaflet or list of statements than it would be to have it ground out of a phonograph4 ,the program should be prepared by the pupils under direction of the teacher4 ,the following general suggestions are offered3-- #a4 ,for the first observance of this day by a school it would be well to have some pupil read ,senator ,hoar's petition of the birds to the ,legislature of ,massachusetts4 ,,petition ,,of ,,the ,,birds ,written by ,senator ,hoar to the ,massachusetts ,legislature ,the petition which was instrumental in getting the ,massachusetts law passed1 prohibiting the wearing of song and insectivorous birds on women's hats1 was written by ,senator ,hoar4 ,the petition read as follows3-- ,to the ,great and ,general ,court of the ,commonwealth of ,massachusetts3 ,we1 the song birds of ,massachusetts and their playfellows1 make this our humble petition4 ,we know more about you than you think we do4 ,we know how good you are4 ,we have hopped about the roofs and looked in at your windows of the houses you have built for poor and sick and hungry people1 and little lame and deaf and blind children4 ,we have built our nests in the trees and sung many a song as we flew about the gardens and parks you have made so beautiful for your children1 especially your poor children to play in4 ,every year we fly a great way over the country1 keeping all the time where the sun is bright and warm4 ,and we know that whenever you do anything the other people all over this great land between the seas and the ,great ,lakes find it out1 and pretty soon will try to do the same4 ,we know4 ,we know4 ,we are ,americans just the same as you are4 ,some of us1 like you1 came across the great sea4 ,but most of the birds like us have lived here a long while2 and the birds like us welcomed your fathers when they came here many1 many years ago4 ,our fathers and mothers have always done their best to please your fathers and mothers4 ,now we have a sad story to tell you4 ,thoughtless or bad people are trying to destroy us4 ,they kill us because our feathers are beautiful4 ,even pretty and sweet girls1 who we should think would be our best friends1 kill our brothers and children so that they may wear our plumage on their hats4 ,sometimes people kill us for mere wantonness4 ,cruel boys destroy our nests and steal our eggs and our young ones4 ,people with guns and snares lie in wait to kill us2 as if the place for a bird were not in the sky1 alive1 but in a shop window or in a glass case4 ,if this goes on much longer all our song birds will be gone4 ,already we are told in some other countries that used to be full of birds1 they are now almost gone4 ,even the nightingales are being killed in ,italy4 ,now we humbly pray that you will stop all this and will save us from this sad fate4 ,you have already made a law that no one shall kill a harmless song bird or destroy our nests or our eggs4 ,will you please make another one that no one shall wear our feathers1 so that no one shall kill us to get them8 ,we want them all ourselves4 ,your pretty girls are pretty enough without them4 ,we are told that it is as easy for you to do it as for a blackbird to whistle4 ,if you will1 we know how to pay you a hundred times over4 ,we will teach your children to keep themselves clean and neat4 ,we will show them how to live together in peace and love and to agree as we do in our nests4 ,we will build pretty houses which you will like to see4 ,we will play about your garden and flower beds--ourselves like flowers on wings1 without any cost to you4 ,we will destroy the wicked insects and worms that spoil your cherries and currants and plums and apples and roses4 ,we will give you our best songs1 and make the spring more beautiful and the summer sweeter to you4 ,every ,june morning when you go out into the field1 oriole and bluebird and blackbird and bobolink will fly after you and make the day more delightful to you4 ,and when you go home tired after sundown1 vesper sparrow will tell you how grateful we are4 ,when you sit down on your porch after dark1 fifebird and hermit thrush and wood thrush will sing to you2 and even whip-poor-will will cheer you up a little4 ,we know where we are safe4 ,in a little while all the birds will come to live in ,massachusetts again1 and everybody who loves music will like to make a summer home with you4 ,the signers are3-- ,brown ,thrasher1 ,robert o' ,lincoln1 ,hermit ,thrush1 ,vesper ,sparrow1 ,robin ,redbreast1 ,song ,sparrow1 ,scarlet ,tanager1 ,summer ,redbird1 ,blue ,heron1 ,humming ,bird1 ,yellowbird1 ,whip-poor-will1 ,water ,wagtail1 ,woodpecker1 ,pigeon ,woodpecker1 ,indigo ,bird1 ,yellowthroat1 ,wilson's ,thrush1 ,chickadee1 ,kingbird1 ,swallow1 ,cedar ,bird1 ,cowbird1 ,martin1 ,veery1 ,chewink1 ,vireo1 ,oriole1 ,blackbird1 ,fifebird1 ,wren1 ,linnet1 ,pewee1 ,phoebe1 ,yoke ,bird1 ,lark1 ,sandpiper4 ,it should be noted that the result of this petition was the passage of a law by the ,legislature of ,massachusetts forbidding the wearing of parts of wild birds4 ,a bill forbidding the transportation of feathers or the skins of birds from one state to another was also introduced by ,senator ,hoar in the ,united ,states ,senate4 #b4 ,at this first exercise it would be well to have read ,our ,new ,neighbors at ,ponkapog1 by ,t4 ,b4 ,aldrich4 #c4 ,the best essays that have been written by the pupils during their preliminary study may be given4 ,if the school has not made this preliminary study1 select subjects and have essays written according to the directions already given1 allowing as much time as possible for original observations4 #d4 ,have recitations from the poets4 ,these will add a peculiar charm to the occasion4 ,a short list of suitable poems will be given4 ,many others may be found in a book called ,voices of the ,speechless1 published by ,houghton1 ,mifflin ,co4 ,the works of ,john ,burroughs1 ,bradford ,torrey1 ,maurice ,thompson1 ,mrs4 ,olive ,thorne ,miller1 and ,dr4 ,c4 ,c4 ,abbott abound in passages which are excellent for recitation4 ,it is surprising how familiar the best-known novelists have been and are with birds4 ,in appreciation of them they are second only to the poets4 ,charles ,reade's description of the lark's song in the mines of ,australia1 in ,never ,too ,late to ,mend1 is an inspiring recitation4 #e4 ,short quotations from well known authors should be given1 if possible1 by every pupil in the school4 ,we give a few taken almost at random3-- ,away over the hayfield the lark floated in the blue1 making the air quiver with his singing2 the robin1 perched on a fence1 looked at us saucily and piped a few notes by way of remark2 the blackbird was heard1 flute-throated1 down in the hollow recesses of the wood2 and the thrush1 in a holly tree by the wayside1 sang out his sweet1 clear song that seemed to rise in strength as the wind awoke a sudden rustling through the long woods of birch and oak4--,,william ,,black1 in ,adventures of a ,phaeton4 ,we seemed to hear all the sounds within a great compass--in the hedges and in the roadside trees1 far away in woods or hidden up in the level grayness of the clouds3 twi1 twi1 trrrr-weet6--droom1 droom1 phloee6--tuck1 tuck1 tuck1 tuck1 feer6--that was the silvery chorus from thousands of throats4 ,it seemed to us that all the fields and hedges had but one voice1 and that it was clear and sweet and piercing4--,,william ,,black1 ,ibid4 ,silvia could hear the twittering of the young starlings in their nests as their parents went and came carrying food1 and the loud and joyful tirr-a-wee1 tirr-a-wee1 prooit1 tweet6 of the thrushes1 and the low currooing of the wood pigeon1 and the soft call of the cuckoo1 that seemed to come in whenever an interval of silence fitted4 ,the swallows dipped and flashed and circled over the bosom of the lake4 ,there were blackbirds eagerly but cautiously at work1 with their spasmodic trippings1 on the lawn4 ,a robin perched on the iron railing eyed her curiously and seemed more disposed to approach than to retreat4--,,william ,,black1 in ,green ,pastures and ,piccadilly4 ,a jay fled screaming through the wood1 just one brief glimpse of brilliant blue being visible4--,,william ,,black1 ,ibid4 ,and as they came near to one dark patch of shrubbery1 lo6 the strange silence was burst asunder by the rich1 full song of a nightingale4--,,william ,,black1 ,ibid4 ,a sudden sound sprang into the night1 flooding all its darkness with its rich and piercing melody--a joyous1 clear1 full-throated note1 deep-gurgling now1 and again rising with thrills and tremors into bursts of far-reaching silver song that seemed to shake the hollow air4 ,a single nightingale had filled the woods with life4 ,we cared no more for those distant and silent stars4 ,it was enough to sit here in the gracious quiet and listen to the eager tremulous outpouring of this honeyed sound4--,,william ,,black1 in ,strange ,adventures of a ,house-,boat4 ,shoot and eat my birds6 ,the next step beyond1 and one would hanker after ,jenny ,lind or ,miss ,kellogg4--,,henry ,,ward ,,beecher4 ,there on the very topmost twig1 that rises and falls with willowy motion1 sits that ridiculous1 sweet-singing bobolink1 singing as a ,roman candle fizzes1 showers of sparkling notes4--,ibid4 ,this poet affirms that our bobolink is superior to the nightingale3-- ,bobolink1 that in the meadow1 ,or beneath the orchard's shadow1 ,keepest up a constant rattle ,joyous as my children's prattle1 ,welcome to the ,north again1 ,welcome to mine ear thy strain1 ,welcome to mine eye the sight ,of thy buff1 thy black and white4 ,brighter plumes may greet the sun ,by the banks of ,amazon2 ,sweeter tones may weave the spell ,of enchanting ,philomel2 ,but the tropic bird would fail1 ,and the ,english nightingale1 ,if we should compare their worth ,with thine endless1 gushing mirth4 --,,thomas ,,hill4 ,the mocking bird is a singer that has suffered much from its powers of mimicry4 ,on ordinary occasions1 and especially in the daytime1 it insists on playing the harlequin4 ,but when free in its own favorite haunts at night1 it has a song1 or rather songs1 which are not only purely original1 but are also more beautiful than any other bird music whatsoever4 ,once ,i listened to a mocking bird singing the livelong spring night1 under the full moon1 in a magnolia tree2 and ,i do not think ,i shall ever forget its song4 ,the great tree was bathed in a flood of shining silver2 ,i could see each twig1 and mark every action of the singer1 who was pouring forth such a rapture of ringing melody as ,i have never listened to before or since4 ,sometimes he would perch motionless for many minutes1 his body quivering and thrilling with the outpour of music4 ,then he would drop softly from twig to twig till the lowest limb was reached1 when he would rise1 fluttering and leaping through the branches1 his song never ceasing for an instant until he reached the summit of the tree and launched into the warm scent-laden air1 floating in spirals1 with outspread wings1 until1 as if spent1 he sank gently back into the tree and down through the branches1 while his song rose into an ecstasy of ardor and passion4 ,his voice rang like a clarionet in rich1 full tones1 and his execution covered the widest possible compass2 theme followed theme1 a torrent of music1 a swelling tide of harmony1 in which scarcely any two bars were alike4 ,i stayed till midnight listening to him2 he was singing when ,i went to sleep2 he was still singing when ,i woke a couple of hours later2 he sang through the livelong night4--,,theodore ,,roosevelt4 ,amid the thunders of ,sinai ,god uttered the rights of cattle1 and said that they should have a ,sabbath4 ,thou shalt not do any work1 thou1 nor thy cattle4 ,he declared with infinite emphasis that the ox on the threshing-floor should have the privilege of eating some of the grain as he trod it out1 and muzzling was forbidden4 ,if young birds were taken from the nest for food1 the despoiler's life depended on the mother going free4 ,god would not let the mother-bird suffer in one day the loss of her young and her own liberty4 ,and he who regarded in olden time the conduct of man toward the brutes1 to-day looks down from heaven and is interested in every minnow that swims the stream1 and every rook that cleaves the air4--,,dewitt ,,talmage1 ,d4,d4 ,and how refreshing is the sight of the birdless bonnet6 ,the face beneath1 no matter how plain it may be1 seems to possess a gentle charm4 ,she might have had birds1 this woman1 for they are cheap enough and plentiful enough1 heaven knows2 but she has them not1 therefore she must wear within things infinitely precious1 namely1 good sense1 good taste1 good feeling4 ,does any woman imagine these withered corpses 7cured with arsenic71 which she loves to carry about1 are beautiful8 ,not so2 the birds lost their beauty with their lives4--,,celia ,,thaxter4 ,i walked up my garden path as ,i was coming home from shooting4 ,my dog ran on before me2 suddenly he went slower and crept carefully forward as if he scented game4 ,i looked along the path and perceived a young sparrow1 with its downy head and yellow bill4 ,it had fallen from a nest 7the wind was blowing hard through the young birch trees beside the path7 and was sprawling motionless1 helpless1 on the ground1 with its little wings outspread4 ,my dog crept softly up to it1 when suddenly an old black-breasted sparrow threw himself down from a neighboring tree and let himself fall like a stone directly under the dog's nose1 and1 with ruffled feathers1 sprang with a terrified twitter several times against his open1 threatening mouth4 ,he had flown down to protect his young at the sacrifice of himself4 ,his little body trembled all over1 his cry was hoarse1 he was frightened to death2 but he sacrificed himself4 ,my dog must have seemed to him a gigantic monster1 but for all that1 he could not stay on his high1 safe branch4 ,a power stronger than himself drove him down4 ,my dog stopped and drew back2 it seemed as if he1 too1 respected this power4 ,i hastened to call back the amazed dog1 and reverently withdrew4 ,yes1 don't laugh2 ,i felt a reverence for this little hero of a bird1 with his paternal love4 ,love1 thought ,i1 is mightier than death and the fear of death2 love alone inspires and is the life of all4--,,ivan ,,tourgueneff4 ,the first sparrow of spring6 ,the year beginning with younger hope than ever6 ,the faint1 silvery warblings heard over the partially bare and moist fields from the bluebird1 the song sparrow1 and the redwing1 as if the last flakes of winter tinkled as they fell6--,h4 ,d4 ,,thoreau4 ,i heard a robin in the distance1 the first ,i had heard for many a thousand years1 methought1 whose note ,i shall not forget for many a thousand more1--the same sweet1 powerful song as of yore4--,ibid4 ,walden is melting apace4 ,a great field of ice has cracked off from the main body4 ,i hear a song sparrow from the bushes on the shore1--olit1 olit1 olit--chip1 chip1 chip1 che char--che wis1 wis1 wis4 ,he1 too1 is helping to crack the ice4--,ibid4 ,the bluebird carries the sky on his back4--,ibid4 #f4 ,one of the most interesting features of a ,bird ,day program will be the personations of birds4 ,the following was given by a boy in the seventh grade3-- ,one day in ,february a gentleman and his wife stopped beside the wall of old ,fort ,marion1 in ,st4 ,augustine1 to listen to my song4 ,the sun was shining brightly1 and little white flowers were blooming in the green turf about the old fort4 ,it was not time yet to build my nest1 so ,i had nothing to do but sing and get my food and travel a little every day toward my ,northern home4 ,i am about as large as a robin1 and although there is nothing brilliant in my plumage ,i am not a homely bird4 ,i like the songs of other birds and sometimes sing them4 ,i frequently sing like my cousins1 the catbirds and robins and thrushes4 ,but ,i have my own song1 which is unlike all the others4 ,my mate and ,i build a large nest of small sticks1 pieces of string1 cotton1 and weeds1 in thick bushes or low trees4 ,we have five eggs that are greenish blue and spotted with brown4 ,we eat many beetles1 larvae1 and many kinds of insects which we find feeding upon plants4 ,the worst enemy we have is man4 ,he steals our children almost before we have taught them to sing1 and puts them in cages4 ,he is a monster4 ,many poems have been written about me4 ,one of the finest is by ,sidney ,lanier1 in which he calls me yon trim ,shakespeare on the tree4 ,any one who has heard my song can never forget me4 ,what is my name8 #g4 ,bird facts and proverbs form a valuable part of a program and may be given by some of the children4 ,let the pupils search for them and bring some similar to these3-- ,birds flock together in hard times4 ,a bird in the bush is worth two in the hand4 ,the ,american robin is not the same bird as the ,english4 ,the bluebird and robin may be harbingers of spring1 but the swallow is the harbinger of summer4 ,the dandelion tells me to look for the swallow2 the dog-toothed violet when to expect the wood thrush4--,,john ,,burroughs4 ,it is not thought that any one bird spends the year in one locality1 but that all birds migrate1 if only within a limited range4 ,a loon was caught1 by a set line for fishing1 sixty-five feet below the surface of a lake in ,new ,york1 having dived to that depth for a fish4 ,the wood pewee1 like its relative1 the phoebe1 feeds largely on the family of flies to which the house fly belongs4 ,the birds of prey1 the majority of which labor night and day to destroy the enemies of the husbandman1 are unceasingly persecuted4 ,seventy-five per cent of the food of the downy woodpecker is insects4 ,the cow blackbird lays its eggs in other birds' nests1 one in a nest4 ,what happens afterwards8 ,why should not a man love a bird8 ,if the palm of one could clasp the pinion of the other1 there would come together two of the greatest implements ,god and nature have ever given any two creatures to explore the world with1 and when two bipeds gaze at each other1 eye to eye1 the intelligence in the one might well take off its hat to the subtle instincts in the other4--,,james ,,newton ,,baskett4 ,a bird on the bonnet means so much less bread on the table4 ,a bird in the orchard is a sort of scavenger and pomologist combined1 and does his share in giving you a dish of fruit for dinner4 ,the scarlet tanager looks like a living ruby in a green tree2 but--,i speak bluntly--it looks like a chunk of gore on a woman's bonnet4 ,in behalf of good taste and the birds1 ,i enter my protest against this barbarous ,custom4--,,leander ,t4 ,,keyser4 ,what does it cost1 this garniture of death8 ,it costs the life which ,god alone can give2 ,it costs dull silence1 where was music's breath2 ,it costs dead joy1 that foolish pride may live4 ,ah1 life1 and joy1 and song1 depend upon it1 ,are costly trimmings for a woman's bonnet4 --,,may ,,riley ,,smith4 ,the program may be diversified by songs about birds4 ,many suitable for this occasion will be found in a collection called ,songs of ,happy ,life1 made by ,sarah ,j4 ,eddy4 ,it is published by the ,nature ,study ,publishing ,company1 of ,providence1 ,r4 ,i4 ,,viii ,,the ,,poets ,,and ,,the ,,birds ,the birds are the poets' own1 says ,burroughs4 ,how could it be otherwise8 ,the bird1 with his large brain1 quick circulation1 and high temperature1 is possessed of a tropical1 ecstatic soul that blossoms into music as naturally as a bulb bursts into bloom and fragrance4 ,he is a creature of marvelous inheritance4 ,poetry is a true bird-land1 where you shall hear the birds as often as in any meadow or orchard on a ,may morning4 ,all poets have been their lovers1 from the psalmist of old1 who knew all the birds of the mountains1 to our own ,lowell with his ,gladness on wings--the bobolink is here4 ,the poets1 who voice our deepest thoughts1 have studied birds with the utmost care4 ,it is astonishing to note the mention made of them in the pages of ,browning1 ,tennyson1 and in fact of every great maker of verse4 ,not merely as adjuncts of the landscape are they mentioned1 but with intensity of feeling1 as in ,william ,watson's poem on his recovery from temporary loss of mind--one of the most pathetic poems ever written--where he thanks the ,heavenly ,power for letting him feel once again at home in nature and again related to the birds and to human life4 ,dr4 ,van ,dyke's wish that1 when his twilight hour is come1 he may hear the wood note of the veery finds response in the heart of every one who has listened to that song4 ,frequently the poet seems to have entered into the life of the bird and to have found his inner secret1 as ,keats in the ,ode to a ,nightingale3-- ,immortal bird1 thou wast not born for death1 ,no hungry generations tread thee down4 ,sometimes the words seem to have caught the rhythm and ripple of the song1 as in ,browning's reference to the thrush3-- ,the wise thrush1 he sings each song twice over1 ,lest you think he never could recapture ,that first fine careless rapture4 ,or the bird's voice may be so suggestive as to lead the seer to the very limits of thought and aspiration1 like ,shelley's ,skylark4 ,as we need the help of the naturalists1 who see more accurately than we1 we also need the assistance of the poet's clearer vision1 with its wider and deeper sweep4 ,how completely ,sidney ,lanier summed up the mocking bird6 and how much more pleasing is the bird in the tree because of the bird in the poem3-- ,superb and sole1 upon a plumed spray ,that o'er the general leafage boldly grew1 ,he summed the woods in song2 or typic drew ,the watch of hungry hawks1 the lone dismay ,of languid doves when long their lovers stray1 ,and all birds' passion plays that sprinkle dew ,at morn in brake or bosky avenue4 ,whate'er birds did or dreamed1 this bird could say4 ,then down he shot1 bounced airily along ,the sward1 twitched in a grasshopper1 made song ,midflight1 perched1 prinked1 and to his art again4 ,sweet science1 this large riddle read me plain3-- ,how may the death of that dull insect be ,the life of yon trim ,shakespeare on the tree8 ,recitations from the poets should be a prominent feature of ,bird ,day exercises4 ,readings and studies of poems about birds may be very profitably made a part of the literary work of the year4 ,the following poems are suitable for recitation and study3-- ,the ,birds' ,orchestra1 ,celia ,thaxter2 ,the ,robin1 ,celia ,thaxter2 ,the ,song ,sparrow1 ,celia ,thaxter2 ,the ,blackbird1 ,alice ,cary2 ,the ,raven's ,shadow1 ,william ,watson2 ,on ,seeing a ,wild ,bird1 ,alice ,cary2 ,what ,sees the ,owl8 ,elizabeth ,s4 ,bates2 ,lament of a ,mocking ,bird1 ,frances ,anne ,kemble2 ,the ,snow-bird1 ,dora ,read ,goodale2 ,to a ,seabird1 ,bret ,harte2 ,the ,rain ,song of the ,robin1 ,kate ,upson ,clark2 ,the ,swallow1 ,owen ,meredith2 ,a ,bird at ,sunset1 ,owen ,meredith2 ,the ,titlark's ,nest1 ,owen ,meredith2 ,the ,dead ,eagle1 ,campbell2 ,ode to a ,nightingale1 ,john ,keats2 ,what the ,birds ,said1 ,john ,greenleaf ,whittier2 ,the ,sandpiper1 ,celia ,thaxter2 ,the ,blackbird and the ,rooks1 ,dinah ,mulock ,craik2 ,the ,canary in his ,cage1 ,dinah ,mulock ,craik2 ,the ,falcon1 ,james ,russell ,lowell2 ,the ,titmouse1 ,ralph ,waldo ,emerson2 ,the ,stormy ,petrel1 ,barry ,cornwall2 ,to the ,skylark1 ,percy ,bysshe ,shelley2 ,the ,o',lincoln ,family1 ,wilson ,flagg2 ,to a ,waterfowl1 ,william ,cullen ,bryant2 ,robert of ,lincoln1 ,william ,cullen ,bryant2 ,the ,return of the ,birds1 ,william ,cullen ,bryant1 ,the ,eagle1 ,alfred ,tennyson2 ,to the ,eagle1 ,james ,g4 ,percival2 ,the ,forerunner1 ,harriet ,prescott ,spofford2 ,the ,skylark1 ,james ,hogg2 ,to the ,skylark1 ,william ,wordsworth2 ,sir ,robin1 ,lucy ,larcom2 ,the ,pewee1 ,j4 ,t4 ,trowbridge2 ,the ,yellowbird1 ,celia ,thaxter ,the ,dying ,swan1 ,alfred ,tennyson2 ,story of a ,blackbird1 ,alice ,cary2 ,the ,blue ,jay1 ,mrs4 ,a4 ,d4 ,t4 ,whitney2 ,the ,song ,sparrow1 ,mrs4 ,a4 ,d4 ,t4 ,whitney2 ,the ,catbird1 ,mrs4 ,a4 ,d4 ,t4 ,whitney2 ,sparrows1 ,mrs4 ,a4 ,d4 ,t4 ,whitney2 ,the ,ovenbird1 ,mrs4 ,a4 ,d4 ,t4 ,whitney2 ,the ,vireos1 ,mrs4 ,a4 ,d4 ,t4 ,whitney2 ,the ,ovenbird1 ,frank ,bolles2 ,whip-poor-will1 ,frank ,bolles2 ,the ,veery1 ,henry ,van ,dyke2 ,the ,song ,sparrow1 ,henry ,van ,dyke2 ,the ,wings of a ,dove1 ,henry ,van ,dyke2 ,the ,whip-poor-will1 ,henry ,van ,dyke2 ,to the ,cuckoo1 ,william ,wordsworth2 ,secrets1 ,susan ,coolidge2 ,the ,falcon1 ,james ,russell ,lowell2 ,the ,mocking ,bird1 ,sidney ,lanier2 ,forbearance1 ,ralph ,waldo ,emerson2 ,the ,mocking ,bird1 ,clinton ,scollard2 ,the ,mocking ,bird1 ,maurice ,thompson2 ,the ,mocking ,bird1 ,r4 ,h4 ,wilde2 ,the ,mocking ,bird1 ,a4 ,b4 ,meek2 ,the ,mocking ,bird1 ,albert ,pike2 ,the ,song of the ,thrush1 ,edward ,markham4 ,this list can of course be indefinitely extended4 ,,in ,,church ,just in front of my pew sits a maiden-- ,a little brown wing on her hat1 ,with its touches of tropical azure1 ,and sheen of the sun upon that4 ,through the bloom-colored pane shines a glory ,by which the vast shadows are stirred1 ,but ,i pine for the spirit and splendor ,that painted the wing of the bird4 ,the organ rolls down its great anthem2 ,with the soul of a song it is blent2 ,but for me1 ,i am sick for the singing ,of one little song that is spent4 ,the voice of the curate is gentle3 ,no sparrow shall fall to the ground2 ,but the poor broken wing on the bonnet ,is mocking the merciful sound4 --,anonymous4 ,,ix ,,objects ,,and ,,results ,,of ,,bird ,,day ,the general observance of a ,bird ,day in our schools would probably do more to open thousands of young minds to the reception of bird lore than anything else that can be devised4 ,the scattered interests of the children would thus be brought together1 and fused into a large and compact enthusiasm1 which would become the common property of all4 ,zeal in a genuine cause is more contagious than a bad habit4 ,the first ,bird ,day in the schools was celebrated on the first ,friday in ,may1 #ahid4 ,this is as good a date as any for the sections not in the extreme ,north or ,south4 ,it would better come a little after the birds begin to arrive4 ,the afternoon session will be found sufficient to devote to the special exercises4 ,the date should be announced some time beforehand1 so that the children may prepare for it4 ,they will not only prepare themselves1 but will have the whole community aroused by the sharp points of their inquisitorial weapons4 ,exercises should be held in all grades1 from the primary to the high school4 ,we quote the following from circular ,no4 #ag sent out by the ,united ,states ,department of ,agriculture3-- ,,object ,,of ,,bird ,,day ,from all sides come reports of a decrease in native birds1 due to the clearing of the forests1 draining of the swamps1 and cultivation of lands1 but especially to the increasing slaughter of birds for game1 the demand for feathers to supply the millinery trade1 and the breaking up of nests to gratify the egg-collecting proclivities of small boys4 ,an attempt has been made to restrict these latter causes by legislation4 ,nearly every ,state and ,territory has passed game laws1 and several ,states have statutes protecting insectivorous birds4 ,such laws are frequently changed and cannot be expected to accomplish much unless supported by popular sentiment in favor of bird protection4 ,this object can only be attained by demonstrating to the people the value of birds1 and how can it be accomplished better than through the medium of the schools8 ,briefly stated1 the object of ,bird ,day is to diffuse knowledge concerning our native birds and to arouse a more general interest in bird protection4 ,as such it should appeal not only to ornithologists1 sportsmen1 and farmers1 who have a practical interest in the preservation of birds1 but also to the general public1 who would soon appreciate the loss if the common songsters were exterminated4 ,it is time to give more intelligent attention to the birds and appreciate their value4 ,many schools already have courses in natural history or nature study1 and such a day would add zest to the regular studies1 encourage the pupils to observe carefully1 and give them something to look forward to and work for4 ,in the words of the originator of the day1 the general observance of a ,bird ,day in our schools would probably do more to open thousands of young minds to the reception of bird lore than anything else that can be devised4 ,the first thing is to interest the scholars in birds in general and particularly in those of their own locality4 ,good lists of birds have been prepared for several of the ,states1 and popular books and articles on ornithology are within the reach of every one4 ,but the instruction should not be limited to books2 the children should be encouraged to observe the birds in the field1 to study their habits and migrations1 their nests and food1 and should be taught to respect the laws protecting game and song birds4 ,,value ,,of ,,bird ,,day ,when the question of introducing ,arbor ,day into the schools was brought before the ,national ,educational ,association in ,february1 #ahhd1 the objection was made that the subject was out of place in the schools4 ,the value of the innovation could not be appreciated by those who did not see the practical bearing of the subject on an ordinary school course4 ,but at the next meeting of the ,association the question was again brought up and unanimously adopted--to the mutual benefit of the schools and of practical forestry4 ,with the advent of more progressive ideas concerning education there is a demand for instruction in subjects which a few years ago would have been considered out of place1 or of no special value4 ,if the main object of our educational system is to prepare boys and girls for the intelligent performance of the duties and labors of life1 why should not some attention be given to the study of nature1 particularly in rural schools where the farmers of the next generation are now being educated8 ,the study of birds may be taken up in several ways and for different purposes2 it may be made to furnish simply a course in mental training or to assist the pupil in acquiring habits of accurate observation2 it may be taken up alone or combined with composition1 drawing1 geography1 or literature4 ,but it has also an economic side which may appeal to those who demand purely practical studies in schools4 ,economic ornithology has been defined as the study of birds from the standpoint of dollars and cents4 ,it treats of the direct relations of birds to man1 showing which species are beneficial and which injurious1 teaching the agriculturist how to protect his feathered friends and guard against the attacks of his foes4 ,this is a subject in which we are only just beginning to acquire exact knowledge1 but it is none the less deserving of a place in our educational system on this account4 ,its practical value is recognized both by individual ,states and by the ,national ,government1 which appropriate considerable sums of money for investigations of value to agriculture4 ,much good work has been done by some of the experiment stations and ,state boards of agriculture1 particularly in ,illinois1 ,indiana1 ,massachusetts1 ,michigan1 ,nebraska1 and ,pennsylvania4 ,in the ,united ,states ,department of ,agriculture1 the ,division of ,biological ,survey 7formerly the ,division of ,ornithology7 devotes much attention to the collection of data respecting the geographic distribution1 migration1 and food of birds1 and to the publication and diffusion of information concerning species which are beneficial or injurious to agriculture4 ,some of the results of these investigations are of general interest1 and could be used in courses of instruction in even the lower schools4 ,such facts would thus reach a larger number of persons than is now possible1 and would be made more generally available to those interested in them4 ,if illustrations of the practical value of a knowledge of zooelogy are necessary they can easily be given4 ,it has been estimated recently that the forests and streams of ,maine are worth more than its agricultural resources4 ,if this is so1 is it not equally as important to teach the best means of preserving the timber1 the game1 and the fish1 as it is to teach students how to develop the agricultural wealth of the ,state8 ,in #ahhe ,pennsylvania passed its famous scalp act1 and in less than two years expended between #ge1jjj and #ajj1jjj in an attempt to rid the ,state of animals and birds supposed to be injurious4 ,a large part of the money was spent for killing hawks and owls1 most of which belonged to species which were afterwards shown to be actually beneficial4 ,not only was money thrown away in a useless war against noxious animals1 but the ,state actually paid for the destruction of birds of inestimable value to its farmers4 ,during the last five or six years two ,states have been engaged in an unsuccessful attempt to exterminate ,english sparrows by paying bounties for their heads4 ,michigan and ,illinois have each spent more than #ej1jjj2 but1 although millions of sparrows have been killed1 the decrease in numbers is hardly perceptible4 ,a more general knowledge of the habits of the ,english sparrow at the time the bird was first introduced into the ,united ,states would not only have saved this outlay of over #ajj1jjj1 but would also have saved many other ,states from loss due to depredations by sparrows4 ,is it not worth while to do something to protect the birds and prevent their destruction before it is too late8 ,a powerful influence for good can be exerted by the schools if the teachers will only interest themselves in the movement1 and the benefit that will result to the pupils could hardly be attained in any other way at so small an expenditure of time4 ,if it is deemed unwise to establish another holiday1 or it may seem too much to devote one day in the year to the study of birds1 the exercises of ,bird ,day might be combined with those of ,arbor ,day4 ,it is believed that ,bird ,day can be adopted with profit by schools of all grades1 and the subject is recommended to the thoughtful attention of teachers and school superintendents throughout the country1 in the hope that they will cooeperate with other agencies now at work to prevent the destruction of our native birds4 ,t4 ,s4 ,,palmer1 ,acting ,chief of ,division4 ,approved3 ,,chas4 ,w4 ,,dabney1 ,,jr41 ,,washington1 ,d4 ,c41 ,july #b1 #ahif4 ,the results of ,bird ,day are noticeable in the schools in which it has been observed4 ,the spirit of the schools has become fresher and brighter4 ,there has been more marked improvement in the composition work and in the language of the pupils4 ,most of the children know the names of many of our birds and considerable of their ways of life1 and wish to know more1 and are their warm friends and protectors4 ,the old relations between the small boy and the birds have been entirely changed4 ,the birds themselves have been affected4 ,they have become much more numerous4 ,many that were formerly rare visitants now nest freely in the shade trees of the city2 for example1 the orioles1 the grosbeaks1 the scarlet tanagers1 and even the wood thrushes1 and their nests are about as safe as the other homes4 ,the children say that the birds know about ,bird ,day1 and have come to help it along4 ,the correlation of the public library and the public schools is assured in those towns where ,bird ,day has been introduced4 ,if there were no other result of this new day1 the demand for healthful literature would be enough4 ,the call for ,burroughs and ,bradford ,torrey1 ,olive ,thorne ,miller1 and the other writers of our out-of-doors literature is so great as to attract attention in the libraries4 ,in fact1 in one the writer knows well there is a constant and steady demand1 particularly from the boys4 ,frank ,bolles is a great favorite with them4 ,the excursions to the woods have a new and aesthetic interest4 ,what would ,emerson have thought when he wrote that matchless bit-- ,hast thou named all the birds1 without a gun8 ,loved the wood-rose and left it on its stalk8 if he had known that the boys of another generation would be able to answer as he would have liked to have them6 ,the effect upon teachers is not less marked4 ,the trip to the woods in the early morning and at sunset1 sometimes with the children and sometimes in parties by themselves1 has resulted in physical and mental good4 ,a new and charming relation has sprung up between teachers and children4 ,the tie of community of interests is a strong one4 ,a taste in common is always conducive to friendship4 ,the surprising thing about this new departure in nature study is that once taken up it will never be abandoned4 ,there is something fascinating in it4 ,one may love trees and flowers1 but their processes and habits of growth are in a way unrelated to us2 but our little brothers in feathers are kin to us in their hopes and fears4 ,when ,i think1 said a bright woman the other day1 that this summer ,i have learned to know by plumage and by song twenty birds1 and when ,i realize the delight the knowledge has given me1 ,i feel as if ,i ought to go out as a missionary to the heathen women in my neighborhood4 ,she did not exaggerate the feeling of every bird lover4 ,so much is lost to life and good cheer by this ignorance4 ,now that the ,bird ,day idea is being taken up and spread by the ,united ,states ,government in the interests of economy1 it will do much to sweeten the lives of the coming generation4 ,the natural impulse to love and watch the birds will be encouraged instead of being disregarded4 ,hast thou named all the birds1 without a gun8 ,loved the wood-rose1 and left it on its stalk8 ,o1 be my friend1 and teach me to be thine6 --,,emerson4 ,no longer now the winged inhabitants ,that in the woods their sweet lives sing away1 ,flee from the form of man1 but gather round1 ,and prune their feathers on the hands ,which little children stretch in friendly sport ,towards these dreadless partners of their play4 --,extract from ,,shelley',s ,queen ,mab4 ,,part ,,ii ,,notes ,,on ,,representative ,,birds ,,kingbird 7,tyrannus tyrannus7 ,,called ,,also ,,bee ,,bird1 ,,bee ,,martin1 ,,and ,,tyrant ,,flycatcher ,length1 about eight and one-half inches2 spread of wings1 fourteen and one-half inches4 ,the upper parts of body are a blackish ash2 top of head1 black2 crown with a concealed patch of orange red2 lower parts pure white1 tinged with pale bluish ash on the sides of the throat and across the breast2 sides of the breast and under the wings rather lighter than the back2 the wings dark brown1 darkest towards the ends of the quills2 upper surface of the tail glossy black1 the feathers tipped with white4 ,this bird is a common summer resident of the ,middle ,states1 where it usually arrives the last of ,april4 ,the name tyrannus given to it is descriptive of the character of the male1 since during the breeding season he is anxious to attack everything wearing feathers4 ,his particular aversion is hawks and crows1 which he assails by mounting above his adversary and making repeated and violent assaults upon his head4 ,he will even drive the eagle from his vicinity4 ,the farmer could have no better protection for his corn fields than the near-by nest of a pair of kingbirds4 ,they eat some honeybees1 but for every bee thus taken they destroy ten noxious insects4 ,they can be easily frightened away from the vicinity of the hives without being killed4 ,the kingbird's nest is made of slender twigs1 weed stalks1 and grasses1 and is placed among the branches of trees1 fifteen to twenty-five feet from the ground4 ,there are usually four or five eggs1 white1 spotted with brown4 ,they have generally two broods a year4 ,illustration3 ,,kingbird ,,flicker 7,colaptes auratus7 ,,called ,,also ,,yellow-,,hammer1 ,,pigeon ,,woodpecker1 ,,hittock1 ,,and ,,yucker ,length1 twelve and one-half inches2 extent1 about twelve inches4 ,the back and wings above are of a dark umber1 cross marked with streaks of black2 parts surrounding the eyes1 a bright cinnamon color2 upper part of head1 dark gray2 strip of black on each side of the throat about one inch long2 a narrow crescent-shaped spot of a vivid red upon the back of the head4 ,the breast is ornamented with a broad crescent of black2 under parts of the body1 white1 tinged with yellow1 and having many round spots of black2 the lower side of the wing and tail1 a beautiful golden yellow2 the rump1 white4 ,this bird may be easily distinguished by the white rump and the bright yellow under the wings seen in flight4 ,its food consists largely of wood lice1 ants1 of which it is very fond1 and of other insects which it finds upon the ground or upon trees4 ,the female differs from the male in appearance1 the black strips upon the sides of the throat being very indistinct or wanting entirely4 ,the flicker's nest1 like those of other woodpeckers1 may be found in maples1 oaks1 apple trees1 and occasionally pines or birches4 ,they are more frequently built in clusters of trees than in exposed places1 and from ten to thirty feet from the ground4 ,the male has been noticed coming to the ground and throwing chips about1 so that the nest-building might not be observed4 ,the eggs are plain white4 ,illustration3 ,,flicker ,,red-,,headed ,,woodpecker 7,melanerpes erythrocephalus7 ,length1 nine and one-half inches2 extent1 eighteen inches4 ,the head and neck are crimson2 a narrow crescent of black on the upper part of the breast2 back1 outer part of the wings1 and tail1 black glossed with blue2 rump1 lower part of the back1 inner part of the wings1 and the whole under parts1 from the breast downwards1 white2 legs and feet1 bluish green2 claws1 light blue4 ,like all woodpeckers1 the tail feathers are sharp and stiff and help the bird to sustain itself upon the tree4 ,it can strike hard blows with its bill1 and drill into the hardest wood with rapidity and apparent ease4 ,it will locate accurately the position of a grub or an insect that is within the wood of a tree1 drill a hole to the inmate1 and pull it out with its long1 sticky tongue4 ,the female is like the male in appearance1 except that her colors are somewhat fainter4 ,woodpeckers as a class are beneficial1 and do much to preserve trees from destructive insects4 ,the red-headed woodpecker builds its nest at the bottom of a tunnel in a tree1 dug by other birds1 or adapted to use from an already existing cavity4 ,the nest is a mere heap of soft1 decaying wood1 more attention being paid by the bird to securing protection against rain than in having the nest clean and nice4 ,the eggs are white1 speckled with reddish brown1 and are usually six in number4 ,illustration3 ,,red-,,headed ,,woodpecker ,,blue ,,jay 7,cyanocitta cristata7 ,length1 twelve inches2 extent1 seventeen inches4 ,the head is crested2 crest and upper back are a light purplish blue2 wings and tail1 bright blue2 a collar of black proceeds from the hind part of the head1 gracefully curving down each side of the neck to the upper part of the breast1 where it forms a crescent2 the chin1 throat1 and under parts are white or slightly tinged with blue2 the tail is long and composed of twelve feathers marked with cross curves of black1 each feather being tipped with white1 except the two middle ones1 which are a dark purple at the ends4 ,the legs and bill are black4 ,the nest of the blue jay is large and clumsily made1 and is placed high in the branches of tall trees1 the cedar being preferred4 ,it is lined with fine1 fibrous roots4 ,the eggs are four or five in number1 of a dull olive1 spotted with brown4 ,illustration3 ,,blue ,,jay ,,bobolink 7,dolichonyx oryzivorus7 ,,called ,,also ,,ricebird1 ,,reedbird1 ,,and ,,boblincoln ,length1 seven and one-fourth inches2 extent1 twelve and one-fourth inches4 ,the female is a little smaller than the male4 ,the male has the top and sides of the head and under parts black2 large yellowish patch on the back of the neck2 middle of back is streaked with buff2 lower part of the back and upper tail feathers1 grayish white2 wings and tail1 black2 the bill is short1 conical1 and is blue black4 ,the tail feathers are sharp-pointed and stiff like a woodpecker's4 ,the female has the upper parts olive buff streaked with black2 yellowish beneath2 two stripes on the top of head2 wings and tail1 brownish2 tail feathers with pointed tips4 ,in the autumn the male puts on a dress similar to that of the female1 the colors being a little more pronounced4 ,the nest is built on the ground1 of grasses4 ,it contains from four to seven grayish eggs1 spotted with blotches of brown4 ,illustration3 ,,bobolink ,,red-,,winged ,,blackbird 7,agelaius phoeniceus7 ,,called ,,also ,,american ,,redwing1 ,,marsh ,,blackbird1 ,,and ,,swamp ,,blackbird ,length1 nine and one-half inches2 spread of wings1 fifteen and one-fourth inches4 ,the male is of a uniform black1 which glistens in the sunshine2 shoulders bright scarlet bordered with brownish yellow2 bill1 legs1 and feet black4 ,the female is smaller than the male1 and differs greatly from him in appearance4 ,she is dark brown above1 streaked with lighter and darker shades2 below1 gray streaked with brown2 throat and edge of wing tinged with pink or yellow1 but mostly pink in the summer4 ,the young male at first resembles the female1 but may soon be recognized by black feathers appearing in patches4 ,the nests1 which are composed chiefly of coarse grasses lined with finer grass1 are built upon the ground or in low bushes4 ,those built in bushes are compact1 the others are generally loosely made4 ,the eggs number four to six1 spotted and lined with black and brown4 ,illustration3 ,,red-,,winged ,,blackbird ,,meadow ,,lark 7,sturnella magna7 ,,called ,,also ,,field ,,lark ,length of male1 ten and one-half inches2 spread of wings1 sixteen inches4 ,the female is smaller4 ,the feathers above are dark brown1 with transverse dark brown bars across the wings and tail2 the outer tail feathers1 white2 the throat1 breast1 under parts and edge of wing1 bright yellow4 ,a yellow spot extends from the nostril to the eye4 ,the breast has a large black crescent1 the points of which reach halfway up the neck2 hind toes long1 its claws twice as long as the middle one4 ,the female is like the male1 but duller in color4 ,their food is various forms of insects1 beetles1 grasshoppers1 cutworms1 larvae1 sometimes varied by the seeds of grasses and weeds1 wild cherries1 and berries4 ,the nest is built upon the ground1 of dried grasses1 carefully concealed in tufts of grass4 ,the eggs are oval1 usually five in number2 they are white1 dotted with reddish brown4 ,both sexes engage in building the nest4 ,illustration3 ,,meadow ,,lark ,,baltimore ,,oriole 7,icterus galbula7 ,,called ,,also ,,golden ,,robin1 ,,firebird1 ,,and ,,hangbird ,length1 about eight inches2 extent1 twelve and one-half inches4 ,the head1 throat1 and upper part of the back are black2 the lower part of the back1 the breast1 and forward part of the wing are a brilliant orange4 ,the base of the middle tail feathers is orange1 the ends black2 all the others are orange1 with a black band in the middle4 ,the female is smaller1 and colors are not so bright4 ,the nest is composed of various materials1 such as grasses1 plant fibers1 hairs1 strings1 which are capable of being interwoven4 ,it is suspended near the end of a limb4 ,the eggs are commonly five in number4 ,they are whitish and variously marked with black and brown spots and lines4 ,illustration3 ,,baltimore ,,oriole ,,song ,,sparrow 7,melospiza fasciata7 ,length1 a little over six inches2 extent1 about eight and one-half inches4 ,general color of the upper parts brown streaked with black1 gray1 and different shades of brown2 no white wing bars2 the crown dull brown1 with a faint grayish line in the middle2 white line over the eye2 under parts whitish with numerous dark brown streaks on the neck1 breast1 and sides2 a conspicuous black spot in the middle of the breast2 bill1 legs1 and feet are brownish4 ,the female is the same as the male4 ,the nest is composed of grasses1 lined with finer grass4 ,it is built in a low bush or on the ground4 ,the eggs vary greatly both in size and in markings4 ,they are generally five in number1 and are greenish or bluish white1 variously spotted with brown4 ,these birds raise two and sometimes three broods4 ,not to know the song sparrow is to miss one of the delights of summer4 ,illustration3 ,,song ,,sparrow ,,goldfinch 7,spinus tristis7 ,,called ,,also ,,yellowbird1 ,,thistle-,,bird1 ,,and ,,wild ,,canary ,length1 five and one-fourth inches2 extent1 nearly nine inches4 ,the back and under parts are bright yellow2 wings and crown cap1 black2 tips of the wing and tail feathers1 white on their inner webs4 ,the male in autumn loses his black cap1 and his bright yellow parts change to a dull brownish yellow similar to the female2 the wings and tail1 however1 remain darker and the white markings are more noticeable than those of the female4 ,the female has no black cap2 the wings and tail are dusky1 marked with white as in the male2 lower parts1 yellowish gray2 upper parts inclining to olive4 ,the nest is cup-shaped1 composed of plant fibers1 lined with downy substances4 ,the eggs are usually five in number1 white or faintly bluish4 ,illustration3 ,,goldfinch ,,rose-,,breasted ,,grosbeak 7,habia ,ludoviciana7 ,length1 eight inches2 extent1 thirteen inches4 ,back1 throat1 and head are black2 breast and under wings1 rose-red2 wings1 black2 rump1 white tipped with black4 ,the female is about the same size as the male4 ,her upper parts are brown1 margined with buff and pale brown1 with whitish line over the eye2 wings and tail1 dark gray2 feathers of the fore wing tipped with white2 under parts yellowish1 streaked with brown4 ,the nest is a thin1 flat structure made of dried grasses and small twigs4 ,the eggs are greenish white with brown spots2 they are usually four in number4 ,these birds are said to be great destroyers of potato bugs4 ,illustration3 ,,rose-,,breasted ,,grosbeak ,,cedar ,,bird 7,ampelis cedrorum7 ,,called ,,also ,,cherry ,,bird1 ,,american ,,waxwing1 ,,and ,,canadian ,,robin ,length1 seven and one-fourth inches2 extent1 about twelve inches4 ,the head is crested2 general color1 grayish brown2 forehead1 chin1 and a line through the eye1 black2 tail and wings1 gray2 tail tipped with yellow2 some of the shorter wing feathers are tipped with small oblong beads of red1 resembling sealing wax4 ,these birds are fond of cherries and berries4 ,the fruit grower can protect his interests by planting some choke cherries1 mulberries1 and mountain ash trees at the edges of his orchard4 ,cedar birds destroy great quantities of insects1 and are entitled to a part of the fruit which they have helped to save4 ,the nest is large and loosely made of strips of bark1 leaves1 grasses1 sometimes of mud1 lined with finer materials4 ,the eggs are usually five in number1 dull gray spotted with black and brown4 ,illustration3 ,,cedar ,,bird ,,brown ,,thrush 7,harporhynchus rufus7 ,,called ,,also ,,brown ,,thrasher ,length1 eleven and one-fourth inches2 extent1 thirteen inches2 tail1 five and one-half inches long4 ,the iris is yellow2 upper parts1 reddish or cinnamon brown2 lower parts1 white2 feathers of middle wing edged with white2 the breast and sides strongly spotted with dark brown4 ,the nest is a carelessly made1 bulky affair1 composed of rootlets1 strips of bark1 twigs1 leaves1 and other material4 ,it is generally poorly concealed in some low tree or even in the corner of a fence4 ,for this reason it is frequently broken up4 ,the eggs1 four or five in number1 are brownish mottled with darker brown4 ,during the nesting season the bird at morning and in the afternoon ascends to the tops of trees and pours forth his wonderful song4 ,he has even been thought to be showing off1 for he will sing almost as long as any one will stay to listen2 but he is probably attracting attention to himself in order to detract it from his nest1 which is always somewhere within the circle of his song4 ,illustration3 ,,brown ,,thrush ,,chickadee 7,parus atricapillus7 ,,called ,,also ,,blackcap ,,titmouse ,length1 five and one-half inches2 extent1 eight inches4 ,the general color of back is ashy2 the top of head1 throat1 and chin black2 no crest2 under parts1 whitish with buff on the sides2 wing and tail feathers edged with white2 legs1 bluish gray2 bill1 black4 ,the song of this bird is an oft-repeated chick-a-dee1 from which it takes its name4 ,its call consists of two high notes1 the first one a third above the second1 which may be easily imitated1 and the bird attracted to the vicinity of the person answering his call4 ,its nest is made of grasses and feathers1 placed in a hole in a stump or tree2 frequently in the deserted cavity made by a woodpecker4 ,the eggs1 six or seven1 are white1 spotted with brown about the larger end4 ,illustration3 ,,chickadee ,,catbird 7,galeoscoptes ,carolinensis7 ,length1 nine inches2 extent1 eleven and one-half inches4 ,the general color is dark slate1 somewhat lighter beneath2 top of the head and tail1 black2 under side of tail near the base1 chestnut2 bill and feet1 black2 eye1 brown4 ,the female is like the male1 but smaller4 ,as a musician1 this bird closely approaches the brown thrush4 ,there are great differences in individual singers4 ,the nest is bulky1 composed of twigs1 rootlets1 dead leaves1 strips of bark1 etc4 ,strips of grapevine bark are quite commonly used1 some nests being constructed almost wholly of this material4 ,the eggs are generally four in number and of a greenish blue1 unmarked4 ,illustration3 ,,catbird ,,bluebird 7,sialia sialis7 ,length1 six and one-half inches2 extent1 twelve and one-half inches4 ,the upper parts1 wings1 and tail are bright blue2 sides of the head and upper part of chin also blue2 throat1 breast1 and sides1 reddish brown2 abdomen and under side of tail1 white2 legs and bill1 blackish2 eye1 brown4 ,the female is similarly marked1 but the colors are duller4 ,the bluebird's song is a continued pleasing1 rich warble4 ,the nest is loosely built of grasses1 feathers1 and soft material1 in holes of trees1 in hollows of posts1 or in bird boxes4 ,the eggs are light blue and are four or five in number4 ,illustration3 ,,bluebird