hayden] AN OUTLINE FOR BIRD STUDY 159 



And so, though Nature has been banished from her haunts in 

 Maiden Lane and on the old Bowery, though De Lancey's Farm 

 has long since vanished, and now asphalt and bricks cover the 

 place where stood Peter Stuyvesant's pear tress, yet a subtle 

 influence has come back like the scent of flowers from the old 

 Bowery and children of other nations growing into American 

 citizenship are weaving into the lives of those with whom they 

 come in contact strands of gentleness and beauty, sadly missing 

 in those so unfortunate as never to touch Nature's hand, never 

 to see her smile. 



Will they and America be the better for it? Who can doubt it ? 



An Outline for Bird Study 



I am sending in a lesson plan for Bird Study which made the pupils 

 enthusiastic observers of birds and resulted in some real work for their 

 preservation. If you find this material of any value for the review let me 

 know as we are trying to teach Nature-Study by problems which will give 

 the children aims in which they are interested for study and observation. 



Very truly 

 Bessie M. Hayden, 



Critic Teacher 5th & 6th Grs. 



Madison State Normal 



Problem: Why may a boy be fined $5.00 for killing an}- bird 

 in Illinois, except English sparrow, crow, crow blackbird, blue- 

 jay or hawk? 



I. Why Birds are protected by the Illinois Bird Law"' 



1. They are of great value to the farmers and gardeners. 



a. What have you seen birds eat ? 



b. They destroy millions of insects, rodents and harmful 

 weed seed. 



c. Birds live mostly on what is harmful to useful plants. 

 (1. Birds common on our farms and gardens: bob-white, 



meadow lark, grackel or common blackbird, dick cissel, 

 thrush, song sparrow, robins, etc. 



e. Favorite food from the plants; chinch bugs, potato beetle, 



cut-worms, grasshoppers, caterpillars and harmful weed 

 seed. 



f. Department of Agriculture claims every bob-white is 



worth ,85.00 to the farmer. (Value of a pair and 

 their flock of 25 young quails"") 



g. Their usefulness depends on numbers: 



Meadow lark averages 87 to sq. mi. in Illinois, 

 Quail " 64 " " " " 



Grackel " 56 " " " " 



