160 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [12:4— April, 1916 



2. Birds are necessary as a protection to our shade and 



fruit trees, 

 a. Birds that get most of their food from the trees: 



wood pecker, flicker or yellow hammer, bluebirds, cat 

 birds, mock'ng-birds, orioles and martins. 



3. They give us pleasure out of doors by their beauty and 



songs. 



a. We know birds by their size, color and songs. 



b. Birds we know having the most beautiful coloring: 



bluebird, oriole, humming-bird, etc. 



c. The sweetest singers: song sparrow, cat-bird, thrush, 



meadow lark, wren and mocking-bird. 



II. Why the English sparrow, crow, crow blackbird, blue- 

 jay and hawk are not protected by law. 



a. English sparrows have driven most of the song birds 



from our yards; they injure buildings, especially brick 

 or stone buildings. 



b. Crow and crow blackbird ruin fields of sprouted grain. 



c. Crow blackbirds and blue-jays eat eggs and young of other 



birds. 



d. Some kinds of hawks catch young chickens. 



III. How we can increase the number of valuable birds in 

 Illinois. 



a. Enforce the bird law. 



b. Be careful not to destroy eggs or nests. 



c. Scatter food for those who stay here in winter. 



d. Build bird houses and put up in the school groves and 



at home. 



Use of Ideas: The class made and put up 25 bird boxes on 

 the school grounds. Nearly all boys made two or three; when 

 a boy put a box up at the school he also put up one at home. 



This work c osed on "Bird and Arbor Day." 



Material: Children's experience with birds: Calender kept 

 of birds seen; when, where, and description; look up food. Class 

 wrote to Department of Agriculture for Bulletins concerning 

 birds : 



No 54, "Some Common Birds in their Relation to Agriculture." 



No 506, " Food of Some Well known Birds of Farm and 

 Garden". Class wrote to Illinois States Attorney for copy of 

 Bird Law. 



