38 



The Living Things of the Earth unit i 



Fig. 47 A bird calevdar for Boston, Massachtisetts. Which bird stays the year round? 

 Which leave Boston in the fall? In the spring? See Exercise 13. 



9. Can you get birds to stay in your neighborhood? Establish winter 

 feedinCT stations. See National Association Audubon Societies leaflets; or 

 A. A. Allen, Book of Bird Life. 



10. If you are good at making things with your hands, build bird 

 houses and bird baths. You will enjoy watching the birds use them. See 

 L. H. Baxter, Boy Bird-House Architecture. 



11. Do you know any birds by their calls or songs? Some of them are 

 very easy to recognize. Get phonograph records of bird songs to play in 

 the classroom. Records can be purchased from the Laboratory of Orni- 

 thology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. In some cities these rec- 

 ords can be rented from The Audubon Society. 



12. Make a collection of deserted bird nests and show them to the class. 

 How many different kinds of materials go into the making of these nests? 

 (Do not collect nests still in use.) 



13. When you have learned to recognize man\' kinds of birds you will 

 enjoy making a "bird census." List all the birds found in your locality. 

 Examine Figure 47. It \\'ould be interesting for you to prepare a bird 

 calendar for your part of the country. 



14. Bird photography is a fascinating hobby. Much information can be 

 obtained from the camera department of Nature Magazine and magazines 

 on camping, hunting, and fishing. The finest achievement is a series of 

 pictures showing the life of the bird from egg to adult. 



Reptiles and Ainplnbians 



15. A terrarium (glass) may be set up for salamanders, newts, and 

 frogs. Mosses and small ferns M'ill help to make a forest floor. 



16. Can you plan an experiment to discover the efl'ects of changes in 

 temperature on cold-blooded animals like the snakes and lizards? Use ice 

 and warm water but do not wet the animal. Why must )'ou change the 

 temperature slowly? 



