Cornell Study Clubs 1195 



pay a dollar for the book, plus postage of thirty-six cents ; but it is worth 

 much more than that, for it is a thick, well-bound octavo volume, 

 beautifully illustrated. 



Other bird books are so many and so excellent that it is difficult to make 

 a choice among them. Perhaps the best for a beginner is " Bird neigh- 

 bors " by Neltje Blanchan, published by Doubleday, Page & Co. ; its descrip- 

 tions are clear and its colored plates are very helpful in identification. Chap- 

 man's " Bird life " is more advanced, accurate, scientific, and also illus- 

 trated in colors; it is published by D. Appleton & Co., New York. Hoff- 

 man's " Guide to the birds of New England " is equally suited to the 

 latitude of New York State and has the advantage of being small enough 

 to be carried afield for reference. A small " Bird guide " of the land 

 birds east of the Rocky Mountains is published by Charles K. Reed of 

 Worcester, Mass. 



The appended subjects are such as might be of interest to study in 

 connection with the observations made at first hand during the season 

 and to discuss at meetings of the club. 



Small birds known to be resident in the vicinity during the winter 



1 Their food and where it is obtained. 



2 Adaptations of structiire that help in securing food: shapes of beaks, 



tail feathers, position of toes, extensile tongues. 



3 Color markings; distinguishing of sexes. 



4 Does it pay to attract the resident birds by placing food for them in 



safe places? 



5 Birds have keen appetites and swift digestion; it is safe to say that 



every woodpecker, nuthatch, or brown creeper needs at least a half- 

 ounce of food daily in order to sustain life. Putting the low estimate 

 of but a half-dozen of these birds to the square mile, compute the 

 amount of noxious insect larvae and eggs destroyed during the months 

 of December, January, February, and March in the 47,000 square 

 miles of New York State. Answer in pounds or in tons. Make the 

 same computation as to the weed seeds that the groimd-feeding 

 birds destroy. 



List of birds likely to be found resident: 



Hairy Brown creepers Crows 



Woodpeckers \ Downy Nuthatches Blue jays 



^ Red-headed Chickadees Goldfinches 



English sparrows Cedar birds Golden-crowned 



Song sparrows Prairie horned larks kinglets 



White-throated sparrows Juncos 



