Rural School Leaflet. 733 



BIRD STUDY 



^HIS year we want every boy and girl in the country as 



well as every boy and girl in the city to know birds. 



With very few exceptions birds are helpful to us on the farm 



Iand in the garden ; they are a joy to us throughout the year. 

 The boys and girls who make collections of birds' eggs, of 

 feathers, and the like do not know birds. We are sure that 

 every one who watches bird life and who learns the hard- 

 ships and tragedies they have to meet, will do his part to 

 protect birds through all the coming years. 

 We hope that every reader of the Cornell Rural School Leaflet will 

 make some endeavor this year to attract and protect the birds. A 

 sheltered home, abundant food, and pure water will encourage them to 

 live near us. Many birds have been encouraged to inhabit bird-houses. 

 This in itself is a proof that some birds need but to know that man is 

 friendly in order to be willing to associate with him. 



This is the month to make bird-houses. There should be one on 

 every schoolground in New York State. Manual training classes will 

 find the making of bird houses an interesting piece of work, and in rural 

 districts where manual training is not yet taught, boys and girls will be 

 able to luake one, perhaps, without much help. Farm boys and girls learn 

 to use their hands. 



Birds which build in houses are wrens, blue-birds, tree swallows, 

 martins, doves, piegons and sometimes chickadees. Birds will not make 

 a nest in a house in which the doorway is too large. It should be made 

 just large enough for the birds to enter, so that it will not be easy for 

 enemies to get in to destroy the young. For the wren and the chicka- 

 dee, the opening should be an inch, and for the other birds it should be 

 about one and one-half inches. ( )nly one opening should be provided for 

 each house. A perch should be placed just below the door. Place 

 the house on poles in somewhat secluded places. Martins and tree swal- 

 lows build their nests about twenty-five feet above the ground ; other 

 birds usually prefer their heme to be less than twelve feet. Newly 

 made houses, particularly newly painted ones do not often attract the 

 birds. 



We shall be glad to know how many children throughout the State 

 of New York make bird houses this year. 



* * * 



During the winter we have studied the nuthatch, brown creeper, 

 chickadee, downy woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, and red-headed wood- 

 pecker. Probaljly many of you have not seen all of these birds, but you 

 have the description of them, and will be on the lookout. Notice closely 

 every little bird that you see. It will not be long then before you can 



