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foxes or mink ; from hawks or owls ; whether you made any money by 

 sale of eggs or dressed meat or feathers from ducks and geese. 



4. Study of a bird's home life and care of its nestlings. The boy or 

 girl who succeeds with this topic must be very gentle, but it will be a 

 most interesting and valued report. 



Tell when the nest was begun ; where built and of what materials ; by 

 one or both parents ; how long after eggs were laid the young were hatched ; 

 whether one or both parents fed them ; with what food ; how long before 

 the young could fly ; how the mother bird kept the nest clean ; whether the 

 little birds looked like their parents or not. Best of all, whether you 

 observed any enemies and protected the birds from them. 



In the study of bird life I wish you would have in mind the impor- 

 tance of birds in a community. Some persons are very careless in regard 

 to bird life but this is because they are ignorant of the real value of the 

 birds. It is stated by some naturalists that even crows do more good 

 than harm. It may be that you will be able to study crows this year 

 and find out whether this is correct and in what way they are beneficial. 



5. Gardens at home or at school. Tell the location and size of your 

 garden ; how you prepared it ; what you sowed and planted ; how you 

 cultivated it ; what weeds were most troublesome ; what was your first 

 harvest ; whether the produce was sold or used at home ; whether any 

 exhibit of produce was made; whether any gifts of flowers or vegetables 

 were made to any one less fortunate. 



6. Improvement of school grounds. Last year this topic did not 

 have the interest for our boys and girls that we had hoped it would. 

 We are sure, however, that some school grounds were improved and this 

 year we should like to know about it even though the boys and girls have 

 not been mainly concerned in bringing it about. When you have read 

 over this topic, go out-of-doors and look over the school grounds. How 

 do you think any passerby would be impressed by them? Would he 

 consider that the boys and girls in your school were neat and thrifty, 

 and that they were proud of the building and grounds in which they 

 spend the greater part of their year? Do the school grounds need to be 

 cleaned up ; paths made about them and some things planted to give it 

 brightness and make it more attractive? 



7. Plant colonies. One of the most interesting subjects for nature- 

 study is the way in which plants live together. Some plants find room 

 to grow with others as near neighbors and they seem to get along very 

 nicely indeed. It always interests me to see what plants live together in 

 the woods ; along a brook ; along the wayside ; in the open fields ; along 

 the rail fence ; in the corner of my garden. When you write about this 

 topic ask your teacher to let you go out-of-doors, You will see plant 



