gS The Ottawa Naturalist. [August 



very interesting birds regularly make their homes. Omitting 

 the commoner ones, I might mention the Great Crested Flycatcher, 

 Least Flycatcher, Black and White Creeper, Canadian Warbler, 

 Ruby-throat Hummingbird, Black-billed Cuckoo, Catbird, Screech 

 Owl, Cedar Waxwing, Marj^land Yellow throat. In addition to 

 these, many marsh and shore birds, such as Grebes, Gallinules, 

 Bitterns, Coots, Plovers, Sandpipers, and even Ducks and Loons, 

 regularly nest and in spite of legal and illegal shooting seem to 

 maintain their numbers fairly well. In addition to these there are, 

 of course, many migrants, including Warblers, Thrushes, &c , 

 which visit the shade trees and orchards during the spring and fall 

 migrations. Indeed the number and beauty of these migrants is 

 generally a revelation to those whose attention is directed to them 

 for the first time. For the purpose of studying nesting and food 

 habits, however, the ever-present English Sparrow will afford a 

 convenient example and may be compared and contrasted with 

 the Robin Every child knows a good deal about these birds in 

 a more or less vague and indefinite way, and methods will readily 

 suggest themselves to the teacher to make this vague knowledge 

 definite and to cultivate a habit of accurate observation. 



One of the important practical results which will follow the 

 introduction of the study of birds into the schools, will be a more 

 general recognition of their great economic value. To those who 

 know and love birds and all nature, this is, it is true, by no means 

 the greatest consideration ; nevertheless, it is undeniably one 

 which appeals strongly to the popular mind. 



One of the first questions which an appeal for the more 

 general protection of birds will provoke, is almost certain to be : 

 "Well: what good are they any way ? " If we can suppress an 

 expression of pity for the benighted condition of the questioner, 

 we can produce an array of facts generally sufficient to convince 

 the most sceptical, that the vast majority of birds are well deser- 

 ving of our great efforts to encourage and protect them. A familiar 

 example is the Meadow Lark. As far as known, the food of this 

 bird consists entirely of insects, including many such as wire- 

 worms, cutworms and grasshoppers, which are distinctly injurious, 

 to growing crops. 



