BIRD-STUDY FOR SCHOOLS 257 



experience as a pupil, we began with infusoria and 

 the lower forms of life and worked up toward 

 higher orders. This only came in the high school 

 and from books. This was the wrong order, at the 

 wrong time, in the wrong way. 



Some of the larger schools already have teachers 

 of nature-study, or natural science, giving pupils the 

 benefit of trained enthusiasts, which is an excellent 

 plan. In many other cases it will prove feasible to 

 have supervisors of nature-study for groups o£ 

 schools, as they do for music or art work. But in 

 the smaller schools, and in country towns, for years 

 to come the dependence must be upon the average 

 teacher. 



The course in nature study, beginning with birds 

 and animals, usually includes lessons in flowers and 

 trees, and sometimes a little popular geology and 

 astronomy, with chemistry and physics later. I sug- 

 gest adding to it the common facts of meteorology, — 

 the cause of wind, storm, rain, dew, frost, and so 

 on, things which are matters of daily observation and 

 interest with everyone. 



For the guidance of teachers who wish to get some 

 general ideas of how to teach bird-study, I will briefly 

 describe some of the methods now In use. Most 

 teachers use the Audubon Society chart of common 

 birds, and some of the Perry pictures, to show the 

 pupils what the particular birds under discussion are 

 like. These should be used as means to help them 

 to recognize the birds when they see them outdoors. 



