The Audubon Societies 57 



cooperate with the Audubon Societies in this work, and teachers will always 

 find them willing to help in any undertaking which has for its object the making 

 of better men and women. 



We are printing at the end of this editorial a little story that has been 

 contributed by the Red Cross, called 'Feathered Allies,' and with it a photograph 

 of some Junior Red Cross members who have been building bird-houses. The 

 remainder of this department of Bird-Lore will then be devoted to a discussion 

 of "How to Build and Where to Place Bird-houses," for the building of bird- 

 houses offers one of the best opportunities for cooperation between teachers and 

 parents, the school and the community, that can be hoped for. It likewise offers 

 a splendid opportunity for coordination of school- work, reading, writing, arith- 

 metic, drawing, manual training, etc. In some places entire communities 

 have received their whcle animus for the protection of wild life through the 

 institution of a 'bird-house competition' by one of the teachers of the local 

 school. The local stores are always ready to supply prizes and to display the 

 houses and posters that have been made by the children if enough general 

 interest is aroused. The local press, also, will always be ready to print announce- 

 ments, list prizes, and announce prize-winners, and such publicity always 

 gives life to the competitions. Lastly, every effort should be made to interest 

 a large and representative group of people and to get all to cooperate, and the 

 greater the publicity given to the proposed competition, the more successful 

 it will be and the more good it will do. One should always bear in mind, however, 

 that such a competition should not have as its sole object the number of bird- 

 houses constructed. Accuracy of construction, careful workmanship, and, most 

 important of all, thought for the birds should be emphasized. The underlying 

 motive of doing for others, of working for the birds and not for the prizes, 

 should be conspicuous at all times, for it is from this that the greatest good 

 results. 



Many competitions end with the completion and exhibition of the bird- 

 houses, but this is a mistake. It is just as important that a bird-house be 

 properly placed as that it be properly constructed. A child that has worked 

 faithfully in building a bird-house deserves to have the pleasure of seeing it 

 occupied. Moreover, it is the response that the birds make to his efforts toward 

 helping them that will fix his interest permanently in the work of conservation. 

 It is, therefore, highly important that no effort be spared to encourage the 

 birds to occupy the houses. The award of prizes may be conditioned upon the 

 proper placing of the houses or a second competition may be started based upon 

 the greatest number occupied or the best written account of what transpires 

 at the house. There are here again numerous ways of coordinating the work 

 with other lessons. 



