The Audubon Societies 



73 



certain birds the meager protection they 

 now receive, on the grounds that the birds 

 are more or less detrimental to the inter- 



ests of mankind. It takes a long time to 

 educate a hundred million people and keep 

 them educatedl 



TWO REPORTS FROM TEACHERS OF JUNIOR 

 AUDUBON CLASSES 



From Fayetteville, Arkansas 



I wish you could see my Boys' Bird 

 Class, they are so courteous, alert and 

 responsive. The ripple from the wave of 

 interest we excited in our school spread 

 into the town schools and resulted in the 

 organization of a large number of children 

 in Junior Audubon Classes, and even tiny 

 tots outside of school are building bird 

 houses. 



Boys and young men in the neighbor- 

 hood who have been suspected of killing 

 Robins and other songbirds, have been 

 approached, remonstrated with gently, and 

 now understand fully the legal penalty for 

 violating bird-protective laws. They were 

 also invited to be present Bird Program 

 Day. A movement of this kind was surely 

 needed here for game and songbirds arc 

 rapidly disappearing. Robins are still shot 

 for potpie the children say, but proofs are 

 lacking. A young farmer came to me the 

 other day to inquire if our Club (the name 

 Audubon seems one to conjure with) could 

 not get closed season for the Quail, which 

 though once plentiful here are now scarce. 

 I find this is one of the chief good of this 

 class, to act as a centre of approach and 

 information for bird preservation for the 

 community. 



We meet once in two weeks in my big 

 livingroom, or outdoors with field glasses, 

 if weather is fine, and talk over a subject 

 assigned at previous lesson. The teacher 

 is often the one taught, for these bright 

 young eyes have learned their bird-lore in 

 the woods and fields. 



Our first lesson was on the 'Value of 

 Birds to PMeld, Orchard and Garden.' The 

 second on 'Migration.' One of the seed- 

 stores here gave us some blank books and 

 the boys used them for migration records. 

 They have done some good work along this 



line, and they enjoy it, for they say it 

 makes them see more birds. Our last lesson 

 was about 'Nests' and I believe the boyish 

 desire for hunting birds' nests was grati- 

 fied just as fully by the collection in the 

 autumn of old nests for study. We found 

 one rare one, a dove-shaped, beautifully 

 made, softly lined one, with the tiny round 

 aperture on one side: some kind of War- 

 bler, probably the Blue-throated Warbler, 

 we have decided. 



Young people will not destroy anything 

 which has become an object of sympa- 

 thetic study and interest, and they need 

 only a word in the right direction to make 

 them the champions instead of the hunters 

 of their feathered brothers. That belief 

 has been the keynote of my work with 

 them and I have required no pledge. 



Boys so love to do things with their 

 hands. At just a hint from me and show- 

 ing pictures of the first lesson in regard to 

 bird-boxes, in less than a week they each 

 made several and brought them to me. 

 Being not unmindful that the way to a 

 boy's heart at least is through his stomach, 

 I always have a little treat for them of 

 doughnuts and cookies. We do have such 

 good times together. — Theresa Jennings. 



From West Point, New York 



Bird-study for children at the West Point 

 School has been carried on for some time, 

 the general methods employed being as 

 follows: 



In the morning exercises, at the discre- 

 tion of the teachers, reports are received 

 and discussed concerning birds, known and 

 unfamiliar to the one who makes his re- 

 port. If the bird is known and has been 

 pre\i()usly discussed, its presence is made 

 simply a matter of record. If the bird is 

 unknown to most present, the various 



