142 Bird - Lore 



which belong to its founders, who contribute in various ways to its welfare 

 and enjoyment, the outside world is but a name for six weeks to those who 

 come to the school seeking rest and change. 



The purpose of this school is notably to study plant and animal life in the 

 open, to become familiar with the denizens of wood and shore, and to touch 

 Nature with ungloved hands — in short, to learn to observe. 



Bird-study is given a place of equal rank in the curriculum with plant and 

 animal ecology, cryptogamic botany, comparative anatomy, etc. For this 

 reason, it has been possible to undertake somewhat more than the usual field 

 and lecture work one is accustomed to consider sufficient for a practical knowl- 

 edge of birds. The aim of the school is to maintain as high a standard as pos- 

 sible in all of its work, and, therefore, the requirements for entrance have been 

 laid down in conformity with this aim. 



Two general courses in bird-study are given to suit the needs of those who 

 desire to devote all, or only part of their time, to this branch. Briefly, the 

 major course is made up of twenty or more lectures, daily class and individual 

 field-trips, chart and record-work, reading, symposia, and special excursions. 

 The shorter or minor course includes lectures, class field-trips, reading and 

 special excursions, if desired. The major course is by far the more desirable, it 

 goes without saying, but an earnest student can get a good deal from the 

 abridged course. Both courses are correlated with economic botany and 

 entomology. 



The aim of bird-study at Cold Spring Harbor is threefold: first, to acquaint 

 one as intimately as possible with the birds and daily bird activities observed in 

 a limited area; second, to obtain and record by various practical methods as 

 much data as possible regarding bird-life in this area, and to compare it with 

 data obtained in neighboring areas of different ecological status; and, third, to 

 outline and discuss methods of teaching bird-study with particular reference 

 to secondary schools. 



The lectures given cover a wide variety of subjects, each presenting some 

 phase of bird-study suited to the needs of a well-trained student or prospective 

 teacher. Classification, structure, plumage and molt, song, nesting, feeding, 

 and other habits, general and local distribution, facts and theories of migration, 

 economic value, protection, fossil history and methods of study are some of 

 the topics discussed. Reading is assigned to suit the individual needs and 

 tastes of the student, and is required in the major course. 



A feature of the field-work is locating and identifying nests. Over three 

 hundred nests are found each summer, the largest number thus far discovered 

 in any single season being four hundred and eighty-five. Each nest is described 

 with reference to its location, height, occupancy, date when found, and special 

 data, on cards prepared for rapid record-taking in the field. Later, these cards 

 are sorted, classified and the data which they contain are transferred to a large 

 chart, that is put on file at the close of the session with similar charts prepared 



