(38) 



Attention was called to the following outline taken from Chapman's 

 "Bird-Life", and recommended by Prof. Bruner to the teachers of the 

 state: 



A BIRD'S BIOGRAPHY. 



1. Description. Of size, form, color and markings. 



2. Haunts. Upland, lowland, lakes, rivers, woods, fields, etc. 



3. Movements. Slow or active, hops, walks, creeps, swims, tail wag- 



ged, etc. 



4. Appearance. Alert, pensive, crest erect, tail drooped, etc. 



5. Disposition. Social, solitary, wary, unsuspicious, etc. 



6. Fi^iGHT. Slow, rapid, direct, undulating, soaring, sailing, flap- 



ping, etc. 



7. Song. Pleasing, unattractive, continuous, short, loud, low, 



sung from the ground, from the perch, in the air, 

 etc.; season of song. 



8. Call-notes. Of surprise, alarm, protest, warning, signaling, etc. 



9. Season. Spring, fall, summer, winter, with times of arrival 



and departure, and variations in number. 



10. Food. Berries, insects, seeds, etc.; how secured. 



11. Mating. Habits during courtship. 



12. Nesting. Choice of site, material, construction, eggs, incuba- 



tion. 



13. The Young. Food and care of, time in the nest, notes, actions, 



flight. 



A PLEA FOR THE ENGLISH SPARROW. 



MR. LAWRENCE SKOW. 



At the present time a great deal is being said and written about the 

 possibilities of destroying the so-called "Sparrow pest", and having been 

 a careful student of birds in both this country and Europe for the past 

 thirty years, I believe that I can speak from the standpoint of an exper- 

 ienced observer upon this question. 



Denmark, my native country, is principally a horticultural and agri- 

 cultural country, and small things are carefully considered when they have 

 any bearing upon those industries. If the English Sparrow has done any 

 considerable damage there it would surely be known, and means devised 

 for their destruction, as is done in regard to all destructive birds and mam- 

 mals. 



One of the foremost arguments advanced against the Sparrow in this 

 country is that, on account of their numbers, they drive out other birds and 

 deprive them of their nesting places. 



In Europe, where the English Sparrow is present in far greater num- 

 bers than anywhere in America, Starlings, European Tree Sparrows, Nut- 

 hatches, Wheatears, Titmice, Swallows, Swifts, and several other varieties 

 of birds that use cavities as nesting sites, find plenty of locations for their 

 nests, and abound around every farm house, living in peace with the Eng- 

 lish Sparrow as a near neighbor. In the vicinity of Omaha I have observed 

 that not one in twenty suitable cavities in trees are occupied by birds of 

 any kind; which shows that there is plenty of room for the Bluebirds, Mar- 

 tins, Wrens, Chickadees and others to breed. 



