204 



Bird - Lore 



[Note. — The following letter, which was received after the above suggestions were 

 written, is indicative of the interest that is felt by many educators in bird- and nature- 

 study— A. H. W.] 



CONSERVATION OF OUR BIRDS 



Dear Teachers: In our crowded curriculum of school subjects, I feel that we do not 

 give enough attention to the study of our native birds. Considerable space is devoted 

 to the subject of birds in our Common School Manual, viz.. paragraphs 376 and 415 

 to 423 inclusive. A suggestion is made that birds should be studied all the year round, 

 but I very seldom find any effective work done along that line. 



Permit me to suggest that we devote special attention to birds this spring, teaching 

 the value of birds, both from an esthetic standpoint and for their economic value. 



Children should be taught to love birds for their beauty and song, and should be 

 led to see the value of birds to farm life. The loss to the American farmer through 

 weeds and insects runs into millions of dollars annually, and the most effective check 

 on these is our birds. 



Instill in the minds of our children a desire to protect, rather than destroy, the birds 

 and their homes. Learn the names and habits of as many birds as possible. Now is a 

 good time to get acquainted with our migratory birds, as they return from their win- 

 ter quarters. 



I would suggest that every school in the county have a Bird Day program this 

 spring. For material, refer to the Bird Day annuals and library books on birds found 

 in your school library, and write for information on birds and bird-study, from the fol- 

 lowing sources: United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C, and 

 our College of Agriculture; National Association of Audubon Societies; State Audubon 

 Society, Madison, Wis.; Fish and Game Warden Department, Madison, Wis.; The 

 Farm Journal Liberty Bell Bird Club, Washington Square, Philadelphia, Pa.; American 

 Humane Education Society, 45 Milk St., Boston, Mass.; State Normal Schools, and 

 other Colleges; Federal Inspector of Migratory Birds, Portage, Wis. 



To perpetuate the work on bird-study, perhaps it might be well to organize an 

 Audubon Society in your school. Please send us a copy of your Bird Day program. 



Yours for kindness to birds, 



H. A. AuNE, County Superintendent. 

 Baldwin, St. Croix Co., Wis., March 31, 1914- 



JUNIOR AUDUBON WORK 

 For Teachers and Pupils 



Exercise XV: Correlated Studies, Manual Training, Arithmetic, 

 English and Reading 



THE LAW OF LIFE 



James Russell Lowell voices so truly and so sincerely the feelings of the 

 nature-lover that I am going to ask you to commence this exercise for May and 

 June by re-reading the familiar prelude to "The Vision of Sir Launfal." Read 

 it for the melody in it, the joyousness and deep-welling hope. One who loves 

 Nature as an interpreter, as a teacher, or, best of all, as a child, cannot help 



