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Bird - Lore 



Good Sentiment in Rhode Island 



The Association's field-agent for Massa- 

 chusetts, Winthrop Packard, has been 

 able to do much work outside his state 

 of late. A practical report of his efforts 

 in behalf of helpful legislation in Rhode 

 Island is here given: 



"The Rhode Island law, making the 

 state law agree with the federal law on 

 migratory birds in the matter of seasons 

 for shooting, passed without an amend- 

 ment. There was some opposition at the 

 last moment, but it was all swept aside. 

 The law forbidding the shooting of Ducks 

 from motor-boats, which the Newport 

 Gun and Game Protective Association 

 originated, was passed, and the bill mak- 

 ing Warwick Neck a bird-reservation for 

 five years, also went through. There 

 seems to have been, this year, a great 

 change in sentiment in favor of bird-pro- 

 tection in Rhode Island. Much of the 

 good work has been done by Dr. Horace 

 L. Beck." 



Views of Teachers 



A group of Ohio teachers who have 

 tested bird-study, as promoted by the 

 Junior Audubon classes, have favored us 

 with the result of their experience. All 

 approve of it, and speak of the real enjoy- 

 ment taken in it by themselves as well as 

 by the pupils. "It is surprising," Miss 

 Wolff, of Norwood, exclaims," how much 

 the children find out for themselves. In a 

 great many instances I learned from them 

 fully as much as they learned from me." 



"I found bird-study fascinating both 

 for myself and the children," a Sharon- 

 ville teacher, Miss Doepka, writes. "The 

 mental training received was greater 

 than from any other study, especially in 

 developing their powers of observation. 

 The information received was useful, as 

 it showed them that birds are of great 

 benefit and all should join in protecting 

 them. As the information your leaflets 

 give is not abstract, but such as children 

 can observe for themselves, it is retained 

 as well, if not better than any other." 



This last point is emphasized by a prin- 

 cipal, who says that his experience shows 

 that children retain useful information 

 .onger than other. "An excellent test of 



the retention of this information," Miss 

 Aler, of Mt. Vernon, thinks, "may be 

 shown by unexpectedly asking children 

 to write ten minute' compositions on 

 'The Robin' or the 'Baltimore Oreole' 

 without having an opportunity to look 

 up anything in connection with the topic, 

 and then reading the splendid composi- 

 tions turned in." The value of the study 

 in training the children in English com- 

 position is remarked upon by many teach- 

 ers, who find good models and great help 

 in the leaflets. The keeping of notes of 

 observations is recommended from experi- 

 ence by several correspondents. One of 

 these. Miss Cameron, of Salem, says: 



"I am glad to express myself as more 

 than satisfied with results of bird- 

 study in the school. It was taken up in 

 connection with the English lesson once 

 a week, and in no period of the week's pro- 

 gram was the interest of the pupils more 

 deeply centered. I was a student with 

 the children when it came to this lesson, 

 and I know that all were in love with the 

 study. It has been the means of creating 

 a very desirable spirit in the school. The 

 children are more attentive, more thought- 

 ful of the feelings of others, more kind- 

 hearted to all living creatures, and are 

 eager to do something that will count for 

 happiness or betterment in the bird-world, 

 and hence, in our own." 



The two succeeding letters come from 

 teachers more advanced than are most of 

 them in a knowledge of zoology. 



"I have always been interested in 

 birds," writes Ruth Buckingham, of Love- 

 land, and have a picture-collection of over 

 fifty different species found in this part of 

 Ohio. I keep this collection where the 

 children can have access to it, so that 

 when they have a few spare moments 

 they may get a bird and try to draw it 

 with the colored crayons I give them for 

 that purpose. I do not try to stuff the 

 children with information. I try to get 

 them to find out things for themselves." 



This last one is from a principal, W. N. 

 Thayer, of Norwood: "I have been giving 

 incidental instruction in bird-study in 

 connection with our work in biological 

 nature-study, for some years past, and 

 I have found the Audubon leaflets and 

 pictures valuable supplements." 



