lie 



THE OHECtON naturalist. 



Division of Biological Survey, advocates 

 the settinji apart of one day in the year 

 to be called Bird Day and be observed 

 as snch. 



The idea apparently originated with 

 Prof. C, A. Babcock, superintendent of 

 schools in Oil City, Pa., and is endorsed 

 by the Hon. J. tSterling Morton, Secre- 

 tary of Agriculture who first suggested 

 Arbor Day nearly twenty-five years ago. 

 Foi' the past three years the day has 

 been successfully observed in the Oil 

 City schools. May 29, 1896 was set 

 apart by Prof. C. H. Morrill, Superin- 

 tendant of Schools at Fort Madison, and 

 observed in the schools in his jurisdic- 

 tion, with the result that the children 

 received both t-njoynient and instruc- 

 tion. Prof. Morris in speaking of the 

 day, says: "It is safe to say that we 

 shall celebrate the day next year." 



The matter is being agitated in Con- 

 necticut and Nebraska. The object of 

 the day is to diffuse knowledge concern- 

 ing our native birds, that they may be 

 protected and the beneficial species' be- 

 come better known. 



Prof. Palmer, speaking of the value of 

 the day says : 



"The study of birds may be taken up 

 in several wa3's and for different pur- 

 poses; it may be made to furnish simply 

 a course in mental training or to assist 

 the pupil in acquiring habits of accurate 

 observation , it maybe taken up alone 

 or combined with composition, drawing, 

 geography, or literature. But it has 

 also an economic side which appeals to 

 those who demand purely practical 

 studies in schools. Economic ornithol- 

 ogy has been defined as the '-stinly of 

 birds from the standpoint uf dollars and 

 cents." It treats of the direct relations 

 of birds to man, showing which species 

 are beneficial and which injurious, 

 teaching the agriculturalist how to pro- 

 tect his feathered friends and guard 



against the attacks of his foes. This is 

 a subject in which we are only just be- 

 ginning to acquire exact knowledge, but 

 it is none the less deserving of a place in 

 our educational system on this account. 

 Its practical value is recognized both by 

 individual States and by the National 

 (-rovernment, which appropriate consid- 

 erable sums of money for investigations 

 of value to agriculture. Much good 

 work has lyeen done by some of the ex- 

 periment stations and stats boards of 

 agriculture, particularly in Illinois, In- 

 diana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Neb- 

 raska and Pennsylvania. In the United 

 States Department of Agriculture, the 

 Division of Biological Survey (formerly 

 the Division of Ornithology) devotes 

 much attention to the collection of data 

 respecting the geographic distribution, 

 migration r and food of birds, and to the 

 publication and diffusion of information 

 concerning species which are beneficial 

 or injurious to agriculture. Some of the 

 results of these investigations are of gen- 

 eral interest, and could be used in 

 courses of instruction in even the lower 

 schools. Such facts would thus reach a 

 larger number of persons than is now 

 possible, and would be made more gen- 

 erally available t . those interested in 

 them " 



Let some leading educator in Oregon 

 make a move in this mat'er and in time, 

 a general observance in Oregon of a day 

 for this purpose would be assured. 



A collector of stone relics has 

 been offering inchicements to break 

 commandments. He lives on an 

 island in the Willamette river, and 

 is now sorrowfully <^rying to locate 

 a stone idol two feet tall, and a 

 carved Indian, prepared for burial 

 in a canoe, all of stone about i8 

 inches long. He left them otit in 

 the rain and cold until .someone 

 took pity on them and took them 

 in. 



