INTRODUCTION 
need not be a very expensive experiment, and I am 
convinced that the outlay would not only be amply 
repaid, but, which is more to the point, receive the 
cordial approval of the general public. A monthly 
report in the daily Press would serve as a guide to the 
public concerning all that is going on in the bird-world 
of London, and where specially interesting facts might 
be observed. 
A word now in conclusion respecting the Nature-study 
of Bird-life in the London elementary schools. This 
should be pursued in each and every case strictly and 
exclusively, as far as possible, with a view to Loca! con- 
ditions. ‘The birds found in the district in which the 
school is situated should form the objects of study; and 
in this way the elementary facts of avine dispersal and 
distribution may be illustrated. In this way may be 
demonstrated how certain birds inhabit certain locali- 
ties; why they do so; how they do so. ‘The harmony of 
species with their environment, the adaptability of species 
or the lack of it, with its results, are other questions 
bearing upon this branch of study. Then comes the 
matter of species being sedentary or migratory. Why 
are they so? ‘This leads on to the subject of avine 
migration and local movements; the cause (not lack of 
food, as so many teachers insist), the destination, and so 
on. With migratory species the times of arrival and 
departure, the duration of the stay, the object of the visit, 
must all be dealt with; and in the case of sedentary 
species the various movements, non-migrational, but 
sufficiently marked, will require notice. Then comes 
the structure, the habits, and economy of the birds 
selected for study, care being taken to lay stress upon 
the fact that these birds are typical of groups, to which 
such structure and habits are common. ‘The Sparrow 
may be taken, for instance, as typical of the Finches, 
the Thrush and the Robin of another group, the Wren of 
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