290 THE IMPORTANCE OF BIED LIFE 



birds. (6) Through game protective and breed- 

 ing associations. (7) Through Audubon societies. 

 (8) Through wild-life protection societies. 



The value of game-laws has been discussed and 

 requires no further mention here. A word, how- 

 ever, needs to be said about education. Wild- 

 life study is now being taught in most of the pub- 

 lic schools of the United States. Children are 

 familiarized with the common plants, trees, in- 

 sects, animals, and birds. They are taught to 

 recognize the commoner species and learn some- 

 thing of their habits. To further this work many 

 States have set aside a " bird-day, " similar to and 

 often in conjunction with an " arbor-day, " on 

 which the public school children plant berry-trees 

 or shrubs, build bird-houses, and make excur- 

 sions into the woods and fields under the guidance 

 of teachers to study close at hand what they have 

 been taught indoors. In other words, there is a 

 general trend of popular sentiment toward teach- 

 ing the younger generations to take an interest 

 in birds and other forms of wild life. 



A number of agricultural colleges have also 

 taken up the study of economic ornithology as a 

 prescribed course in their curriculum; and the 

 newer generations of scientific farmers are being 

 educated in regard to the cash value of birds on 

 the farm. 



Lecturing staffs are maintained by the game 

 commissions of various States. The lecturers 



