Part I.] REPORT OF STATE ORNITHOLOGIST. Ill 



Prizes may be as follows: — 



An Audubon picture and leaflet, 2 cents. 

 Portfolio of bird pictures, 50 cents. 

 Reed's "Land Birds," 75 cents. 

 Reed's "Water Birds," $1. 

 Useful Birds and their Protection, $1. 

 Wire suet holder, 15 cents. 



Or crocheted suet holder, which is given away by the secretary of the 

 bird committee at New Salem, who is ready to aid in any way. The 

 chairman at Princeton is also always glad to help. 



Recommendations for Legislation. 

 The State Grange effort in bird study is exerted partly to 

 interest the children; also the National Association of Audubon 

 Societies, acting with the Massachusetts Audubon Society, has 

 enrolled 23,760 Massachusetts school children in classes for the 

 study of birds. There is much sporadic and often ill-directed 

 effort toward bird study and bird-house building among the 

 children in the public schools. The demand for definite in- 

 struction is growing. It must be met and the energies of the 

 young properly guided, otherwise harm as well as good may 

 result. Such instruction as is given should be standardized, 

 and the work should at least be started in the right direction. 



Bird Study in the Schools. 

 Every year the State Ornithologist is called upon by teachers 

 in rural schools for information or literature that will enable 

 them to teach the children about birds or to answer questions 

 asked of them by the children. The country school is situated 

 where the birds are, and many of the pupils are at the very age 

 when eagerness for knowledge regarding birds and other living 

 animals may be best developed; but in these country schools 

 which have such excellent facilities for bird study at their very 

 doors this study, as a rule, is most neglected. Some city 

 schools have teachers or supervisors of natural science or nature 

 study. ]\Iost country schools have none, and many teachers 

 know so little about birds that they cannot instruct the chil- 

 dren. Others who have some knowledge of birds do not know 

 how to interest the children, or consider that it is not their 

 business to interest them in ornithology. 



