STRONG] TEACHING A BIRD COURSE 197 



weeks, and the other half must be done by the end of the sixth 

 week. At the end of each of these periods the identification lists 

 which have been prepared are collected and graded. These are 

 returned for corrections, and a few days later oral examinations 

 on ability to recognize the specimens at sight are conducted. The 

 course began April 1st. 



Every teacher who permits the handling of the bird skins by 

 a large class has a serious problem in keeping a collection intact 

 for any length of time. The specimens which are supplied at The 

 University of Chicago, as is done at some other places, have been 

 mounted with all parts that may be easily broken off wired to a 

 bodv and to a wire which projects from the vent. A wooden 

 handle receives this end of the wire. Even with all of this brac- 

 ing and with abundant admonishings to exercise care, some rough 

 or careless students will cause a great deal of damage. Conse- 

 f(uently in order to save some of this wear and tear where it is 

 most likely to occur, a tag which bears wing and tail measurements 

 is attached to the handles of small birds. Other data such as the 

 color of the axillar feathers are added in special cases. 



At the Friday morning meeting of the class, a lantern-slide 

 test of ability to recognize birds at sight is being employed this 

 spring for the first time. About twenty species which the class 

 is likely to see in the field are assigned for each of the first six 

 weeks. \Mien males and females differ significantly they are 

 specified. Immature plumages which may be seen by the class 

 are also noted. A slide is provided for each plumage which a 

 bird may show and it has been colored carefully to suggest as 

 much as possible the appearance of the bird in the field. Im- 

 portant characters are often emphasized in the coloring. Small 

 birds are reduced on the slide about three and one-half diameters. 

 Those larger than a robin appear on the scale of one to eight. 

 Museum specimens were used in making the slides. On each 

 slide, a line appears which was six inches long in the plane of 

 the bird when photographed. This serves as a guide in estimating 

 size. Thus, when the reduction is eight diameters the line is three- 

 fourths of an inch long on the slide. 



In the test, the student is allowed about one to two minutes in 

 which to write the name of the bird and the characters which were 

 used in the identification. Opposite the name is placed a number 

 which appears on the screen. This number is pasted in silhouette 

 on the front of the slide. Wilson's gummed figures in black, small- 

 est size, are used. They may be bought of the Dennison ]Manu- 

 facturing Company. At the end of the test, the same series of 



E^ 



