OBJECTIVE SEASONAL LESSONS. 5 



book. The bird's name is entered at the left side of 

 the page, the date at the top, and the record for the 

 day is placed in the square opposite the bird's name 

 and below the date. It may consist simply of a 

 check or mark indicating that the species was seen, 

 but preferably should give the approximate num- 

 ber of individuals observed ; whether the species was 

 heard singing; whether observed in flocks; and any 

 other information which can be easily and intelli- 

 gibly abbreviated. 



A journal should be kept in which to write a 

 more detailed account of the day's experiences. 

 These may also form the subject of compositions, 

 and the class-room work should now include com- 

 parison and discussion of observations made in the 

 field. Compositions may also be written on cer- 

 tain species, when the outline of a bird's biogra- 

 phy, given on page 73, will furnish suggestions 

 as to the heads under which the subject may be 

 treated. 



Later, the philosophic or subjective side of bird- 

 study may be considered, and compositions written 

 on structure and habit, color, migration, nesting, 

 etc. 



As a definite guide to seasonal bird-studies in the 

 middle Eastern States, the following outline of the 

 bird-life of a year is given. It is based on observa- 

 tions made in the vicinity of New York city, and 

 includes all the land-birds and the commoner water- 

 birds inhabiting this region. It may be prefaced by 

 a definition of the four groups in which our birds 

 are placed, according to the manner of their occur- 

 rence (see page 53), as follows; 



