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f UNIVERSITY 1 



RESIDENT BIRDS IN OUR NORTHERN STATES 271 



turned, move about almost without noise, and having very sharp 

 ears they would hide at the slightest flapping of wings. 



It is very much to be regretted that the custom of indis- 

 criminately shooting all hawks and owls, and nailing their 

 dead bodies to barn doors, does still prevail in this country. 

 All the smaller hawks and owls are beneficial birds, feeding 

 almost entirely on insects and mice ; some of the larger 

 ones are harmless ; only a few, such as the Goshawk, 

 Cooper's Hawk, and the Sharp-shinned Hawk, may be truly 

 classed among the harmful birds. 



REFERENCES ON BIRDS 



1. Farmers' Bulletin, No. 54, Some Common Birds. 



2. Yearbook, Department of Agriculture, 1894, Hawks and Owls as 



Related to the Farmer. Every teacher should secure both articles 

 and refer the older pupils, especially the boys, to them. 



3. C. C. Abbott. Birdland Echoes. J. B. Lippincott Co. A very 



interesting book. 



64. Review of the Birds. 



MATERIAL : A boiled egg ; some large tail and wing feathers ; the 

 down and breast feathers of a duck or goose ; pictures or mounted 

 birds representing the groups mentioned. 



The covering of all birds consists of feathers, which grow 

 from the skin and are in no way connected with the bones. 

 Birds do not keep the same covering of feathers during their 

 whole life. Once or twice a year the old feathers are shed 

 and new ones grow rapidly. This process is called moulting. 

 During this time birds do not sing, and their usual activity 

 is much reduced. The males of most birds possess a much 

 brighter plumage than the females, and in general the plu- 

 mage of birds is brighter in spring than it is in fall and winter. 

 Let the children mention a few birds to which this state- 

 ment is specially applicable. 



You must have been struck by the great resemblance in 

 shape and general appearance that one bird bears to the 



