A GRADED COURSE OF NATURE-STUDY 507 



Home reading of agricultural books, seed and nursery 

 catalogues, planning home garden. Send for catalogues of 

 state or county agricultural schools. Put them into the 

 hands of boys and girls. Discussion of the aims and work 

 of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. 



ANIMALS. 



BREEDING chickens and doves by selection. Discuss 

 general principles. Apply same in a general way to stock, 

 horses, etc., to show how great improvement can be made in 

 farm animals for special purposes. Apply to selection of 

 dairy stock and beef. (33, 34, 222, 223, 226, 241. U. S. 

 Agricultural Year-books.) 



SPRING 



BIRDS : * General review of the facts of bird life pre- 

 viously learned. Structure and adaptation of body, plu- 

 mage, wings,* feet,* bills.* Protective and mating colors. 

 Listing of useful and harmful birds. Discussion of the 

 food of birds. Identification of all birds previously learned, 

 and the vireos, summer yellowbird, Maryland yellow- 

 throat, black and white creeper, and redstart. Character- 

 istics of warblers as a class. Classify all the birds learned 

 into orders: Swimmers and Divers, Shore birds and 

 Waders, Scratching Birds, Birds of Prey, Song and Perch- 

 ing Birds (and these again into Families). Visit a museum 

 and observe the relationships as shown by the arrangement 

 of the specimens. Visit a zoological garden. (95 to 125. 

 Also 33, 34, 36, 47, 54.) 



Encourage children to read bird magazines. Give books 

 to take home. Encourage interest in bird study, but check 



