528 NATURE STUDY. 



a robin to-day. It was in the top of a tree, and it flew away. 

 Her papa saw it first, then she saw it. She knew it was a robin 

 because she saw its red breast. Her papa said it sang like a 

 robin. It said " Cheer up, cheer up." 



Edward saw a woodpecker. He was not sure it was a wood- 

 pecker, but his father said it was. It had some red on its head 

 and some stripes along its back, 



April 3. Eleanor saw two robins this morning. She looked out of 

 the window when she got up, and she saw them in the cherry 

 tree. She saw their red breasts. 



April 5. Jack saw a bluebird to-day. It was in the top of fi tree. 

 He says it had a blue back and its breast was dark. Miss Grey 

 says the bluebird has a brown breast. Jack says it had such a 

 sweet song. He cannot tell how it sounded. It was something 

 like a whistle. 



Harry found some horse-chestnuts which were beginning to grow. 

 He brought two to school for us to see. The shell was cracked. 

 Each horse-chestnut had a little point which was growing out through 

 a hole in the shell. The horse-chestnuts know that spring is coming. 



Jennie says the peony-plants in her yard are coming out of the 

 ground. They are light green. They are as high as her thumb is 

 long. 



With older children there may be a " Bird Calendar/' re- 

 cording the arrival and doings of the birds, or a " Tree 

 Calendar/' telling about the changes in two or three trees 

 near the school, or a " Flower Calendar/' with a record of 

 the first finding of the spring flowers. The record may be 

 in charge of two or three pupils, supervised, of course, by 

 the teacher. 



Be ready with something bringing in the "spirit of 

 spring." Sing about spring in the opening exercises. 

 When several pupils report the. first bluebird, read with 

 them something like the lines below. 



THE BLUEBIRD. 



" I know the song that the bluebird is singing 

 Out in the apple tree where he is swinging. 



