No. 4.] REPORT OF STATE ORNITHOLOGIST. 197 



except that wLich is pointed out to them. The great value 

 of bird study is that it teaches i^eople to find out things for 

 themselves, to see and hear what is going on in nature. It 

 develops the observational faculties which are never trained 

 by the study of books alone. 



Some people object to the introduction of bird study, in 

 this age when education in the common schools is beginning 

 to tend toward practical things, on the ground that it is not 

 practical; but this objection cannot be sustained if we teach 

 children in the country how to know the birds, that they 

 may learn which are beneficial to agriculture and which are 

 injurious. We may show them how birds benefit the farmer, 

 fruit grower and forester, and how to attract and protect 

 the beneficial birds. Here is practical teaching, and every 

 teacher of the upper grades, at least, should know how to 

 interest the children in such matters and should be allowed 

 a little time each week to devote to them. The State should 

 publish and distribute to teachers who specialize in nature 

 study a manual of instruction for this kind of work. It 

 would be well, even, to put a small volume in the hands of 

 every teacher. Such a bulletin might be prepared by the 

 State Ornithologist in co-operation with the State Board of 

 Education if an appropriation for printing could be secured. 



CORUESPONDEI^^CE. 



Much of the large correspondence of this office is educa- 

 tional, as numbers of people who are interested in the 

 protection of birds apply to the State Ornithologist for in- 

 formation suite<l to their own pccidiar conditions of locality 

 or environment. In this way a great correspondence has 

 grown up, and citizens feel perfectly free to consult the 

 State Ornithologist on all matters pertaining to the protec- 

 tion of birds and the occurrence of unusual birds. Many 

 questions are asked which it is exceedingly difficult to 

 answer, and many trips from place to place are necessary 

 to advise the best methods of procedure under local condi- 

 tions. Some of the subjects in which many correspondents 

 have been interested are taken up in the succeeding pages. 



