INTRODUCTION 



need not be a very expensive experiment, and I am 

 convinced that the outlay would not only be amply 

 repaid, but, which is more to the point, receive the 

 cordial approval of the general public. A monthly 

 report in the daily Press would serve as a guide to the 

 public concerning all that is going on in the bird-world 

 of London, and where specially interesting facts might 

 be observed. 



A word now in conclusion respecting the Nature-study 

 of Bird-life in the London elementary schools. This 

 should be pursued in each and every case strictly and 

 exclusively, as far as possible, with a view to Loca) con- 

 ditions. The birds found in the district in which the 

 school is situated should form the objects of study; and 

 in this way the elementary facts of avine dispersal and 

 distribution may be illustrated. In this way may be 

 demonstrated how certain birds inhabit certain locali- 

 ties ; why they do so ; how they do so. The harmony of 

 species with their environment, the adaptability of species 

 or the lack of it, with its results, are other questions 

 bearing upon this branch of study. Then comes the 

 matter of species being sedentary or migratory. Why 

 are they so ? This leads on to the subject of avine 

 migration and local movements ; the cause (not lack of 

 food, as so many teachers insist), the destination, and so 

 on. With migratory species the times of arrival and 

 departure, the duration of the stay, the object of the visit, 

 must all be dealt with ; and in the case of sedentary 

 species the various movements, non-migrational, but 

 sufficiently marked, will require notice. Then comes 

 the structure, the habits, and economy of the birds 

 selected for study, care being taken to lay stress upon 

 the fact that these birds are typical of groups, to which 

 such structure and habits are common. The Sparrow 

 may be taken, for instance, as typical of the Finches, 

 the Thrush and the Robin of another group, the Wren of 



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