BIRD-STUDY FOR SCHOOLS 261 



These practical suggestions by Miss Churchill are 

 admirable, and should be widely utilized. 



Pending a formal placing of the study of birds, as 

 a branch of nature-study, in the regular curriculum, 

 the subject is often studied without studying. In 

 many a schoolroom the Audubon Society colored 

 chart of common birds hangs upon the wall, and 

 most of the children recognize every one of these spe- 

 cies which is numerous in their vicinity. Some teach- 

 ers encourage independent research by having a 

 school or class *' bird-list," consisting of the names of 

 species of birds identified by the children, posted on 

 the wall. Whoever first reports a bird has the cov- 

 eted honor of having the discoverer's own name fol- 

 low the name of the bird on the list. This often 

 arouses great interest and sets bright eyes scouring 

 the outdoors. Some birds are to be found in the 

 average city, notably in large parks, and more in the 

 suburbs, but it needs a teacher who knows the birds 

 to conduct a school bird-list. 



Some other things which are done, or may be done, 

 are as follows: Interesting nature-books are pro- 

 vided in the school library; stories are read about 

 phases of bird-life or incidents of birds, and the pu- 

 pils are asked for short essays about them; original 

 investigation can be encouraged by the offer of prizes 

 for the best accounts of observations and discoveries 

 afield relating to bird-habits; one or more illustrated 

 lectures on birds are provided each year in many 

 schools. Another pleasant feature of this move- 



