AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



337 



A SCHOOL OUTING. 



It had been my custom for several years to take my school and go to 

 the woods at least once during the term, for the purpose of studying 

 nature and gleaning some truth from her varied pages. I believe this 

 is the only practical way to impress upon the child's mind, the wonder- 

 ful and beautiful lessons contained in the great book of Nature. 



It was on the afternoon of May 17th that we left the schoolroom, 

 about fifty in number, bent on making this one of the best of our annu- 

 al outings, and to say the least we did not overestimate ourselves. 



We had gone but a short distance when we came to a dilapidated 

 coal ripple, and to our great delight some of the boys announced "a 

 robin's nest," and as birds were to be the special lesson for this trip, 

 we were much pleased to find that Mr. and Mrs. Robin had utilized one 

 of the horizontal timbers of this relic of a once flourishing industry, 

 over which the black diamonds had for years tumbled, tumbled into 

 cars to be borne to the iron mills or perchance to the happy home of 

 the cottager. This nest was built strictly in accordance to the regular 

 Robin style of architecture and contained three greenish-blue eggs. 

 Leaving Robin we sauntered leisurely up the valley and presently came 

 to an abandoned coal mine, evidently one that had furnished part of 

 the coal just referred to. In went some of the boys and to our pleas- 

 ure stated that Pewee (Phoebe) had a nest in the mine. Upon investi- 

 gation we found that the beautiful moss covered nest contained four 

 pearly-white eggs of this wise bird that "buildeth her house upon a 

 rock." On leaving Phoebe to the quiet of her abode, we strolled along 

 with our eyes closely watching bush, tree and fence lest we might skip 

 some nest or bird. As we came to a thorn bush we found that feline im- 

 itator, the Catbird, had a nest here containing three bluish-green eggs. 

 Our next discovery was the house o-f a genial farmer who generously 

 treated us to the draughts of the crystal fluid brought from far down in 

 the earth in a veritable "oaken bucket." 



After resting for awhile under the broad trees that shaded his spaci- 

 ous lawn, we again took up our search and were rewarded by finding a 

 Barn Swallow's nest with four eggs. Some of the boys having separ- 

 ated from us returned to report that they had found a Phoebe's nest 

 with five young, and a ground bird's (one of the sparrows that nest 

 on the ground) containing four eggs. This was truly a delightful and 

 beneficial outing, and I would say to teachers, after years of experience 

 that I find this the only practical way of teaching Nature. 



