The Audubon Societies 183 



[Note the occurrence of the Starling wherever it has been observed in the United 

 States. The above was written in 1915. A report of the number of Starlings now about 

 Lawndale would be appreciated in this Department. — A. H. W.] 



III. A GOOD SCHOOL-ROOM METHOD 



We are writing about birds. There are a great many around now. Every 

 day the girls and boys write on the board how many birds they have seen and 

 what kind they are. We have forty-one bird-boxes. Some of them have eggs 

 in them. 



Some of us have seen birds carry food into the boxes. One boy says that he 

 thinks he has young birds in his box. We put pans of water out for the birds 

 to drink. Some of the boys and girls throw out crumbs of bread. — John 

 Wambole. 



[This exercise of writing on the blackboard in the school-room the names of birds 

 seen is excellent. It helps pupils to spell correctly, to remember what they see, to have 

 a common interest in the birds about them, and it also stimulates competition and a 

 desire for discovery. — A. H. W.] 



HOW I FIRST GOT BIRD-LORE 



I was so interested in birds that a friend of my sister gave me some old copies 

 of BiRD-LoKE. I read them so many times that I could almost tell everything 

 in them. My mother decided to give it to me for a Christmas present, and I 

 have had it three years now. 



I am writing this so that other Bird-Lore readers will lend the magazine to 

 bird-lovers and so that many people will know how interesting it is. — Albert 

 S. Fearing (Age 12 years). 



MY BACK-YARD FEEDING-STATION 



This summer I started putting out food for the birds and since then my 

 back-yard feeding-station has been one of my greatest interests. I started in 

 July and my first welcome visitor was a White-crowned Sparrow, and for a 

 long time that variety of bird was my only visitor. Then competition com- 

 menced and, of course, then I began to work harder because I wanted to have 

 more birds than my competitor, a boy living next door to me. My friend had 

 the advantage of position. Across the street from him is a garden with many 

 shrubs and other attractions for birds. My friend immediately took away 

 my most common visitor, a White-crowned Sparrow with a nest, but I am 

 glad to say not all of my birds. 



Then began my worst trouble and the only trouble that discouraged me for a 

 while, worse than even cats and rats, both of which I have been bothered with— 

 the English Sparrow. To me one English Sparrow means no harm, although I 

 would rather not have any, but when it comes in numbers, such as ten and 

 up, then there is trouble. It not only keeps other birds away but the amount 



