HINTS ON THE STUDY OF WINTER BIRDS. 



IN attractiveness to children, says 

 James K. McDade, for the Com- 

 mittee of Sixty of Chicago, no 

 department of natural history 

 surpasses Ornithology. Birds 

 are to be found everywhere. In the 

 city parks and suburban groves careful 

 observation will reveal objects of study, 

 even in the depths of winter. The 

 following suggestions are based on 

 practical work which has been done in 

 the G. W. Curtis school during the 

 past two years. 



No satisfactory work can be done 

 until the children have been aroused 

 to sufficient interest to observe birds 

 for themselves. Pictures and descrip- 

 tions, however valuable as auxiliaries, 

 can never take the place of personal 

 observation. The best method of 

 arousing this interest is to go out with 

 the children and study the birds. 

 Opera glasses or field glasses will 

 greatly facilitate observation. 



As a guide in description pupils may 

 have in mind the following points : 

 shape and size of bird ; prevailing 

 color ; marks on head, wings, throat, 

 or tail ; shape of bill ; length of tail ; 

 where found (whether on the ground, 

 in trees, or climbing tree trunks). 

 These and other details should be 

 emphasized. 



In all this work strict accuracy must 

 be insisted on. In the beginning, 

 pupils are apt to give inaccurate, and, 

 in some instances, highly imaginary 

 descriptions of birds. A good plan is 

 to encourage the.m to bring in written 

 descriptions of birds they have seen. 



Such field work may well furnish 

 excellent subject matter for water color 



work, as well as a basis for written 

 compositions. Good collections of our 

 native birds may be found in the Field 

 Columbian Museum and in the mus- 

 eum of the Chicago Academy of 

 Sciences, and the curators of these in- 

 stitutions will be found ready to give 

 teachers any aid in their power. 



Mr. McDade mentions the following 

 as the most common winter birds of 

 this vicinity, not including swimmers 

 and waders : the English Sparrow, the 

 Snow Bird, the Bluejay, the Thistle- 

 bird, the Black-capped Chickadee, the 

 White-bellied Nuthatch, the Northern 

 Shrike or Butcherbird, the Horned 

 Lark, and the Crow. 



In many parts of the country there 

 are good collections of birds which are 

 accessible, and which may, by a little 

 inquiry, be found by those interested. 

 We do not hesitate to say, however, 

 that the specimens of birds shown 

 monthly in this magazine have stim- 

 ulated the successful study of Ornith- 

 ology to a degree never imagined as 

 possible. The pictures are so true to 

 nature in color and attitude that they 

 are instantly fixed in the mind. We 

 know several instances where children 

 of eight and ten years have become by 

 its use so familiar with many birds 

 that they can draw and paint them 

 from memory with considerable fidelity. 

 Birds is indeed the best means of ac- 

 quiring speedy as well as accurate 

 knowledge of Ornithology desired by 

 those v/ho do not expect to pursue the 

 study in all its scientific ramifications. 

 We refer with confidence to the recog- 

 nized authorities on the subject. 



C. C. ]\IARBLK. 



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