BIRDS IN THE SCHOOLS. 



HE movement to protect the 

 birds of America and prevent 

 them from being transformed 

 into millinery in such prodig- 

 ious numbers, is having a marked 

 revival in many parts of the coimtry, 

 especially in the state of New York. 

 In New York City there was recently 

 held a large public meeting, under the 

 auspicies of the Audubon Society and 

 the American Museum of Natural His- 

 tory, to protest against the wholesale 

 and indiscriminate destruction of 

 native birds for personal adornment. 

 State Superintendent of Schools Skin- 

 ner, of that state has established a 

 ''bird day" in the public schools in 

 connection with Arbor Day, in which 

 the pupils will be taught the great 

 value of birds to mankind. Mr. Skinner 

 also has in preparation a manual upon 

 the subject, 100,000 copies of which he 

 will have distributed among the New 

 York state schools. 



Public ignorance regarding the 

 value of birds in the economy of nature 

 and especially to human life is so great 

 as to be almost incomprehensible. A 

 number of estimates recently made by 

 Morris K.Jesup, President of the Ameri- 

 can Museum of Natural History, show 

 how important it is that a stronger 

 safe-guard, in the shape of public senti- 

 ment, should be thrown about our 

 feathered benefactors. In a late inter- 

 view upon this subject, Mr. Jesup said : 

 "Among the birds most worn this 

 winter are the Herons, which are killed 

 for their aigrettes ; the Terns, or Sea 

 Swallows and Gulls ; in short mostly 

 marsh and maritime birds." It is 

 known that the killing of a great 

 number of these shore birds has been 

 followed by an increase in human mor- 

 tality among the inhabitants of the 

 coast, the destroyed birds having form- 

 erly assisted in keeping the beaches 

 and bayous free from decaying animal 

 matter. New Orleans had a plague of 



bugs about the middle of September, 

 just when the yellow fever began, and, 

 strange as it may seem, the bugs 

 proved far more troublesome than the 

 disease, and certainly the annoyance 

 was more immediate. The people 

 called it a mystery, but the scientists 

 said it was merely the result of man's 

 improvidence in destroying the birds. 

 The destruction has been going on in 

 Louisiana, particularly on the Gulf 

 coast, for years, and has been carried 

 on by professional hunters, who kill 

 the birds solely for millinery purposes. 

 Nature revenged herself on New 

 Orleans, as she will on every place 

 where birds are destroyed for fashion- 

 able purposes. ' 



Would it not be a good thing to 

 increase the intelligence of the present 

 and rising generation respecting the 

 value of birds by introducing into the 

 schools of every state in the Union the 

 idea which has been adopted by State 

 Superintendent Skinner? And we 

 respectfully suggest that the use of this 

 magazine by teachers, through the 

 wise co-operation of school boards, 

 everywhere, as a text book, would 

 quickly supply the knowledge of bird 

 life and utility so sadly needed by the 

 community. We present some of the 

 innocent creatures each month in 

 accurate outline and color, and the 

 dullest pupil cannot fail to be impressed 

 by their beauty and the necessity for 

 their protection. "Our schools, public 

 and private, can hardly be criticised as 

 instructors in the common branches of 

 learning, but they could also teach the 

 rising generation the equally important 

 truths relating to the material world 

 with which we are encircled." In Col- 

 orado and in some other states Boards 

 of Education have supplied their 

 teachers with Birds in sufficient quan- 

 tities to enable their pupils to study 

 the subjects in the most profitable 

 manner. 



ti 



195 



