comstock] A GRADED COURSE IN BIRD STUDY 149 



The feet may be looked at next; biddy has strong feet for 

 scratching the earth so that she can find food; the duck's feet are 

 webbed so that they may be used for paddles ; the woodpecker has 

 two toes extending forward and two backward to enable it to hold 

 on firmly to the bark of a tree. We notice that most of the birds 

 except those that have feet for paddling have their toes and claws 

 fitted for perching on twigs or branches. 



Having thus seen the simpler things about a bird's form we 

 relate these to the bird's activities. A bird flies. Why? Where? 

 We find the reasons in the nest in the top of the tree, the getting of 

 food, the going south when the land is covered with snow and there 

 is no food left; all these should be made topics of interesting 

 stories. The bird eats; What? Where does it find its food? It 

 sleeps; where' How does it go to bed? How does it look while 

 asleep' The bird says, 



"When I sleepy get, I fluff my feathers out and doze; 

 And underneath my downy plumes I hide my little toes; 

 And underneath my little wing, I tuck my little head; 

 I look just like a fuzzy ball when I am safe in bed." 



The bird has a nest for its babies ; where is it placed ? Of what 

 is it made ? What tools does the bird use in making the nest ? The 

 mother bird lays eggs and sits on them to keep them warm ; how do 

 the young birds look' The chick, the duckling, and the gosling 

 are clothed with down, have their eyes open and are active, ready 

 to follow their mothers. The young robin is bare and has to be 

 kept warm under the mother's wings and have food brought to it 

 until it grows large enough to develop feathers of its own. The 

 parent birds give care to their young and protect them fromene- 

 mies and from the storms. 



The birds sing and call; and even the youngest pupil under- 

 stands that thus the birds talk to each other. Ask them to listen 

 to all that the birds say and try to understand. With no instruc- 

 tion from her elders, the writer as a child understood a dozen 

 different things the hens said to each other and almost as many 

 said by the canary. 



Birds are clean and give themselves care. They take baths in 

 the water; they also take sun and dust baths. They preen their 

 feathers; the hen and the duck may be observed oiling their 

 feathers 



