THE MISSION OF THE BIRDS 
23 
lows, night hawk, and whippoorwill ; the restless motion of the 
warblers; and the lazy soaring of the hawks. See how the rela- 
tion ot wings to body in every case is adapted to the feeding habits 
of the bird. 
And in like manner the legs and feet are adapted to the mode 
ot life : Notice the strong legs and well-developed toes of the birds 
that live on the ground in fields and meadows ; the peculiar feet of 
the woodpeckers with which they climb vertical surfaces; the 
long legs of the plovers and sandpipers, the herons and bitterns; 
the webbed feet of the ducks, and the tearing talons of the birds of 
prey. 
In the study of these adaptations let the children see for them- 
selves, and let them all work out in their own minds the adaptation 
of structure to function. For in all our nature study our chief 
privilege is to lead the childre 7 i to see and to see why. The 
importance of a bit of truth is greatlv increased when we are able 
to see its relations to other bits of truth. 
Helps to the Study of Birds 
Books about birds are very numerous, although there is none as 
yet published which deals specifically with their economic relations. 
Every teacher who attempts to do anything with bird study for her 
pupils should have upon her desk some illustrated guide to our 
common birds. The one that is likely to be most useful is Chap- 
man’s “ Bird Life,” with colored plates, published by D. Appleton 
& Co. at $2.00. School authorities should provide one of these 
books for each desk where nature study is to be taught. Herrick’s 
“ Flome Life of Wild Birds” (Putnams, $2.50), will also be espe- 
ciallv helpful in leading to the observations of the nesting habits. 
The books of Bradford Torrev and Frank Bolles (Houghton, Mif- 
flin & Co.), as well as of Schuyler Mathews (D. Appleton Si Co.), 
deal very largely with the birds of New Hampshire, and conse- 
quently are of special value for use in our state. 
The Lesson in It All 
The study thus outlined of the Mission of the Birds will have 
failed to accomplish its most important results if the pupils do not 
get from it a greater respect for the world of birds, a deeper interest 
in their welfare, and a larger sense of the unity of that world of liv- 
