24 
BY THE WAYSIDE 
my attention to a flock of waxwings. 
The cedar waxwing gets its name from 
the wax-like spots on its wings. It has 
a top-knot and a yellow stripe on its tail 
which makes the bird very beautiful. 
As I was looking out of the school 
window day before yesterday, I saw a 
flock flying around in the hackberry 
trees so merrily. This winter there were 
four brought into school. Probably they 
had frozen. This is the first year I have 
ever seen so many flocks of waxwings. 
It is very uncommon for the robins to 
stay in La Crosse all winter, but they are 
,here this winter in flocks. 
Yours truly, 
Russell Pope. 
A True Story of a Sparrotf. 
A little sparrow came to make its home 
on our porch. It did not build a nest 
but it came every night to sleep there 
for seven years. 
One night we slept down at my aunt’s 
house. It was the morning when the 
high school started to burn, and my cou¬ 
sin ran over to our house to get mamma’s 
silver, and just as he got the door opened 
the bird flew up stairs and in the pillow 
case on the bed. 
My cousin went upstairs to look for it, 
but he could not see it; he heard a 
“chirp! chirp!.” but he could not find it. 
At last it jumped up and flew down 
stairs and back to its little hole. 
Aged 12. Ruth Baruge, 
Appleton, Wis. 
Chicago, Ill., April 11, 1905. 
Dear Wayside: 
The downy woodpecker has a black 
and white back and a red spot on his 
head. The woodpecker helps the trees. 
He eats the worms and bugs from the 
trees. He can run up the tree. The 
downy woodpecker’s breast is light gray. 
He is as large as a sparrow. The downy 
woodpecker has two toes in the front and 
two toes in the back. He has long curved 
claws. Do you like the downy wood¬ 
pecker ? 
Yours truly. 
Aged 10. Robert Mills. 
NATURE STUDY IN SCHOOLS. 
The Course of Study. 
(Continued from page 20.) 
So much for the material. Only the 
biological side has been treated upon; 
this is the most fundamental. 
Next, these subjects should be arranged 
in a graded course of study running from 
the kindergarten to the high school 
where it will form the basis for the science 
instruction. Each locklitv should deter- 
mine the list of subjects to be included 
in its course. The most familiar and 
easily studied will be given to 'the lower 
grades. Each year there should be taken 
up at least one domesticated animal, a 
small list of birds, a few insects, a few 
domesticated plants, and a number of 
wild forms. The next year a few more 
are added, and the previovs group re¬ 
viewed and considered in some new as¬ 
pect. 
R. M. 
The editor and secretary is back at her 
post after a six months’ absence from the 
state, during which time the work has 
been carried on by the librarian. Miss 
Edna Edwards. 
If you find a cross in this space it will 
remind you that your subscription is due. 
You are earnestly requested to renew it. 
