2 
BY THE WAYSIDE. 
William Goat well. He is no fiercer than any 
other goat. Co-me with me and we’ll quickly 
make an end of him.” 
So they turned back toward the cave, and, 
soon finding the goat’s tracks, they made after 
him at top speed. 
’ William Goat luckily caught sight of them 
before thev saw him. 
%/ 
“Now,” said he to himself, “I must make 
believe harder than ever, or all is lost.” 
Thereupon he turned around and ran toward 
his pursuers at full speed. As soon as he 
was near enough to be plainly heard, he cried 
out in as angry a tone as he could put on: 
“Why, Jackal, how is this? I told you I 
needed five lions, and here you bring me only 
this little one!” 
At this Leo was again overcome by fright 
and he once more took to his paws towards 
the deepest part of the jungle. The jackal 
called after him in vain and, being really a 
coward, did not dare to face old William 
Goat alone. 
So William arrived safe at home, to the 
great joy of Nanny and the little kids. 
— Selected. 
The nission of the Birds.* 
BY CLARENCE MOORES WEED. 
The living things in this world of ours are 
related to each other in numberless ways. In 
the last analysis animals depend upon plants 
for food, but to a very great extent this food 
supply is indirect, animals eating animals 
through varying degrees before the plant-feed¬ 
ing animal is reached. In a general way we 
may say that the world of birds obtains its 
food from the world of insects, for while some 
birds live wholly upon vegetation, and others 
wholly upon animals other than insects, the 
great majority of birds find among the insects 
their staple diet. It is the purpose of this 
leaflet to indicate how close this relation is and 
to show how it may be made an excellent topic 
for at least part of a term’s work in spring or 
autumn in Nature Study in our schools in any 
grade above the fourth. The special relation 
•The Wayside has had so many requests for The 
Mission of the Birds that it is Riven in full in this 
number. It is reprinted by permission from Nature 
Study Leaflet No. 2, N. H. College Agricultural Station. 
between birds and seeds is reserved for a leaflet 
upon Winter Birds. 
The topic should be developed through the 
observations of the children. Set aside, if pos¬ 
sible, a part of the blackboard for this purpose, 
drawing upon it such a sketchy outline of the 
different parts of a farm as is shown on the 
following page. If blackboard space is not 
available make the sketch upon a large sheet 
of paper or cardboard fastened to the wall. 
Then ask the children to observe what sorts ol 
insects are especially found in the different 
situations, and also what birds they can see in 
the same places. As the observations are re¬ 
ported write them in the proper place on the 
board so that after some weeks you shall get 
some such diagram as this. But do not copy 
this outline on the board; let the children 
make their own discoveries. When the topic 
is fairly worked out, but not before, you might, 
if you choose, read to them the following para-* 
graphs. Then drop the subject and take up 
something else. 
TIIE BIRDS AND THE INSECTS. 
One whose house is surrounded by lawns and 
shrubbery, with a garden near at hand, need 
not go out of doors in order to see evi¬ 
dence of the way in which the world of birds 
is set over against the world of insects to keep 
them in check. The robins on the lawn are 
searching for angle worms—which are not in¬ 
sects—and for cutworms, which are insects. 
The chipping sparrow and* the wren in the 
shrubbery are always searching for insect food. 
The bluebird upon the post and the phoebe upon 
the bare twig are on a similar quest, while the 
warblers and the vireos darting through the 
foliage are after tiny insects. 
The birds likewise watch over the orchard, 
feeding freely upon the enemies of apple and 
other fruit trees. The trunks of these trees 
are often attacked by borers which gnaw holes 
in the bark and wood, causing the death of the 
trees. The woodpeckers are always at work 
hunting for these borers and bringing them 
from their hiding places by means of their 
barbed tongues. On the outside of the bark 
of the trunk and branches the bark-lice and 
twig-hoppers are at work, and these are sought 
for by the nuthatches, creepers, and chicka¬ 
dees. In winter also the bark is the hiding 
