BY THE WAYSIDE. 
73 
SCHOOL BRANCH DEPARTMENT. 
Every Wisconsin School Branch is required to subscribe for at least one copy of BY THE WAYSIDE 
Letters for tills department should be written on only 
one side of the page, should give the name, age and ad¬ 
dress of the writer, and should be mailed by the first of 
the month, Illinois Children sending to Mrs. Wm. M. 
Scudder, 165 Buena Ave., Chicago, Ill., and Wisconsin 
•hildren to Mrs. Peckham, 646 Marshall St., Milwaukee, 
Wis. An honor badge will be awarded for each state 
'very month, preference being given to letters about the 
lird for the month (which is always on this page), and 
:o original observations. Any child who wins the honor 
jadge twice will receive a bird book as a prize. 
The wren button, which is the badge of the Audubon 
Society, costs one cent, and may be bought from Mrs, 
Scudder or Mrs. Peckham. 
Any Wisconsin School Branch may, without expense, 
lavfe the use of the Gordon and Merrill Libraries of bird 
looks, by applyingto Miss Bossert, Librarian,719Frank- 
in St., Milwaukee. 
A set ot colored bird slides with a type-written lecture 
nay be rented from Prof. W. S. Marshall, 114 E. Gorham 
lit., Madison, Wis. 
Illinois Schools may use, without expense, a library 
>r a lecture with lantern slides, by applying to Mrs. 
tuthven Deane, 504 N. State St., Chicago. 
Pine Grosbeak. 
Adult male, Slatey gray washed with dull rose-red. 
1 dult female, Slatey gray slightly washed with yellowish 
7 oung , like the female. Length about 9 inches. 
! One of the rare pleasures of a winter among 
he snow-fields of the north is the visit of a 
lock of Pine Grosbeaks. The handsome, rosy- 
oated birds are not common visitors, and the 
ight of a red flock of them clustering around 
1 he cones of an evergreen is a picture to 
righten many a dull day. They wander about 
; he country in winter, and when a flock sud- 
enly appears in a neighborhood it creates 
eneral interest and curiosity, for the birds 
re so large and richly colored that they are 
ard to overlook. Indeed, queries often appear 
l the country newspapers as to what the re- 
larkable strangers may be. 
Coming in this way, we naturally want to 
tow them some hospitality, and Mrs. Mabel 
sgood Wright tells us that we can please them 
y offering them cracked corn that has been 
)aked in boiling water. 
They are gentle birds, whose knowledge of 
:an is so limited that they have no -fear of 
im, and will often let themselves be taken in 
le hand. * * * Mr. Chamberlain has had 
ie good fortune to hear the Grosbeak’s love 
>ng near St. John in June, and describes it 
i “an exquisitely sweet and tender strain- 
sung in such soft tones it must be intended 
for one ear alone, for it cannot be heard a 
dozen yards away. The bird does not sing 
thus because he lacks strength of voice, for his 
winter song is loud and vigorous, * * * 
just such a breezy carol as you might expect 
from a stalwart fellow who loves the north 
wind and revels amid the snow .”—From Mrs. 
Bailey's Birds of Village and Field . 
Prizes and Badges. 
The honor badges for January are awarded 
to John Loos, Appleton, Wis., and Muriel Lam- 
pert, Belvidere, Ill. The Bird-Lore prize, given 
with each number for the best study of the 
birds of the month before, goes to Isidor Reh- 
fuss, 316 S. Fourth St., La Crosse. 
Secretary’s Letter. 
A Happy New Year to you, dear Wayside 
children! and what a frozen wayside it is! Yet 
how many birds we hear of—grosbeaks, wood¬ 
peckers, juncos, snowbirds, chickadees, jays, 
even robins! Are you feeding them and look¬ 
ing after their needs? Birds need so much 
food. If they eat all day long they get only 
enough to keep them comfortable, especially in 
winter. In a sunny upper room that I know, 
two pet birds, an English goldfinch and a 
canary, are at liberty to fly about and amuse 
themselves as they please, and yet they pass 
nearly all their time in eating. They seem to 
think that they have the best of it, as they sit 
inside and watch the sparrows dining out in the 
cold. Plucky Lttle sparrows! Even their ene¬ 
mies must admire their courage and cheeriness. 
Now put on your caps and coats, run out 
into the snow, and find a bird, or a squirrel, 
or a rabbit that you can write to me about! 
Elizabeth G. Peckham. 
Wisconsin Prize Letter—The Chickadee. 
I am a small bird about five inches long. I 
wear a black bib and have a black cap on my 
head. My suit is an ashy gray and I wear a 
yellowish vest. 
My greatest enemy is the cat. How I dread 
to see her come near. The boys and girls are 
very good to me. They like to hear me twitter 
