4 
BY THE WAYSIDE 
BY THE WAYSIDE 
Published on the tenth of each month except July 
and August . . . 
The official organs of the Wisconsin and Illinois 
Audubon Societies. 
Twervty-five cents per year. Single copies 3 cts. 
All communications should be sent to Miss Ruth 
Marshall, Appleton, Wis. 
NATURE STUDY IN THE SCHOOLS. 
I. Bird Study. 
Bird study is now very popular; the child¬ 
ren are certainly beginning to know birds. A 
few days ago a kindergartener found that her 
little tots already knew over twenty different 
kinds of birds. The outlook is very encourag¬ 
ing; now teachers must be sure that their work 
has some permanent value. Heretofore the 
friends of birds worked too much on the nega¬ 
tive side; children were told how wicked it 
is to destroy birds and their nests, and wo¬ 
men were condemned for wearing feathers. De¬ 
struction of birds must be stopped, and the 
public needs instruction along the line, but 
what is most needed is work along the posi¬ 
tive side. So, too, bird study which confines 
itself to looking through an opera glass is 
pleasant; but it is only superficial. The no¬ 
tion is quite prevalent that we must go far 
afield to see birds. There is a better way, in¬ 
duce the birds to come to us. After a long 
tramp for a glimpse of the first spring birds, 
one often returns to be greeted by them in 
his own front yard. One woman who has a 
large familiarity with birds has seen most of 
them from her kitchen window. The birds 
will come to us if we offer them inducements 
in the way of proper food, water, shelter and 
nesting places. \\ ould-be observers sometimes 
say “I threw crumbs on the ground for the 
birds, but the only ones that came were Eng¬ 
lish sparrows.” He did not know that the 
birds he desired to make the acquaintance of 
are not vegetarians. 
There is a real value in this work. The 
Agricultural Department has shown conclu¬ 
sively that birds are absolutely necessary to 
man in keeping down weeds and insect pests. 
There are very few, if any, that are not help¬ 
ing. These facts are not fully before the pub¬ 
lic, and the schools should help to spread the 
knowledge. The aesthetic value will be recog¬ 
nized by the boys and girls all in due time; 
first of all let them have the utilitarian side 
of bird study. 
It is best not too attempt too much, but to 
concentrate study on a few common kinds. 
Every child on leaving the grades should know 
at least fifty birds. These may be grouped, 
and each grade given a certain number for its 
special study, the commonest to the little 
children. Here is a list adapted for the first 
grade and kindergarten: Robin, oriole, red¬ 
headed woodpecker, blue jay, English spar¬ 
row, blue bird, downy woodpecker, barn swal¬ 
low, crow and chickadee. 
Each pupil should learn to recognize these 
birds, of course; then he must be taught their 
economic value. Teachers and pupils may 
watch them together; the records of other in¬ 
vestigators can be consulted. Bird books are 
now without number, and the reports of the 
Agricultural Department may be had for the 
asking. 
This work will not be a burden to the 
teacher. Like all live work, the freshness and 
interest will lighten the task. Successful 
teachers find that it can be correlated with the 
language work. What teacher has not had to 
wrack her brain for subjects for pupils’ com¬ 
positions? Here is material lying all about us. 
Boys and girls are trained in observation and 
in expression by the lessons on birds. The 
Wayside letters "show some of the possibilities 
of bird study for schools. R. M. 
A NEW BIRD BOOK. 
Bird Life Stories is the title of a new book 
offered by Rand, McNally & Co., the first of 
a series of three. It is unique in this, that it 
is a compilation of twenty-four selections from 
the writings of Andubon, Bendire, Nuttall and 
Wilson about common birds. The selections 
have been made by Prof. C. W. Weed. Each 
one is illustrated with a beautiful full page 
colored plate, the work of Dr. Ned Dearborn 
of the Field Columbian Museum. The book is 
especially adapted for supplementary reading 
in the higher grades and for reference. The 
names connected with the making of this book 
are a sufficient guarantee of its value. R. M. 
THE STORY OF SOME WRENS. 
One day I found three little wrens at the 
foot of a rtee. They had hardly any down 
on their little bodies. Their mother had left 
them. They were cold and hungry. I took 
them home with me and gave them some 
crumbs of bread to eat. Then I put them in 
a nest I had found. They died the next day. 
K. Newton, 
Age 9 years. Superior. 
This is too often the result of trying to 
rear nestlings by hand. \ou should read the 
experiences of Dr. C. F. Hodge of Worcester, 
Mass. 
