BY THE WAYSIDE 
69 
SCHOOL BRANCH DEPARTMENT 
Every Wisconsin School Branch is required to subscribe for at least one copy of BY THE WAYSIDE 
Letters for this department should be written on only 
one side of the page, should jrire the name, age and ad¬ 
dress of the writer, and should be mailed by the first of 
the month; Illinois children sending to Miss Juliet 
Goodrich, 10 Astor St,, Chicago, Ill., and Wisconsin 
children to Miss Edna Edwards, Appleton, Wis. An 
•honor badge will be awarded for each state every month 
preference being given to letters about the bird study 
for the month (which i6 always on this page) and to or¬ 
iginal observations. Any child who wins the honor 
badge twice will receive By The Wayside one year as a 
prize. 
The wren button, which is the badge of the Audubon 
Society, costs two cents, and may be bought from Miss 
Goodrich or Miss Edwards. 
Any Wisconsin School Branch may, without expense, 
have the use of the Gordon and Merrill Libraries of bird 
books, by applying to Miss Sophia Schaefer, Librarian, 
679 North St., Appleton. 
A set of colored bird slides with a typewritten lecture 
may be rented from Prof. W. S. Marshall, 114 E. Gorham 
Street, Madison, Wis. 
Illinois Schools, may use. without expense, a library 
or a lecture with lantern slides, by applying to Mrs. 
Ruthveu Deane, 504 N. State St., Chicago. 
Meadowlark. 
The meadowlark is a good “bird of the 
month” for March, for it is during this 
month that we look for this summer res¬ 
ident. In some milder climates than 
Wisconsin they remain through the win¬ 
ter. Their general color is brown, varie¬ 
gated brown, I might say. 
Its crown is striped with black and it 
can be easily recognized as it flies by the 
white corners on its tail and by its yel¬ 
low breast crossed bv a black crescent, 
which can be seen as it walks towards 
you or sits perched up in a conspicuous 
place giving to the world its best spring 
song which brings gladness to the hearts 
of all who hear. 
Its length is a little over ten inches 
and it is to be found walking in the newly 
ploughed fields and meadows, feeding 
from the ground. As you approach, it 
will crouch a second depending on its re¬ 
semblance to the ground for concealment, 
but if you go nearer, away it will fly, giv¬ 
ing a frightened note. Mabel Osgood 
Wright says, ‘AVhile they are feeding 
they constantly give their calling song, 
varying the intonation and accent in a 
way which is very expressive, “Spring o’ 
the y-e-a-r, spring o’ the year.” They 
sing from March to July and then again 
in the fall. I have heard them in Illi- 
( 
nois long after they had fled from our 
Wisconsin climate. Chapman describes 
the nest as being placed upon the ground, 
as a rule, in a tuft of grasses which is ar¬ 
ranged to form a dome over it. There 
are from four to six white eggs which 
are spotted with brown. 
Wisconsin Prize Letter. 
Februarv 28, 1907. 
One morning in January when I w r as 
going to a friend’s house, I heard some¬ 
thing that sounded like seeds cracking 
above my head. Then I looked up and 
saw a great many beautiful birds eating 
the box elder seeds. The next day I 
found out they were the evening gros¬ 
beaks. Their color was beautiful. They 
are yellow on the breast and back, black 
and white wings and black tail. Their 
bills are thick and stubby and yellow. 
The female is marked like the male, but 
is a paler color. They feed upon seeds, 
berries and a few insects. They were 
chattering just as if there was a room full 
of old maids. Their song is clear like a 
robin’s whistle. In the winter they 
travel about in a small band, and visit¬ 
ing where there are enough seeds and 
berries to feed upon. 
“Gros” means big. Therefore they 
are called grosbeaks because they have 
big beaks. 
They are about eight inches long. 
Aged 13. Florence Loos. 
