BY TilE WAYSIDE 
22 
f 
I 
terns of classification and nomenclature 
employed. Right here is a use for lists 
of species. If the pupils are already fa¬ 
miliar with some winter birds, have 
them make a list of such species. Then 
take any descriptive bird guide such 
as Chapman’s Birds of N. E. United 
States, Cory’s Birds of Illinois and 
Wisconsin, Reed’s Bird guide, and 
write after each bird the family to 
which it belongs; then arrange the 
families in the order in which they 
come in your guide and under each 
family place the names of those birds 
known. In this way it will become ap¬ 
parent what birds are related to each 
other. A step farther would be to 
group the families together under the 
larger divisions known as orders. In 
the lower grades the pupils would not 
be ready to grasp the significance of 
such work. Thei? instruction should 
therefore be very elemental in this re¬ 
spect. All that is desirable is to take 
a few easily known winter birds and 
% 
tell them something of the habits of 
related species and in that way to indi¬ 
cate something of the larger groups of 
birds. 
In the grammar grades, however, the 
pupils should be able to comprehend 
the elements of classification. Have 
them by the use of pictures or printed 
descriptions pick out distinctive char¬ 
acteristics first of the orders, then the 
families, and lastly the species. In 
other words, have them make their 
own artificial keys or svstems of class- 
•/ «/ 
ification. It makes little difference 
what characters are used so long as the 
kegs are workable. Thus, for instance, 
you could not distinguish between 
ducks and gulls by saying that the 
gulls were aquatic and the ducks web¬ 
footed, for both statements apply to 
each family; but the distinction that 
gulls have round, hooked bills and that 
ducks have flat bills that are not prom¬ 
inently hooked will separate the two 
families. 
If instead of structural differences as 
the above characters based on habitat, 
song, manner of obtaining food, habits 
of migration, or any other character 
be chosen as the basis for your classifi- 
cation, some notion as to the diversity 
of birds' habits and behavior may be 
learned. In fact, so important is the 
matter of classification and of learning 
to classify that we venture to state 
that it should occupy one of the fore¬ 
most places in nature study of any sort. 
That is because so many things depend 
on the various classifications for their 
successful pursuit. 
Summary: 
1. Make a list of the winter birds 
you already know. 
2. Use this list according as the 
abilities and interests of your pupils 
admit in any or all of the following 
ways: 
To teach the classification of birds. 
As a starting point for learning more 
birds by filling out the families With 
the names of species known to occur 
iii your locality as you identify them. 
To teach habitats etc. by using ap¬ 
propriate characters for your key. 
To teach migration by making it the 
basis of a classification based upon rec¬ 
ords of species in summer, fall, winter 
and spring respectively. 
Suggestions for nature study not re¬ 
lated to birds: 
Start an aquarium, even a mason jar 
will do very well for a vessel, by gath¬ 
ering a few algae and aquatic plants 
