24 
BY THE WAYSIDE 
which you will be almost sure to find 
in any open spring. If you have only 
either plant or animal life, you will 
have to change the water frequently. 
If you have both you can balance the 
one against the other so that change 
of water is not necessary. For animal 
life acquatic snails, minnows, or tad¬ 
poles will do. 
Cocoons of moths and butterflies 
may be gathered and placed about the 
room to hatch in spring. 
Flowers in the room or house plants 
may be made the subject of interest- 
ing studies. Out of doors the conifers 
are an excellent group of trees for 
study. 
“It, is not a wholesome spectacle for 
our children during their summer va¬ 
cations on the beaches to see full- 
grown men shooting harmless little 
birds.”—Forbush Fifth Ann. Rep. 
“At home, in Norway, we do not 
murder any of our song birds. Our 
children have for years banded them- 
«/ 
selves together in clubs to protect the 
% - 
birds' nests. But what we gain in this 
for our fields, gardens, and woods, is 
as nothing in comparison with what we 
gain for the education of our children 
in weaning them from cruelty and 
making them the protectors of the lit¬ 
tle birds. It teaches them to control 
their feelings and awakens enthusiasm 
for .worthy causes. Their love of de¬ 
struction we change to magnanimity. 
In Norway it is the school that teaches 
children their duty to song birds, and 
in the schools they form their societies 
for bird protection."—Bjornson. 
The fifth annual report of the Or¬ 
nithologist for the Massachusetts State 
Board of Agriculture is an interesting 
document as are all reports by Mr. For¬ 
bush. In Massachusetts the authorities 
have realized that the mere enactment of 
good game laws even though well en¬ 
forced is not enough. To make them a 
success there must exist a healthy public 
sentiment in their favor. This the author¬ 
ities are trying to build up. We note 
that Mr. Forbush delivered forty-one 
lectures in the year 1912. In addition, 
pamphlets on important subjects are 
distributed. And above all, Massachu¬ 
setts through Mr. Forbush has issued 
two splendid treatises of a more com¬ 
prehensive nature,—useful Birds and 
their Protection,” and “A History of 
Game Birds, Wild Fowl, and Shore 
Birds.” 
We note that educational work is be- 
ing done in the schools, which we be¬ 
lieve to be one of the surest ways of 
attaining success in the matter of bird 
preservation. 
Hunting with a pure desire to kill 
seems to be just as bad in New Eng¬ 
land as here and the foreigners also 
cause as much if not more mischief in 
the east by their ceaseless destruction 
of song birds by shooting, snaring, and 
other devices. The evidence now seems 
to be conclusive that even what we or¬ 
dinarily term “protection” is effective 
in increasing at least locally the abund¬ 
ance of wintering wild fowl in New 
England. 
