BY THE WAYS IDE 
45 
SCHOOL. BRANCH DEPARTMENT 
M ___ 
I V 
Every Wisconsin School Branch is required to subscribe for at least one copy of BY THE WAYSIDE 
Letters to this department should be 
written on only one side of the page, should 
give name, age and address of the writer 
and should be mailed by the first of the 
month; Illinois writers sending to Miss 
Mary A. Hardman, Academy of Sciences, 
Chicago, Ill., and Wisconsin writers to Mr. 
Roland E. Kremers, Madison, Wis. To 
each writer whose letter is published will 
he sent an illustrated leallet on some bird. 
For the best letter each month we will send 
a second leaflet. Preference will be given 
to letters about the bird study for the 
month and to original observations. 
Any Wisconsin society may, by paying 
the express, have the use of the Cordon and 
Merrill Libraries of bird books by applying 
to Mr. Kremers. 
Wisconsin parties should apply to the 
University Extension Division, Madison, for 
colored bird slides. Illinois Schools may 
use. without expense, a library or a lecture 
with lantern slides, by applying to Miss 
Runnel, Academy of Sciences, Chicago. 
A Key to the Orders of Birds 
(Continued from December) 
Group II. Marsh Birds or “Waders,” 
Chiefly medium to large sized birds 
whose legs are generally long in pro¬ 
portion to the size of their bodies. 
a. Order Herodiones. Herons and 
Bitterns. 
Large birds (except the least bit¬ 
tern) that have the habit of standing 
motionless until their prey, frogs and 
fishes approach and then “spearing’ 
them. 
b. Order Paludicolae. Rails and 
Coots. Chiefly medium sized birds 
that skulk in the rushes being more 
often heard than seen. 
N. B. The coot forms an exception 
to the statement that this group of 
birds are marsh inhabiting. It often 
swims about in flocks or singly like 
the ducks, but is also often met with, 
like its relatives, skulking in the 
marshes. 
c. Order Limicolae. Sandpipers and 
Plovers. Medium or smaller sized 
birds that are often light colored on 
under parts. They inhabit the shores, 
mud flats, and sand bars of rivers and 
lakes or ponds. They are character¬ 
ized by their nimbleness and skill of 
flight. 
Group III. Land Birds. 
This group comprises by far the 
largest number of all our birds. 
a. Ground birds. Order Gallinae. 
Chicken-like birds- 
b. Arboreal birds. Order Pici. Wood¬ 
peckers. Type Red-headed woodpecker. 
c. Aerial birds. Order Macrochires. 
Swift, Hummingbird, and the Night- 
hawk family. 
«/ 
d. Birds of Prey. Order Raptores. 
Hawks and Owls. 
e. Perching birds. Order Passeres. 
This order occupies most diversified 
habitats, the individuals are chiefly 
medium sized, while some are most 
diminutive, rivalling the humming¬ 
bird. Ex.: The blackbird, finch, swal¬ 
low, warbler and thrush families. 
Note: The two cuckoos and the 
kingfisher occurring in these regions 
are not classified among the above or¬ 
ders because it will be easier to learn 
the individuals from pictures and de¬ 
scriptions than to trace their classifi¬ 
cation through a so large and diversi¬ 
fied group of birds as the five above or¬ 
ders. 
