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hour hoping to see him again but I did not. As October third 
was followed by three days of mild weather I trust the little 
fellow reached the sunny south without further accident.” 
ESTHER A. CRAIGMILE 
Rockford 
Five hundred bird homes were added to the public parks of 
Rockford, Ill., this vear through the co-operation of Rockford 
Park District, manual training department of the city’s public 
schools and Edgar E. Bartlett. Mr. Bartlett, who is a great lover 
of birds, conducts a public campaign each spring in the interest 
of bird life through his daily newspaper, The Register-Gazette. 
The campaign this year was the most successful yet held in point 
of practical bird homes obtained and interest aroused. 
Details of the campaign were arranged at a conference early 
in March of the eleven manual training instructors, Thomas 
Bjorge, supervisor of Manual Arts; E. E. Lewis, superintendent 
of city schools; Paul B. Riis, superintendent of the park dis- 
trict, and Mr. Bartlett. The latter offered nineteen prizes, four 
for each manual training grade and three special ones, with use 
of the news columns of the Register-Gazette for stimulating 
publicity. Students receiving bird houses were to receive credit 
for the work. 
Owing to a large number of the houses built in former con- 
tests being impractical bird homes and useless after the contest, 
it was decided to have all houses this year built according to 
plans and specifications prepared by Superintendent Riis of 
the park district. Each class of students was furnished with a 
set of plans and specifications for the houses to be built. Copies 
of Bird Lore were furnished each student to further aid him in 
his work. 
In addition to the cash prizes awarded builders of the best 
entries in the campaign all boys building houses were the guests 
of the Register-Gazette and park commission on a boat ride on 
Rick river and wiener roast at Dr. Warren M. Miller‘s “Idlewild” 
farm on Memorial Day. 
In order to establish a real competitive basis, restrictive 
classes were provided, confining the pupil to build wren, blue 
bird, flicker nesting box, or robin shelving box. Those who de- 
sired, could build martin houses. Several very fine types of 
these were built. 
The plans furnished were not arbitrary, excepting as to 
dimensions of boxes, location and size of entrance holes, and 
such other items of construction necessary to the building of 
successful bird houses. In fact, every encouragement was held 
