Lope DURON "RULLELIN oe 

kindly disposed to our horses, etc., and he will no doubt appreciate a 
letter of commendation from you. Sincerely, 
Boyle Ice Company, 
By F. A. Westrich. 
mane: 28, 1925. 
Bird Study in the Lower Grades 
TITTLE children naturally love birds. Birds cannot hurt them; they 
are small; there is a sense of freedom and joy and mystery about 
them as they fly off in the air, above the tree tops, into the deep 
woods, places children only dream about. 
If one can add to this love an intelligent love of the birds, each year 
having them gain in knowledge about them and their ways, there need 
not be much doubt as to children keeping their interest and their love 
of birds after school days are over. 
Knowing bird pictures is not knowing birds. A child may be able to 
name the most common birds in pictures, but when out of doors he may 
not recognize them. A real knowledge of birds can be obtained only 
through out-door observation. Keep seasonable pictures of birds where 
the children may see them at any time, but do not teach birds from bird 
pictures. That is unrelated to life and belongs to Tom Sawyer’s school 
days. It is the bird on the wing, 1n the tree or on the fence post that 
counts. 
Although little children readily learn to know the birds with striking 
colors and markings, they find it difficult to learn those with less dis- 
tinctive characteristics, nor can they remain quiet long enough to await 
a bird’s uncertain appearance. 
There are many ways, however, to interest children in the fluff and 
feathers of bird life. The real joy of the study lies not in the mere fact 
of how many birds they know and have seen, although that appeals to 
the collective instinct later on. If they know a few birds they can watch 
for their coming and keep the time of their arrivals. They can notice 
what the birds use for their nests during the nest building season. They 
can notice whether they fly high or low, with fast or slow wings. They can 
compare their size with that of the robin. They will have many questions 
to ask if they feel there 1s a logical answer to be given them. 
If a child says, “How can a bird fly?” and the answer is something 
like this, “God made them that way,” we need not be surprised 1f the 
result is, not a deeper sense of reverence, but a growing indifference 
towards the truths of nature. “It is the world’s one crime its babes grow 
dull,” might be a good daily reminder for us teachers. 
If, however, a bird’s feathers were examined to see the hollowness of 
the quills; the lightness in weight noticed; if the bones of birds and 
