ree G iW) BsOuN: Bisel] BelaisN 39 
for bird study in Chicago and its immediate environs is a source of 
wonder. We have the parks, open spaces along the boulevards, several 
wooded tracts and forest preserves along the river, all within the city 
limits. On the north side we have been allowed access to Rose Hill 
Cemetery, a veritable bird paradise during the spring migration. Here 
may be found pied-billed grebe, great blue heron, little blue heron, 
various species of ducks, loon, coot, thrushes, whippoorwill, barn 
swallow, chimney swift and a great list of others. Wild mallard ducks 
rear their young on the banks of the lagoons. In the back yards in the 
residence districts, where there 1s a considerable growth of shrubbery, 
may be found, especially during the migrating season, many different 
species. In our own back yard, we have had such visitors as chewink, 
different thrushes, white-throated sparrow, brown thrasher, several 
species of warblers, scarlet tanager, catbird, cedar waxwing, Bohemian 
waxwing and many others. 
With all of those opportunities for study, I felt justified, while teach- 
ing that work in the Senn High School, in requiring every member of 
the classes to know at least twenty-five birds. Most of the pupils learned 
to know many more than that number. As I remember, the greatest 
number to the credit of any one pupil was 1s0 different species. The 
greatest number of different species for all members of the classes 
for any one season was 250. Of course there were mistakes, and some 
dishonesty, but experience in checking up reports enables a teacher to 
reduce dishonesty to a minimum which is almost negligible. Various 
contests add to the interest in this work. Trips are taken after school 
hours and before school hours by the different classes accompanied by 
the teacher, but after the work is well started, the best work is done 
by the pupils themselves, either individually alone, or in small groups. 
I remember one pupil who was severely reprimanded by his parents 
when he returned home from a bird trip on a Saturday evening as late 
as nine o’clock. By Sunday morning he had the enthusiasm of the 
whole family aroused to the extent that they consented to go with him 
for an all-day trip on Sunday. For this work the pupil should have a 
pair of field glasses (cheap ones will answer), a note book and a bird 
guide such as Reed’s or Chapman’s. Several laboratory copies of 
Chapman’s “Birds of the Eastern United States” should be available. 
I have seen no better treatment of general methods of bird study than 
that found in Hodge and Dawson’s “Civic Biology.”” Hodge’s “‘ Nature 
Study and Life” is also suggestive. Hornady’s “Our Vanishing Wild 
Life” is a good help to give a background for this and similar studies 
on conservation of our wild life. 
In order to make any kind of a study of the economic relations of 
birds to man, we must know birds. Being able to identify birds, to 
name them, is not enough. The pupil should have some knowledge of 
scientific classification. The laboratory should have mounted bird 
