y not
about birds also? One boy thought it just as necessary for city
children to know what was to be seen in the country, as for country
children to know what could be seen in the city. There were other
reasons offered equally as good, but behind it all was a real live
desire, a natural desire, that need give no reasons for its existence,
to learn something about the wild birds. The teacher saw this, and
being one who realizes that schools are maintained for the benefit of
children rather than that children are born and reared to serve a
school system, consented to the organization of a Junior Audubon Class.

Bird study in some measure should be given to every class in every
school, city and country. Not just because it is new, not just because
it is a branch of the now popular nature-study, not just because the
children are eager for it, all of which are good reasons, but because
of the great need of a national change of attitude toward the wild
birds if we are to succeed in preserving this absolutely essential part
of our natural resources.

--_Eugene Swope._

TROOP OF WINTER BIRDS LED BY CAPTAIN NUT-HATCH.

H. W. WEISGERBER.

_From Nature and Culture._

How many of the boys that roam the winter woods appreciate the services
of the white-breasted nut-hatch? He is the captain of the small troop
of winter resident birds, and where his "yank", "yank", is heard there
are the other birds also. Sometimes he is far in advance of the troop,
but the small company of followers press on and go where he leads.

In the winter birds are not as common as during the summer, and the
bird student sometimes tramps a long ways before he sees one of any
kind. Then, all of a sudden he hears the call-note of the nut-hatch,
and if he is wise, he will follow it up until he comes upon the
company, which will not be far away from where the nut-hatch is heard.

Sometimes only three species are found, but generally four different
kinds of birds make up the small company that road the woods together.
These four are the white-breasted nuthatch, tufted titmouse, downy
woodpecker, and the merry little chickadee. What a happy, contented
quartet they are!

One cold and cloudy November morning I thought I had caught a pair of
nuthatches that had betrayed their trust. I had followed an old rail
fence that bordered a weedy cornfield next to an open woods, and the
only birds seen were a few juncos and tree sparrows. After walking
about