r, house-wren, crow, bronzed grackle, and
meadow-lark. These are easily reached by the pupils of every rural and
village school, and the purpose of the lessons should be to teach the
pupils to recognize these birds, and by making use of child interest in
living active creatures, to develop their interest in birds.

THE ROBIN

FIELD EXERCISES

I

Observe the robins and find out the following things:

1. Are all robins of the same colour? If not of the same colour, what
difference do you note?

2. Does the bird run or hop? Imitate its movements.

3. Listen to its song. Is it sweet or harsh? Is it loud or low? Is it
cheerful or gloomy?

4. Watch the robin as it moves along the grass and learn how it finds
out where the worms are.

_To the teacher._--The pupils should be given a few days in which to
find out answers to these questions, and at the end of that time the
answers should be discussed in the class.

Male robins have more pronounced colours than female robins. The beak is
yellower, the breast is brighter, the back and the top of the head are
darker. Robins both run and hop. The sense of sight of the robin is very
acute, but its sense of hearing is even more keen. The bird may be
observed turning its head to one side to listen for the sound of a worm
which is still inside its burrow.

II

A second set of exercises may now be assigned which will demand a more
detailed study of the bird, namely, a study of the size, colour, form of
body, manner of flight, and length of beak.

III

THE NEST, EGGS, AND YOUNG

1. Find out various places in which robins build their nests. In what
ways are these places all alike? Examine the materials of the nest and
find out why the nests are built in the kind of places in which they are
found.

2. Describe the eggs.

3. What kinds of food do the parent birds bring to the young? Does the
father bird aid in bringing food to the young?

_To the teacher._--The nests are found in well-sheltered parts of apple
trees and evergreens, in sheds, under ledges of roofs, and in other
sheltered places. The nests, since they are composed largely of mud and
grass, would easily be washed away if exposed to rain storms. The food
brought to the young consists of worms and insect larvae, and the father
bird is very industrious in helping to take care of his family. It is
the father bird that sings, and the mother bird devotes all her energies
to working and scolding.

THE SONG-SP