of the squirrel is very long and
bushy and serves as a fur for keeping the squirrel's nose warm in
winter. The tail is also used for balancing the body when the animal is
leaping from bough to bough.

The front teeth of the squirrel are very large and strong and are shaped
like chisels.

WINTER BIRDS

In the class lesson on winter birds, take up the birds that the pupils
have seen, such as chickadee, blue jay, quail, ruffed grouse, hairy
woodpecker, downy woodpecker, great horned owl, house-sparrow, snow
bunting (snow bird), pine grosbeak, snowy owl, and purple finch. The
four latter are to be noted as winter visitors. Use pictures for
illustrating these birds. The habits and winter food of the birds should
also be described from the view-point of how these adapt the birds for
spending the winter in a cold climate. Direct the children to look for
grosbeaks in the pine and rowan trees, where they may be seen feeding on
the seeds. The ruffed grouse (commonly called partridge) feeds on the
buds of trees in winter; its legs and feet are thickly covered with
feathers in winter but are bare in summer.

FIELD EXERCISES

Arouse the interest of the pupils by a conversation of about three
minutes on birds that they have seen during the winter, and assign the
following exercise:

Take a walk through the orchards and woods on a bright winter day. What
birds do you see? What are these birds doing? Are they found singly or
in flocks? What bird sounds do you hear?

CLASS-ROOM LESSON

The method is conversational and based upon the observations made by the
pupils during the field exercises.

The discussion would involve the winter habits of some of the more
common birds, as, for example, the ruffed grouse (commonly though
incorrectly called the partridge). This bird takes shelter from the
winter storms in the centre of a dense evergreen or burrows deep into a
snow bank. The close covering of feathers upon its feet serves not only
to keep the feet warm, but also as snow-shoes. In the evenings these
birds may frequently be seen in the tops of such trees as maple, birch,
cherry, and poplar, the buds of which form the greater part of their
winter food.

The snow bird, or snow bunting, is another bird commonly seen in winter.
Flocks of these hardy little winter visitors frequent the roads and
fields during winter. Its summer home is in the far north.

Another visitor from the sub-arctic regions is the pine grosbeak, which