them out to the other pupils of the school, and
thus they become the teacher's assistants in the work.

By beginning with the most common and conspicuous birds, an acquaintance
grows rapidly. Early spring is a good time to begin, when the first
birds return from their winter sojourn. The teacher and pupils may now
learn to recognize the birds, because there are only a few, and these
are easily seen, as the robin, blue-bird, junco, meadow-lark, goldfinch,
bronzed grackle, sapsucker, blue jay, downy woodpecker, and flicker.

The teacher, assisted by the pupils who already know these birds,
directs the younger pupils to where these birds may be seen, and they
are also required to describe the birds observed and to identify them by
means of the bird chart or colour key.

The description should include:

Size (compare with some common bird); shape; colour of head, back, and
breast; conspicuous markings, as crest, stripes, bright patches of
feathers; movements in flight or on the ground; song, call notes;
whether in flocks, or pairs, or single birds.

Later in spring, other birds will attract attention, as the
song-sparrow, phoebe, wren, horned lark, cowbird, and red-winged
blackbird; while in summer the oriole, catbird, vesper sparrow, American
redstart, night hawk, scarlet tanager, and crested flycatcher are some
of the birds that will call for attention, because of their plumage,
songs, or peculiar habits.

When a nest has been found by a pupil, he should report it to the
teacher, and the other pupils should be permitted to visit it only upon
promising not to molest the nest or to annoy the mother bird by
remaining too long near it. While it is well that the pupils should see
the nest with the young birds, they should be taught to respect the
desire of the bird for quietness and seclusion.

In studying the nest, observe: Concealment, protection, size, comfort,
number and colour of eggs, young birds, size, colour, covering, food.
The pupils should be asked to observe the feeding of birds thus:

Watch the wrens returning to the nest; what do they carry to their
young? Where do the wrens get the snails and grubs? Observe how the
robins find the worms and how they pull them out of the ground. Follow
the downy woodpecker to the apple tree and find out what he was pecking.
Watch the crow in the pasture field and learn whether this bird kills
grasshoppers and crickets.

Observe the birds that pick seeds out of the weeds