Book News and Reviews
A Distributional List of the Birds of California.ByJoseph Grinnell. Pacific Coast Avifauna No. 11; Contribution from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoölogy of the University of California. Published by the Cooper Ornithological Club, Hollywood, California, October 21, 1915. Roy. 8vo, 217 pages, 3 plates.
Dr. Grinnell admits to this list 541 species and subspecies as unquestionably Californian and includes in a Hypothetical List 61 additional species whose standing as Californian is doubtful.
“The systematic order is that of the American Ornithologists’ UnionCheck-List(1910), except that within groups of species or subspecies a more natural arrangement is sometimes adopted, for example by according with geographical sequence. The A. O. U. order is thus accepted here because of the convenience thereby admittedly secured, in concording with the bulk of current ornithological literature.” (Page 7.)
The distinctive feature of this paper is its brief but clear introduction on the life-zones and faunal areas of California with its comments on the factors governing the distribution of life, and on the relation of faunas to zones. It is illustrated with plates showing both zonal and faunal divisions and four profiles across the state.
The terms used for the areas here defined are employed through the list of birds and with the aid of the maps, convey a maximum of information with a minimum of words.
Full records and references are given for species of rare or accidental occurrence in the state as a whole, as well as boundary records for those forms occupying a portion of the state.
It goes without saying that this list is authoritative and aside from its purely scientific value it should be of much assistance in at least the provisional identification in life of forms so closely related that the locality at which they are seen is their best field character.—F. M. C.
The Double crested Cormorant(Phalacrocorax auritus)and its Relations to the Salmon Industries on the Gulf of St. Lawrence.ByP. A. Taverner. Canadian Geological Survey. Mus. Bull. No. 13, Biol. Ser. No. 5; April 30, 1915. 8vo., 24 pages, 1 plate.
Complaint having been made that Cormorants were damaging the salmon fisheries of the Gaspé coast, the Geological Survey of Canada despatched Mr. Taverner with two assistants to study the food-habits of the Cormorant in the region where the charges against it originated.
It is not without significance that the Cormorant was accused, not by those who are dependent on fishing for a living, but by anglers who having rented certain salmon streams apparently feel that they have also acquired the power to inflict the death penalty on any form of life which they believe to interfere with their own interests.
Mr. Taverner was in the field from June 21 to August 23, and during this time he not only secured data which indicated that the charges against the Cormorant are unfounded but made an interesting contribution to our knowledge of the life-history of that bird.
There is more in Mr. Taverner’s thoughtful, well-written paper than is indicated by its title. We trust that it will be read by each of the complaining anglers!—F. M. C.
The Ornithological Magazines
The Condor.—The opening number of Volume XVIII of ‘The Condor,’ for January, 1916, is an unusually interesting one. Under the title ‘Philadelphia to the Coast in Early Days,’ Dr. Witmer Stone, in a paper read at the meeting of the American Ornithologists’ Union in San Francisco, last May, outlines the development of western ornithology prior to 1850. Anyone interested in the history of early work in the West will find here a clear, compact, and convenient résumé of the contributors to ornithology made bythe voyages and expeditions of Captain Cook, La Pérouse, Vancouver, Lewis and Clarke, Major Long, Captain Wyeth and Captain Beechey, and special reference to the birds collected by Peale, Say, Townsend, Nuttall, Bell and Heermann.
Mrs. Bailey continues her description of ‘The Characteristic Birds of the Dakota Prairies’ with a charming account of the water-birds found along the sloughs and marshes.
Jewett contributes a brief paper on ‘New and Interesting Bird Records,’ concerning thirteen species found in eastern Oregon during the spring and summer of 1915.
One of the first fruits of the recent publication of Grinnell’s ‘Distributional List of the Birds of California,’ appears in Dawson’s seven-page ‘Personal Supplement,’ which contains notes and critical comments on sixty-three species. If other observers would publish such notes as they have with equal detail, it would no doubt result in a considerable addition to the wealth of information on the distribution of California birds which Dr. Grinnell has already so successfully brought together.
The common names applied to several birds come in for criticism in Notes from Field and Study. Henderson defends the term ‘House Finch,’ and condemns the two synonyms by which the bird is often known. The term ‘Linnet’ he considers not distinctive and ‘California Linnet’ as indefensible. Dawson proposes Auburn Canyon Wren as a preferable name for the Dotted Canyon Wren and Coues’ Petrel instead of Ashy Petrel for the bird which ‘simply isn’t ashy.’—T. S. P.
The Auk.—Readers of the January issue will find therein a good deal about bird song as it is viewed from different angles by several contributors. Mr. H. Oldys discusses the ‘Rhythmical Singing of Veeries’ from a musician’s standpoint, and Mr. A. A. Saunders, in a letter at page 103, upholds the scientist’s belief in the use of a graphic method while, casually, in no less than three other articles, the writers make use of conventional human syllables in an effort to express bird-notes. After all, a person must hear a bird-song to know anything about it, and the crudest symbols, musical notes or words that he may employ to awaken his memory of the song mean more to him than any system that has yet been invented. It is his notation alone that will arouse his memory, for the science of musical sounds cannot go far in explaining what his ear has never heard. Mr. H. J. Fry offers ‘A Study of the Seasonal Decline of Bird Song,’ painstaking so far as it goes, but limited to a single season.
Mr. F. C. Lincoln records ‘The Discovery of the Nest and Eggs ofLeucosticte australis,’ the Brown-capped Rosy Finch, in the Colorado mountains and shows us a half-tone of the site and one of the nest and eggs, the latter pure white. Messrs. B. S. Bowdish and P. B. Philipp record the finding of several nests of ‘The Tennessee Warbler in New Brunswick,’ and also show us half-tones of the rare nest and eggs.
A pleasing study of the courtship of several species of ducks is presented by Dr. C. W. Townsend, who uses binoculars to good advantage, and Mr. J. C. Phillips raises ‘Two Problems in the Migration of Water Fowl,’ one, regarding the occurrence of certain North American Ducks in the Marshall Islands, the other dealing with the behavior of Canada Geese when migrating.
Mr. W. A. Bryan declares that there is ‘An Undescribed Species ofDrepanididæon Nihoa, Hawaiian Group,’ but wisely refrains from preliminarily tagging it with a name (as has sometimes been done in similar cases) because no specimens have been obtained. Messrs. J. E. Thayer and O. Bangs list ‘A Collection of Birds from Saghalin Island,’ Mr. F. H. Allen describes ‘A Nesting of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak,’ and Mr. H. Mousley contributes the first part of ‘Five Years’ Personal Notes and Observations on the Birds of Hatley, Stanstead Co., Quebec, 1911-1915.’ There is much of interest in Mr. Mousley’s well annotated list which is to be continued.—J. D.
Bird-LoreA Bi-Monthly MagazineDevoted to the Study and Protection of BirdsOFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETIESEdited by FRANK M. CHAPMANContributing Editor, MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHTPublished by D. APPLETON & CO.Vol. XVIIIPublished April 1, 1916No. 2SUBSCRIPTION RATESPrice in the United States, Canada and Mexico, twenty cents a number, one dollar a year, postage paid.COPYRIGHTED, 1916, BY FRANK M. CHAPMANBird-Lore’s Motto:A Bird in the Bush Is Worth Two in the Hand
Bird-LoreA Bi-Monthly MagazineDevoted to the Study and Protection of BirdsOFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETIESEdited by FRANK M. CHAPMANContributing Editor, MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHTPublished by D. APPLETON & CO.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Price in the United States, Canada and Mexico, twenty cents a number, one dollar a year, postage paid.
COPYRIGHTED, 1916, BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN
Bird-Lore’s Motto:
A Bird in the Bush Is Worth Two in the Hand
It is a long time sinceBird-Lorehas published a more valuable and significant article than the one contributed by Mr. Gilbert H. Grosvenor to this issue. Its chief value does not lie in its important bearing on what may be termed avian sociology or on its surprising demonstration of the close connection existing between available nesting-sites and bird-population. Rather is it to be found in the relations which it reveals between human-life and bird-life as the result of the best type of what we have before called ‘bird gardening.’
The birds which Mr. Grosvenor has brought about him are unquestionably more his birds than if he had shot them and placed their skins in a cabinet. With their death his responsibility for their welfare would cease. But a living bird, to which we feel we owe protection, is exposed to so many dangers that our fears for its safety are correspondingly aroused. These birds of our garden are our guests. Through the erection of bird-houses and by other means we have invited them to live with us and when they accept as readily as they have with Mr. Grosvenor, they make us realize not only our responsibility but they awaken the strongest sense of hospitality.
In a former number ofBird-Lorewe had something to say about what we believe to be the difference between ornithologists and bird-lovers. That is, between the bird student eager to devote his life to research work some of which may be so dry and technical that it would repel anyone but a born enthusiast; and the person whose interest in birds, while keen and genuine, does not beget that hunger for knowledge concerning them which is the birthright of the true naturalist.
The first type of interest we feel distinguishes the born ornithologists, the second is an almost universal heritage of mankind. Usually, however, it is dormant. We may be in possession of this priceless gift and still be unaware of its existence. Herein lies the value of nature-study, and particularly of the kind of educational work the National Association of Audubon Societies accomplishes through its Junior Classes. It isnotto be expected that the one hundred and fifty odd thousand children included in these classes during the past year will become ornithologists. But if their inherent love of birds is quickened and they become acquainted with the more common species and are taught to realize the beauty and value of bird-life we shall have added immeasurably to their resources.
Mr. Grosvenor tells us that in April, 1913, when he moved to his country home near Washington, neither he nor any member of his family could name more than three species of birds. Opportunity so quickly added to this number that within two years, as his statistics show, he had succeeded in inducing to nest on his home acre more than twice as many birds as had been before reported from the same area and under similar conditions.
So much we learn from the figures given. But no figures can express the pleasure derived from the friendships which have been established between landlord and tenant, and between landlord’s family and tenants’ families. Mr. Grosvenor may regret that his own childhood lacked that association with the commoner birds which gives them an enduring place in our affection. But his pictures show that he does not propose to have his children denied this privilege.
The Audubon Societies
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
Edited by ALICE HALL WALTER
Address all communications relative to the work of this department to the Editor, 67 Oriole Avenue, Providence, R. I.
“Nature has no human inhabitant who appreciates her. The birds with their plumage and their notes are in harmony with the flowers, but what youth or maiden conspires with the wild, luxuriant beauty of nature? She flourishes most alone, far from the towns where they reside. Talk of heaven! ye disgrace earth.
“Sometimes I rambled to pine groves, standing like temples, or like fleets at sea, full-rigged, with wavy boughs, and rippling with light, so soft and green and shady that the Druids would have forsaken their oaks to worship in them; or to the cedar wood beyond Flint’s Pond, where the trees, covered with hoary blue berries, spiring higher and higher, are fit to stand before Valhalla, and the creeping juniper covers the ground with wreaths full of fruit; or to swamps where the usnea lichen hangs in festoons from the white-spruce trees, and toadstools, round tables of the swamp gods, cover the ground, and more beautiful fungi adorn the stumps, like butterflies or shells, vegetable winkles; where the swamp-pink and dogwood grow, the red alder-berry glows like eyes of imps, the waxwork grooves and crushes the hardest woods in its folds, and the wild-holly berries make the beholder forget his home with their beauty, and he is dazzled and tempted by nameless other wild forbidden fruits, too fair for mortal taste.
“Instead of calling on some scholar, I paid many a visit to particular trees, of kinds which are rare in this neighborhood, standing far away in the middle of some pasture, or in the depths of a wood or swamp, or on a hill top: such as the black-birch of which we have some handsome specimens two feet in diameter; its cousin the yellow-birch, with its loose golden vest, perfumed like the first; the beech, which has so neat a bole and beautifully lichen-painted, perfect in all its details, of which, excepting scattered specimens, I know but one small grove of sizable trees left in the township, supposed by some to have been planted by the pigeons that were once baited with beech nuts near by; it is worth the while to see the silver grain sparkle when you split this wood; the bass; the hornbeam; theceltis occidentalis, or false elm, of which we have but one well-grown; some taller mast of a pine, a shingle tree, or a more perfect hemlock than usual, standing like a pagoda in the midst of the woods; and many others I could mention. These were the shrines I visited both summer and winter.”—Excerpt fromWalden,Henry D. Thoreau.
“He saw with a clear and kindred eye, he understood with his heart, the life of field and wood and water about him. The open sky, the solitudes of the windy hill-top, the sweep of the storm, the spacious changes of dark and dawn, these, it seems to me, spoke to him more clearly than to others.”—C. G. D. Roberts, in Introduction toWalden.
BIRD AND ARBOR DAY
AN AWAKENING
In most of the talks we listen to on Bird and Arbor Day, in most of the poems and prose selections we recite or read to celebrate this occasion, we hear about the awakening of spring, when birds return and trees and early plants blossom, and insects and hibernating animals emerge from a winter’s sleep.All Nature is pictured as rousing from the lethargy of cold December and colder January and February, under the influence of the sun, now early with its morning greeting, and of soft breezes which begin to take the place of chilling gales. But what part has man in all of this glad festival of activity and growth! Does he awaken too, and take his part in the general re-creation of Nature?
No, man is glad when spring comes, he welcomes birds and flowers and budding trees, but he has learned to build shelters for himself against storms, to fight the uneven cold with steady fire, and to raise and store food to nourish his body throughout the season when the ground is frozen and vegetation dead. He does not come to life and activity again with the changing seasons, and, much as he may enjoy spring with its multiform beauties, he seldom rouses out of the routine of his ordinary life, except now and then, perhaps, for a fitful instant. Well-fed, well-clothed and well-housed, he still fears the elements and dreads exposure and hunger. He is not a part of nature, but the ambitious master of nature. Only now and then does a man partly awaken from his civilized life and turn to Nature as to a mother. But when he does, when his eyes are fairly open, when his hand can write or his lips speak the truth, what a revelation comes not only to him but to those who understand his message!
It is of man’s awakening that I wish to tell you this lovely Bird and Arbor Day season, an awakening which you must try to feel if you are not so choked and stifled in towns and cities by ideas of things to wear and eat and amuse yourself with that you cannot understand the truth.
In all ages, a few men have awakened to the touch of Nature. It would be worth our while to know even their names, but, better yet, to know their message. Some have lived as you and I live, others have lived only in books, through the imagination of other men. There was once a lad who was afraid, afraid of the dark, afraid of horses, afraid of many things. As he grew older, he began to feel that there was much he did not enjoy because of fear, and he resolved to conquer fear. He ran through a pasture where a bull was loose, and outwitted the charging creature, escaping to a place of safety. This was rash. He attempted to drive a horse of some spirit through crowded city streets, with no knowledge of driving or sympathy with horses. This was rash, too. He left his companions and guides asleep at night on the edge of the jungle, and wandered alone into the forest, unarmed and almost breathless with fear. It was a rash thing to do, but as he wandered or stood rooted to the ground, while deer, monkeys, frogs, owls, flying squirrels, and at last a tiger, crossed his path, he began to feel a new sense of security and serenity. He found it very wonderful and beautiful. "A warm, faintly-scented breeze just stirred the dead grass and leaves. The trees and bushes stood in pools of darkness, and beyond were pale stretches of misty moonshine and big rocks shining with an unearthly luster. Ahead was darkness, but not so dense, when he came to it, that the track was invisible ... the moon was like a great shield of light spread out above him. All the world seemed swimming in itsradiance.... He wished he could walk as a spirit walks—." ... “Of course, the day jungle is the jungle asleep. This was its waking hour. Now the deer were arising from their forms, the tigers and panthers and jungle cats stalking noiselessly from their lairs in the grass. Countless creatures that had hidden from the heat and pitiless exposure of the day stood now awake and alertly intent upon their purposes, grazed or sought water, flitting delicately through the moonlight and shadows. The jungle was awakening. This was the real life of the jungle, this night life, into which man did not go. Here he was on the verge of a world that, for all the stuffed trophies of the sportsman and the specimens of the naturalist, is still almost as unknown as if it were upon another planet.”
“He became less and less timorous as beast and bird evaded him or fled at his approach, and when the moon sank suddenly, and darkness settled down, ‘a great stillness came over the world, a velvet silence that wrapped about him, as the velvet shadows wrapped about him. The corncrakes had ceased, all the sounds and stir of animal life had died away, the breeze had fallen,’ and thus, calm and full of placid joy, he waited for the dawn, for he had conquered fear.”
This is an imaginary picture, based no doubt on some actual experience. It is worth reading because it puts oneinto sympathywith Nature, even with one of its wildest and most uninhabitable parts. There are girls, and boys too, living in secure houses in village or town,who are afraid, afraid of the dark, afraid of the deep woods, afraid of wild, lonely places where snakes may be lurking, or some imagined beast. There are many grown-up people who are more fearful than children, to whom a storm is terrifying, who see little beauty in rough places, who take no enjoyment in fog, rain or snow. It is natural to be afraid, but it is not wholesome, and it betrays ignorance. This kind of fear deprives most people of much that makes up the very best of life. One need not be rash or daring to conquer fear. It is only needful toawaken, to get into sympathy with Nature, to see the world as it really is, and not as our shrinking bodies lead us to imagine.
A man died not long ago who for many years had lived perhaps as close to Nature as anyone in this generation. His name was John Muir. He loved the mountains with their vast silences and wide outlooks; the storms and winds, searching every hidden corner and ruling all Nature in their passing; the giant trees of his home country, majestic sentinels of tranquillity, and age-long growth; he loved the clouds and stars, birds, beasts and flowers; he loved mighty waters, whose power man’s hand might never check. This man wrote at times modestly and reverently of what he saw and felt. You can learn truth from him. Many other men have seen deeply into Nature, and written with sincerity, pages which we do well to study. There comes to mind the poet Lanier, who, struck by the fatal hand of disease, sought to prolong his life by living with Nature in the open. How delicately and clearly he translated beauty into terms ofmusic and rhythm! How intimately hesensedthe world about him! He wrote,
“I am not overbold.I holdFull powers from Nature manifold.I speak for each no-tonguéd treeThat, spring by spring, doth nobler be,And dumbly and most wistfullyHis mighty prayerful arms outspreadsAbove men’s oft-unheeding heads,And his big blessing downward sheds.I speak for all-shaped blooms and leaves,Lichens on stones and moss on eaves,Grasses and grains in ranks and sheaves;Broad-fronded ferns and keen-leaved canes,And briery mazes bounding lanes,And marsh-plants, thirsty-cupped for rains,And milky stems and sugary veins;. . . . . .“All purities of shady springs,All shynesses of film-winged thingsThat fly from tree-trunks and bark-rings;All modesties of mountain-fawns,That leap to covert from wild lawns,And tremble if the day but dawns;All sparklings of small beady eyesOf birds, and sidelong glances wiseWherewith the jay hints tragedies;All piquancies of prickly burs,And smoothnesses of downs and fursOf eiders and of minevers;All limpid honeys that do lieAt stamen-bases, nor denyThe hummingbirds’ fine roguery,Bee-thighs, nor any butterfly;All gracious curves of slender wings,Bark-mottlings, fiber-spiralings,Fern-wavings and leaf-flickerings;Each dial-marked leaf and flower-bell,Wherewith in every lonesome dellTime to himself his hours doth tell;All tree-sounds, rustlings of pine-cones,Wind-sighings, doves’ melodious moans,And night’s unearthly under-tones;All placid lakes and waveless deeps,All cool reposing mountain-steeps,Vale-calms and tranquil lotos-sleeps;—Yea, all fair forms, and sounds, and lights,And warmths, and mysteries, and nights,Of Nature’s utmost depths and heights,—These doth my timid tongue present,Their mouthpiece and leal instrumentAnd servant, all love-eloquent.I heard, when ‘All for love’ the violins cried;So, Nature calls through all her system wide,‘Give me thy love, O man, so long denied.’”
“I am not overbold.I holdFull powers from Nature manifold.I speak for each no-tonguéd treeThat, spring by spring, doth nobler be,And dumbly and most wistfullyHis mighty prayerful arms outspreadsAbove men’s oft-unheeding heads,And his big blessing downward sheds.I speak for all-shaped blooms and leaves,Lichens on stones and moss on eaves,Grasses and grains in ranks and sheaves;Broad-fronded ferns and keen-leaved canes,And briery mazes bounding lanes,And marsh-plants, thirsty-cupped for rains,And milky stems and sugary veins;
. . . . . .
“All purities of shady springs,All shynesses of film-winged thingsThat fly from tree-trunks and bark-rings;All modesties of mountain-fawns,That leap to covert from wild lawns,And tremble if the day but dawns;All sparklings of small beady eyesOf birds, and sidelong glances wiseWherewith the jay hints tragedies;All piquancies of prickly burs,And smoothnesses of downs and fursOf eiders and of minevers;All limpid honeys that do lieAt stamen-bases, nor denyThe hummingbirds’ fine roguery,Bee-thighs, nor any butterfly;All gracious curves of slender wings,Bark-mottlings, fiber-spiralings,Fern-wavings and leaf-flickerings;Each dial-marked leaf and flower-bell,Wherewith in every lonesome dellTime to himself his hours doth tell;All tree-sounds, rustlings of pine-cones,Wind-sighings, doves’ melodious moans,And night’s unearthly under-tones;All placid lakes and waveless deeps,All cool reposing mountain-steeps,Vale-calms and tranquil lotos-sleeps;—Yea, all fair forms, and sounds, and lights,And warmths, and mysteries, and nights,Of Nature’s utmost depths and heights,—These doth my timid tongue present,Their mouthpiece and leal instrumentAnd servant, all love-eloquent.I heard, when ‘All for love’ the violins cried;So, Nature calls through all her system wide,‘Give me thy love, O man, so long denied.’”
—FromThe Symphony,Sidney Lanier.
No message could be more beautiful or more welcome than this. Not poets and artists, but birds, streams, and the pure encircling air should call us into the open. We may not have the opportunity to wander in the jungle by night, or to climb lonely mountains or penetrate into the glooms of giant forests, but we can get outdoors by day into parks or country, and we can learn to sleep outdoors and feel the health-giving air with every breath we draw, and to awaken every morning with gladness that we are looking out upon the sky and rising sun, with no barriers of blinds and storm-windows between us and Nature. When we realize every day that to live, to simply be alive, is joy, then work will never mean drudgery or idleness and luxury seem things worth while.
If Bird and Arbor Day can make you understand and feel this message, it will be the happiest day of the year for you.—A. H. W.
JUNIOR AUDUBON WORK
For Teachers and Pupils
Exercise XXVI. Correlated Studies: School Gardening and Reading
In view of the fact that valuable suggestions are being received from time to time, as to practical methods of conducting and encouraging bird- and nature-study, it is perhaps a wise and timely interruption of the ordinary Junior Audubon exercise to submit the following five methods for the consideration of teachers and pupils. Each of these methods contains at least one idea which can be worked out along local lines by any teacher with the aid of willing pupils. Some of these methods are particularly applicable to Bird and Arbor Day, for we have now somewhat outgrown the necessity of simply having “exercises” to mark that day. Whenall daysare Bird and Arbor Days, we shall have gained a strong point in bird- and nature-study, and let it be hoped no school will omit some sincere recognition of the day, this spring.
Ways of Keeping Up Interest in Bird-Study
I. A BIRD-GAME FOR THE SCHOOLROOM
During the years of 1914 and 1915, I have learned a great deal about birds. We have an Audubon Society in our room which I think is very interesting. We have about sixteen members, and we watch and study the birds very carefully.Our teacher read us a story out ofBird-Lorethat one of her pupils wrote last year for the magazine. It certainly is interesting.
One day we went into Miss W——’s room, to have our society together. After we finished the program, we played a game called ‘Guessing Birds.’ Some one would go to the front of the room with a bird pinned on her back and one of the teachers would ask some one in the room a question about the bird. Then they would have to guess the name of the bird. We had lots of fun playing this game. Some of the children could not guess the bird that they had on their backs. Then the teacher would take if off and put her hand over the name of the bird and ask if they knew what it was.
There has not been much snow in Herndon, so the birds can find a good deal of food without anyone feeding them. With our fines we bought some wire and suet. One day we went to the woods not far from the schoolhouse to feed the birds. We tacked the wire on the trees and then put the suet under the wire. It will soon be time to go and put more suet under the wire for the birds.—Geraldine Sager(Aged 11), Herndon, Va.
[Very often the best way of fostering and keeping up interest in bird-study has to be considered, especially in Junior Audubon Societies or bird clubs. The idea suggested above seems to be an attractive one, for anything in the nature of a game usually appeals to young people. Several bird-games similar to “Avelude” are for sale, but these are played with cards, and are not suitable for use in the schoolroom. They make agreeable recreations for the home, however, and their use may well be encouraged.—A. H. W.]
II. A BIRD CONTEST FOR BIRD CLUBS
Place............ Time........ Date............ 1. A crowned head (answer) Kingbird 2. An unsteady light (answer) Flicker 3. An Eastern city visitor (answer) Baltimore Oriole 4. A yellow conversationalist (answer) Yellow-breasted Chat 5. The pride of the farm (answer) Quail 6. A peace mourner (answer) Mourning Dove ------------------------------------------------------------------ 21. Ruler of the fisheries (answer) Kingfisher Name of contestant........................
[Space is too limited to print this contest in full, but enough has been given to show how it was carried out. The Nature-Study Club of Indiana engaged in the contest, which was gotten up by one of its leaders, “to afford some amusement for the members while they were enjoying the beauties of nature. It was given under a large, spreading beech, and during the time the members were racking their brains to find the proper name of each feathered creature listed, the calls and notes of many of the birds could be heard all around, seemingly trying to assist the members to recall their names. The trip was a most successful one from a nature-study point of view, as the club traversed beautiful streams, lowlands and hills, and found a variety of trees and plants and many beautiful birds.”
The approximate age of those taking part in the contest was about thirteen (ten to sixteen years). A prize was offered, and a little girl aged twelve who had thirteen correct answers out of the twenty-one puzzles given, won it.
This form of diversion in connection with bird-study has considerable to commend it as an occasional method to use to stimulate interest and start competition.—A. H. W.]
III. METHOD OF STUDY
Miss Mc—— has read your interesting letter to her class. And as I am one of the twenty-eight, or twenty-nine girls in her class I have decided to write, and give you an idea of what we are doing. I think that we (that is the class) are all interested in the Audubon Society for the protection of birds. On April 7 the class had their picture taken to send to you. On Friday afternoon we always try to read at least one of the leaflets of the lives of the birds. Each girl reads a paragraph, and as we read the teacher explains it to us. This summer we are going to have some bird-houses in the playgrounds of the school.
I live out in the suburbs of the city, and generally there are a great many birds that come to our door in the morning. Hoping to hear from your Society quite often; I remain one of the interested pupils.—Isabel Acorn.
Miss Mc—— read your letter to the class the other day, and we were very much interested in it. I like the Society, and every Friday in school we read a leaflet. The birds often come into the yard in summer, and we scatter crumbs.
We are making bird-boxes, and when the leaves come on the trees we are going to have shelves put up and put crumbs on them. It is nice to paint pictures of the birds and read about them.
In the summer out in the country the Canaries used to come and build their nests in the low bushes. I used to scatter crumbs for them, but they would rather have worms. The Kingfishers came early in the morning, so that we did not see much of them.—Dorothy Davies.
[The members of the Apulia Junior Audubon Society are from eight to twelve years old. The School Department was very glad to receive pencil drawings made from the educational leaflets, together with the letters given above through the kindness of Mr. T. Gilbert Pierson. The way in which the leaflets are used by this society is excellent, and suggests a method practicable for all junior Audubon Societies.—A. H. W.]
IV. RHODE ISLAND BOYS’ AND GIRLS’ CLUB WORK.HOME PROJECTS FOR 1915
Conducted by the Extension Service, Rhode Island State College and the United States Department of Agriculture
Boys and girls from nine to eighteen years of age inclusive may enroll. There will be achievement emblems offered for all those who do successful work. Local prizes may also be offered for good work and exhibits at localshows, such as poultry, corn and flower shows, also grange exhibits. Boys and girls may take up any one or more of the following projects.
Home Garden.—Cultivation of vegetables, flowers, shrubs, etc. General care of the garden.
Market-Garden.—Cultivation of one-twentieth acre of vegetables.
School and Allotment-Gardens.—Cultivation of vegetables and flowers, etc., in a centralized garden at or near the school or on vacant lots.
Corn Clubs.—Cultivation of one-tenth acre of corn.
Potato Clubs.—Cultivation of one-twentieth acre of potatoes.
Dairy Herd Clubs.—Keeping an accurate record of all milk produced each day.
Canning Clubs.—Canning fruit and vegetables for home use or for market.
Baking Clubs.—Baking bread and cake.
Sewing Clubs.—Making garments and repairing.
Handicraft Club.—Making useful articles for use in the home or on the farm.
Bird and Tree Clubs.—The study and recognition of birds and trees.
Official enrollment cards will be sent to boys and girls who wish to enroll in one or more of the projects mentioned above. When received, their names will be sent to Washington, and Uncle Sam will correspond with them occasionally and send them bulletins of information and helpful letters. The State Leader or assistants will visit the local clubs from time to time, to help them with their work; he will also send helpful bulletins and letters as needed. Monthly reports will be required from each member enrolled in the club work, giving an account of his or her work.
The agent of the Extension Service of the Rhode Island State College writes:
“Inclosed please find a brief explanation of the boys’ and girls’ club work in agriculture, gardening, domestic science and handicraft work. This is a splendid movement for the Improvement Society to take up and encourage as a part of their constructive work in any community.
“The greatest asset in any community or state is the boys and girls who are to be the men and women of to-morrow. We should see to it that they are encouraged to be industrious and thrifty. Work of this kind will provide a very profitable as well as an interesting occupation for many idle moments after school, and through the long vacations for our boys and girls. At this time of the year clean-up campaigns are being started, and I would like to tack on to the end of that slogan the word ‘plant-up.’ I think that boys and girls should be encouraged not only to ‘clean-up’ the rubbish about their homes, but to invest a few cents in seeds which will germinate and grow and produce a picture very much more attractive than can be produced by many cans of paint and, furthermore, if the right kind of plant is selected, the effect will be perennial.”
An illustrated lecture on this subject may be secured at any time by making application to the undersigned. Bulletins and circular letters will be sent to the boys and girls who enroll in this club work from time to time. Personal visits will also be made as often as possible if desired.—Ernest K. Thomas.
[This is a kind of work every state needs.—A. H. W.]
V. MAKING A BIRD CENSUS
There are various ways of making or taking a bird-census, but all depend for their success upon certain rules.
1. Define clearly the area in which the observations are taken.
2. Study carefully the occurrence of species in adjoining localities.
3. Note the differences of occurrence between the foregoing and the area under observation.
4. Study reliable data of other observers, in order to avoid “wild guesses” and to eliminate errors in your own observations.
5. Keep records in a usable form, so that data may be easily compared from year to year.
6. Distinguish between permanent residents, transients, and summer or winter residents or visitors, and accidental visitors.
7. Whenin doubtas to the identity of a species,never enterit in the record, simply to swell the list. Continued study will enable you eventually to determine the most puzzling occurrences.
8. Record carefully temperature, direction and velocity of wind, and if possible, barometric pressure.
9. Chart the area studied, designating wooded places, pastures, marshy and dry places, roadside, orchards, garden, and water spaces.
10. Study the destination and point of departure of migrating species.
11. Learn both the common names and the scientific names of species if you intend to be strictly accurate. Common names of the same species frequently differ in different localities and are therefore liable to be misleading. Scientific names are easily mastered and usually have a definite meaning, which will help you to remember some distinguishing character or habit of a species.
12. Always be open to fair criticism, and to acknowledge errors in observation. The most distinguished students of any subject are those who profess to have the most to learn. A keen eye and quick brain are indispensable to any student, and calm judgment must always precede reliable conclusions.
A very practical illustration of how a bird-census may be taken is described in Dr. C. F. Hodge’s invaluable book,Nature-Study and Life. The school-children of the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, worked together under Dr. Hodge’s direction, and made a census of the nesting-species in a city block for two seasons three years apart, showing not only the number but also the increase and decrease of nesting-species during that time.
From Marion, Virginia, comes a detailed census of the birds found in the surrounding county during the spring migration. Space is not available for printing in full this census, which includes some ninety odd species, but the method followed, as explained by the following communication, is of interest, and should prove helpful to students in other localities. “The Woman’s Club of Marion has an organized Audubon Society of sixty pupils and four teachers. The three Junior classes are taught once a week from the Audubon leaflets. The Senior Class has helped take the census of Smythe County under the guidance of its teacher. In sixteen field lessons, ninety-four species and eighteen hundred and sixty-three birds of these species have been seen.”
It should be added that these Audubon classes work together with the Woman’s Club and the Conservation Committee of Marion, thus fostering a civic interest in bird-life among young and old. If more clubs would interest themselves in organizing work of this kind, a great deal might be learned about the local occurrence and movements of birds which would be of use in following their migrations.—A. H. W.
SUGGESTIONS
1. Compare the methods of observation of Thoreau, Lanier and the author of the jungle quotations.2. Which author seems to know Nature best?3. Do you know the trees in your neighborhood as well as Thoreau did those about Concord and Walden Pond?4. How many separate things in Nature are enumerated by Lanier in the excerpt from “The Symphony?”5. Are you familiar with these things?6. What is miniver?7. How did Thoreau learn so much about Nature?8. Are Lanier’s allusions to Nature exact?9. If you wished to tell a person who knew nothing about Nature, what to listen and look for, how many things could you name or describe to him?10. Make a list of the trees, shrubs, and plants in your neighborhood.11. Make a list of the spring migrants in your locality.12. Make a study of what actually takes place during the transition from winter to spring.—A. H. W.
1. Compare the methods of observation of Thoreau, Lanier and the author of the jungle quotations.
2. Which author seems to know Nature best?
3. Do you know the trees in your neighborhood as well as Thoreau did those about Concord and Walden Pond?
4. How many separate things in Nature are enumerated by Lanier in the excerpt from “The Symphony?”
5. Are you familiar with these things?
6. What is miniver?
7. How did Thoreau learn so much about Nature?
8. Are Lanier’s allusions to Nature exact?
9. If you wished to tell a person who knew nothing about Nature, what to listen and look for, how many things could you name or describe to him?
10. Make a list of the trees, shrubs, and plants in your neighborhood.
11. Make a list of the spring migrants in your locality.
12. Make a study of what actually takes place during the transition from winter to spring.—A. H. W.
FOR AND FROM ADULT AND YOUNG OBSERVERS
SPRING
Spring has come at last,And the birds are flying fastTo our great Northern skies,Where they think it’s paradise.The rustle of their little wingsTells us of the coming Spring.And their little notes of loveAre like the peaceful songs of Doves.
Spring has come at last,And the birds are flying fastTo our great Northern skies,Where they think it’s paradise.
The rustle of their little wingsTells us of the coming Spring.And their little notes of loveAre like the peaceful songs of Doves.
—Virginia Stearns(Nine years old), Milwaukee, Wis.
MY BLUEBIRDS
Early in December, 1914, my brother and I cut down an old half-dead apple-tree, and on it we found a partly hollow log that the English Sparrows had evidently used for years. As I had my eye out for bird-houses, I confiscated it and finished hollowing it out. It made three log-nests, all of which have been used by bird tenants since then. On February 17, I put up two of the logs on the bank of the Ohio River, at a distance of 40 feet from our house, where they could easily be observed from nine different windows.
The site was ideal for a bird’s nest. Below, 127 feet, the Ohio rolled majestically by, flushed with the melted snow that the spring rains brought from the mountains, and dotted here and there with floating cakes of ice. The other bank of the river rose 329 feet above the level of the water. It was heavily wooded and an ideal place for all kinds of birds. As this is right in the path of the Mississippi Migration Route, one could hear the “honk, honk,” of Canada Geese, the talking notes of the Old Squaw, and once the maniacal laughter of a Loon, as it followed the Ohio to the mouth of the Beaver River, there probably resting and continuing its journey up the Beaver to its northern nesting-ground. Below, I give the dates of the important events in the Bluebirds’ history.
Prior to March 29, the river bank had been burned over twice for the purpose of improving the grass roots, but the Bluebirds never seemed to mind it, although the nest was enveloped in clouds of thick smoke both times. The last two days of March, and the first two of April were cold, below freezing, with a driving snowstorm followed by sleet; but the Bluebirds’ activities never ceased. At this time the male passed the night in the nest with the female, ‘twinkling’ into the log at sunset. The male was very pugnacious, and seemed not to know fear. He would dash with equal courage at a Flicker or a Song Sparrow, when they approached his tree. Once I saw him actually knock a Flicker off a branch. Perhaps he would not have succeeded had the Flicker been aware of his approach, but the Bluebird came up behind and hit him below the belt. When I would go near the nest, the male would utter ‘chuckling’ notes, as if to scold and frighten me away. On several occasions he came so close that I could almost touch him.
When the young were about four days old, I set up my camera, three feet away from the nest, to obtain some pictures. The first time the shutter snapped, the female hopped down on to the branch on which the camera was placed, puther head to one side, and seemed to say, “What is this that clicks in my face,” and then she hopped all over it, pecking it.