ANIMAL LIFE
I. BIRD STUDY
[Illustration: T]
The reason for studying any bird is to ascertain what it does; in
order to accomplish this, it is necessary to know what the bird is,
learning what it is, being simply a step that leads to a knowledge of
what it does. But, to hear some of our bird devotees talk, one would
think that to be able to identify a bird is all of bird study. On the
contrary, the identification of birds is simply the alphabet to the
real study, the alphabet by means of which we may spell out the life
habits of the bird. To know these habits is the ambition of the true
ornithologist, and should likewise be the ambition of the beginner,
even though the beginner be a young child.
Several of the most common birds have been selected as subjects for
lessons in this book; other common birds, like the phœbe and wrens,
have been omitted purposely; after the children have studied the
birds, as indicated in the lessons, they will enjoy working out
lessons for themselves with other birds. Naturally, the sequence of
these lessons does not follow scientific classification; in the first
ten lessons, an attempt has been made to lead the child gradually
into a knowledge of bird life. Beginning with the chicken there
follow naturally the lessons with pigeons and the canary; then there
follows the careful and detailed study of the robins and constant
comparison of them with the blue birds. This is enough for the first
year in the primary grades. The next year the work begins with the
birds that remain in the North during the winter, the chickadee,
nuthatch and downy woodpecker. After these have been studied
carefully, the teacher may be an opportunist when spring comes and
select any of the lessons when the bird subjects are at hand. The
classification suggested for the woodpeckers and the swallows is for
more advanced pupils, as are the lessons on the geese and turkeys. It
is to be hoped that these lessons will lead the child directly to the
use of the bird manuals, of which there are several excellent ones.
BEGINNING BIRD STUDY IN THE PRIMARY GRADES
The hen is especially adapted as an object lesson for the young
beginner of bird study. First of all, she is a bird, notwithstanding
the adverse opinions of two of my small pupils who stoutly maintained
that “a robin is a bird, but a hen is a hen.” Moreover, the hen
is a bird always available for nature-study; she looks askance at
us from the crates of the world’s marts; she comes to meet us in
the country barnyard, stepping toward us sedately; looking at us
earnestly, with one eye, then turning her head so as to check up her
observations with the other; meantime she asks us a little question
in a wheedling, soft tone, which we understand perfectly to mean
“have you perchance brought me something to eat?” Not only is the hen
an interesting bird in herself, but she is a bird with problems; and
by studying her carefully we may be introduced into the very heart
and center of bird life.
This lesson may be presented in two ways: First, if the pupils live
in the country where they have poultry at home, the whole series of
lessons may best be accomplished through interested talks on the part
of the teacher, which should be followed on the part of the children,
by observations, which should be made at home and the results given
in school in oral or written lessons. Second, if the pupils are not
familiar with fowls, a hen and a chick, if possible, should be kept
in a cage in the schoolroom for a few days, and a duck or gosling
should be brought in one day for observation. The crates in which
fowls are sent to market make very good cages. One of the teachers
of the Elmira, N. Y. Schools introduced into the basement of the
schoolhouse a hen, which there hatched her brood of chicks, much to
the children’s delight and edification. After the pupils have become
thoroughly interested in the hen and are familiar with her ways,
after they have fed her and watched her, and have for her a sense of
ownership, the following lessons may be given in an informal manner,
as if they were naturally suggested to the teacher’s mind through
watching the fowl.
[Illustration]
FEATHERS AS CLOTHING
_Teacher’s Story_
[Illustration: T]
The bird’s clothing affords a natural beginning for bird study
because the wearing of feathers is a most striking character
distinguishing birds from other creatures; also, feathers and flying
are the first things the young child notices about birds.
The purpose of all of these lessons on the hen are: (a) To induce the
child to make continued and sympathetic observations on the habits
of the domestic birds, (b) To cause him involuntarily to compare the
domestic with the wild birds, (c) To induce him to think for himself
why the shape of the body, wings, head, beak, feet, legs and feathers
are adapted in each species to protect the bird and assist it in
getting its living.
The overlapping of the feathers on a hen’s back and breast is a
pretty illustration of nature’s method of shingling, so that the
rain, finding no place to enter, drips off, leaving the bird’s
underclothing quite dry. It is interesting to note how a hen behaves
in the rain; she droops her tail and holds herself so that the water
finds upon her no resting place, but simply a steep surface down
which to flow to the ground.
[Illustration: _A feather_]
Each feather consists of three parts, the shaft or quill, which is
the central stiff stem of the feather, giving it strength. From this
quill come off the barbs which, toward the outer end, join together
in a smooth web, making the thin, fan-like portion of the feather; at
the base is the fluff, which is soft and downy and near to the body
of the fowl. The teacher should put on the blackboard this figure so
that incidentally the pupils may learn the parts of a feather and
their structure. If a microscope is available, show both the web and
the fluff of a feather under a three-fourths objective.
The feathers on the back of a hen are longer and narrower in
proportion than those on the breast and are especially fitted to
protect the back from rain; the breast feathers are shorter and
have more of the fluff, thus protecting the breast from the cold as
well as the rain. It is plain to any child that the soft fluff is
comparable to our woolen underclothing while the smooth, overlapping
web forms a rain and wind-proof outer coat. Down is a feather with no
quill; young chicks are covered with down. A pin-feather is simply a
young feather rolled up in a sheath, which bursts later and is shed,
leaving the feather free to assume its form. Take a large pin-feather
and cut the sheath open and show the pupils the young feather lying
within.
When a hen oils her feathers it is a process well worth observing.
The oil gland is on her back just at the base of the tail feathers;
she squeezes the gland with her beak to get the oil and then rubs
the beak over the surface of her feathers and passes them through
it; she spends more time oiling the feathers on her back and breast
than those on the other parts, so that they will surely shed water.
Country people say when the hen oils her feathers, it is a sure sign
of rain. The hen sheds her feathers once a year and is a most untidy
looking bird meanwhile, a fact that she seems to realize, and is as
shy and cross as a young lady caught in company in curl papers; but
she seems very pleased with herself when she finally gains her new
feathers.
[Illustration: _Feathers of a rooster, showing their relative size,
shape and position_
1, neck hackle; 2, breast; 3, wing shoulder covert; 4, wing
flight covert; 5, wing primary; 6, wing secondary; 7, wing
covert; 8, back; 9, tail covert; 10, main tail; 11, fluff; 12,
thigh; 13, saddle hackle; 14, the sickle or feather of beauty;
15, lesser sickle. Prof. J. E. Rice in Rural School Leaflet.
]
LESSON I
FEATHERS AS CLOTHING
_Leading thought_--Feathers grow from the skin of a bird and protect
the bird from rain, snow, wind and cold. Some of the feathers act as
cloaks or mackintoshes and others as underclothing.
_Method_--The hen should be at close range for this lesson where the
children may observe how and where the different kinds of feathers
grow. The pupils should also study separately the form of a feather
from the back, from the breast, from the under side of the body, and
a pin-feather.
_Observations for pupils_--1. How are the feathers arranged on the
back of the hen? Are they like shingles on the roof? If so, what for?
2. How does a hen look when standing in the rain?
3. How are the feathers arranged on the breast?
4. Compare a feather from the back and one from the breast and note
the difference.
5. Are both ends of these feathers alike? If not, what is the
difference?
6. Is the fluffy part of the feather on the outside or next to the
bird’s skin? What is its use?
7. Why is the smooth part of the feather (the web) on the outside?
8. Some feathers are all fluff and are called “down.” At what age was
the fowl all covered with down?
9. What is a pin-feather? What makes you think so?
10. How do hens keep their feathers oily and glossy so they will shed
water?
11. Where does the hen get the oil? Describe how she oils her
feathers and which ones does she oil most? Does she oil her feathers
before a rain?
_“How beautiful your feathers be!”
The Redbird sang to the Tulip-tree
New garbed in autumn gold.
“Alas!” the bending branches sighed,
“They cannot like your leaves abide
To keep us from the cold!”_
--JOHN B. TABB.
[Illustration]
FEATHERS AS ORNAMENT
_Teacher’s Story_
[Illustration: T]
The ornamental plumage of birds is one of the principal illustrations
of a great principle of evolution. The theory is that the male
birds win their mates because of their beauty, those that are not
beautiful being doomed to live single and leave no progeny to inherit
their dullness. On the other hand, the successful wooer hands down
his beauty to his sons. However, another quite different principle
acts upon the coloring of the plumage of the mother birds; for if
they should develop bright colors themselves, they would attract
the eyes of the enemy to their precious hidden nests; only by being
inconspicuous, are they able to protect their eggs and nestlings from
discovery and death. The mother partridge, for instance, is so nearly
the color of the dead leaves on the ground about her, that we may
almost step upon her before we discover her; if she were the color of
the oriole or tanager she would very soon be the center of attraction
to every prowler. Thus, it has come about that among the birds the
feminine love of beauty has developed the gorgeous colors of the
males, while the need for protection of the home has kept the female
plumage modest and unnoticeable.
The curved feathers of the rooster’s tail are weak and mobile and
could not possibly be of any use as a rudder; but they give grace and
beauty to the fowl and cover the useful rudder feathers underneath by
a feather fountain of iridescence. The neck plumage of the cock is
also often luxurious and beautiful in color and quite different from
that of the hen. Among the ducks the brilliant blue-green iridescent
head of the drake and his wing bars are beautiful, and make his wife
seem Quaker-like in contrast.
As an object lesson to instil the idea that the male bird is proud of
his beautiful feathers, I know of none better than that presented by
the turkey gobbler, for he is a living expression of self-conscious
vanity. He spreads his tail to the fullest extent and shifts it this
way and that to show the exquisite play of colors over the feathers
in the sunlight, meanwhile throwing out his chest to call particular
attention to his blue and red wattles; and to keep from bursting with
pride he bubbles over in vainglorious “gobbles.”
The hen with her chicks and the turkey hen with her brood, if they
follow their own natures, must wander in the fields for food. If they
were bright in color, the hawks would soon detect them and their
chances of escape would be small; this is another instance of the
advantage to the young of adopting the colors of the mother rather
than of the father; a fact equally true of the song birds in cases
where the males are brilliant in color at maturity. The Baltimore
oriole does not assist his mate in brooding, but he sits somewhere
on the home tree and cheers her by his glorious song and by glimpses
of his gleaming orange coat. Some have accused him of being lazy; on
the contrary, he is a wise householder for, instead of attracting
the attention of crow or squirrel to his nest, he distracts their
attention from it by both color and song.
A peacock’s feather should really be a lesson by itself, it is so
much a thing of beauty. The brilliant color of the purple eye-spot,
and the graceful flowing barbs that form the setting to the central
gem, are all a training in aesthetics as well as in nature-study.
After the children have studied such a feather let them see the
peacock either in reality or in picture and give them stories about
this bird of Juno; a bird so inconspicuous if it were not for his
great spread of tail, that a child seeing it first cried, “Oh, oh,
see this old hen all in bloom!”
[Illustration: _Peacock feathers. Is beauty useful?_]
The whole question of sexual selection may be made as plain as need
be for the little folks, by simply telling them that the mother bird
chooses for her mate the one which is most brightly and beautifully
dressed, and make much of the comb and wattles of the rooster and
gobbler as additions to the brilliancy of their appearance.
LESSON II
FEATHERS AS ORNAMENT
_Leading thought_--The color of feathers and often their shape are
for the purpose of making birds more beautiful; while in others, the
color of the feathers protects them from the observation of their
enemies.
_Methods_--While parts of this lesson relating to fowls may be given
in primary grades, it is equally fitted for pupils who have a wider
knowledge of birds. Begin with a comparison of the plumage of the
hen and the rooster. Then, if possible, study the turkey gobbler and
a peacock in life or in pictures. Also the plumage of a Rouen duck
and drake, and if possible, the Baltimore oriole, the goldfinch, the
scarlet tanager and the cardinal.
_Observations_--1. Note difference in shape and color of the tail
feathers of hen and rooster.
2. Do the graceful curved tail feathers of the rooster help him in
flying? Are they stiff enough to act as a rudder?
3. If not of use in flying what are they for? Which do you think the
more beautiful the hen or the rooster?
4. In what respects is the rooster a more beautiful fowl?
5. What other parts of the rooster’s plumage is more beautiful than
that of the hen?
6. If a turkey gobbler sees you looking at him he begins to strut.
Do you think he does this to show off his tail feathers? Note how he
turns his spread tail this way and that so the sunshine will bring
out the beautiful changeable colors. Do you think he does this so you
can see and admire him?
7. Describe the difference in plumage between the hen turkey and the
gobbler. Does the hen turkey strut?
8. Note the beautiful blue-green iridescent head and wing patches on
the wings of the Rouen ducks. Is the drake more beautiful than the
duck?
9. What advantage is it for these fowls to have the father bird more
beautiful and bright in color than the mother bird?
10. In case of the Baltimore oriole is the mother bird as bright in
color as the father bird? Why?
11. Study a peacock’s feather. What color is the eye-spot? What color
around that? What color around that? What color and shape are the
outside barbs of the feather? Do you blame a peacock for being proud
when he can spread a tail of a hundred eyes? Does the peahen have
such beautiful tail feathers as the peacock?
[Illustration: _Peahens and peacocks_]
_The bird of Juno glories in his plumes;
Pride makes the fowl to preene his feathers so.
His spotted train fetched from old Argus’ head,
With golden rays like to the brightest sun,
Inserteth self-love in the silly bird;
Till midst its hot and glorious fumes
He spies his feet and then lets fall his plumes._
--THE PEACOCK, ROBERT GREENE, (1560).
HOW BIRDS FLY
_Teacher’s Story_
[Illustration: T]
To convince the children that a bird’s wings correspond to our arms,
they should see a fowl with its feathers off, prepared for market or
oven, and they will infer the fact at once.
The bird flies by lifting itself through pressing down upon the
air with its wings. There are several experiments which are needed
to make the child understand this. It is difficult for children to
conceive that the air is really anything, because they cannot see it;
so the first experiment should be to show that the air is something
we can push against or that pushes against us. Strike the air with
a fan and we feel there is something which the fan pushes; we feel
the wind when it is blowing and it is very difficult for us to walk
against a hard wind. If we hold an open umbrella in the hand while we
jump from a step we feel buoyed up because the umbrella presses down
upon the air. The bird presses down upon the air with the wings, just
as the open umbrella does. The bird flies by pressing down upon the
air with its wings just as a boy jumps high by pressing down with his
hands on his vaulting pole.
[Illustration: _Hen with wing outstretched showing primaries and
secondaries of the wing and the overlapping of the feathers._
From practical exercise on feathers by Prof. J. E. Rice in Rural
School Leaflet.]
Study wing and note: (a) That the wings open and close at the will of
the bird. (b) That the feathers open and shut on each other like a
fan. (c) When the wing is open the wing quills overlap, so that the
air cannot pass through them. (d) When the wing is open it is curved
so that it is more efficient, for the same reason that an umbrella
presses harder against the atmosphere when it is open than when it is
broken by the wind and turned wrong side out.
A wing feather has the barbs on the front edge lying almost parallel
to the quill while those on the hind edge come off at a wide angle.
The reason for this is easy to see, for this feather has to cut the
air as the bird flies; and if the barbs on the front side were like
those of the other side they would be torn apart by the wind. The
barbs on the hind side of the feather form a strong, close web so
as to press down on the air and not let it through. The wing quill
is curved; the convex side is up and the concave side below during
flight. The concave side, like the umbrella, catches more air than
the upper side; the down stroke of the wing is forward and down;
while on the up stroke, as the wing is lifted, it bends at the joint
like a fan turned sidewise, and offers less surface to resist the
air. Thus, the up stroke does not push the bird down.
Observations should be made on the use of the bird’s tail in flight.
The hen spreads her tail like a fan when she flies to the top of the
fence; the robin does likewise when in flight. The fact that the tail
is used as a rudder to guide the bird in flight, as well as to give
more surface for pressing down upon the air, is hard for the younger
pupils to understand, and perhaps can be best taught by watching the
erratic unbalanced flight of young birds whose tail feathers are not
yet grown.
The tail feather differs from the wing feather in that the quill is
not curved, and the barbs on each side are of about equal length and
lie at about the same angle on each side the quill. See Fig. p. 28.
_References_--The Bird Book, Eckstorm, pp. 75–92; Story of the Birds,
Baskett, pp. 171–176; Bird Life, Chapman, p. 18; The Bird, Beebe, Ch.
XIII; First Book of Birds, Miller.
LESSON III
HOW BIRDS FLY
_Leading thought_--A bird flies by pressing down upon the air with
its wings, which are made especially for this purpose. The bird’s
tail acts as a rudder during flight.
_Method_--The hen, it is hoped will by this time be tame enough so
that the teacher may spread open her wings for the children to see.
In addition, have a detached wing of a fowl such as are used in farm
houses instead of a whisk-broom.
_Observations_--1. Do you think a bird’s wings correspond to our
arms? If so why?
2. Why do birds flap their wings when they start to fly?
3. Can you press against the air with a fan?
4. Why do you jump so high with a vaulting pole? Do you think the
bird uses the air as you use the pole?
5. How are the feathers arranged on the wing so that the bird can use
it to press down on the air?
6. If you carry an umbrella on a windy morning, which catches more
wind, the under or the top side? Why is this? Does the curved surface
of the wing act in the same way?
7. Take a wing feather. Are the barbs as long on one side of the
quill as on the other? Do they lie at the same angle from the quill
on both sides? If not why?
8. Which side of the quill lies on the outer side and which on the
inner side of the wing?
9. Is the quill of the feather curved?
10. Which side is uppermost in the wing, the convex or the concave
side? Take a quill in one hand and press the tip against the other.
Which way does it bend easiest, toward the convex or the concave
side? What had this to do with the flight of the bird?
11. If the bird flies by pressing the wings against the air on the
down stroke, why does it not push itself downward with its wings on
the up stroke?
12. What is the shape and arrangement of the feathers so as to avoid
pushing the bird back to earth when it lifts its wings?
13. Why do you have a rudder to a boat?
14. Do you think a bird could sail through the air without something
to steer with? What is the bird’s rudder?
15. Have you ever seen a young bird whose tail is not yet grown, try
to fly? If so, how did it act?
16. Does the hen when she flies keep the tail closed or open like a
fan?
17. Compare a tail feather with a wing feather and describe the
difference.
[Illustration: Engraved by Elsa L. Ames.]
EYES AND EARS OF BIRDS
_Teacher’s Story_
[Illustration: T]
The hen’s eyes are placed at the side of the head so that she cannot
see the same object with both eyes at the same time, and thus she has
the habit of looking at us first with one eye and then the other to
be sure she sees correctly; also the position of the hen’s eyes give
her a command of her entire environment. All birds have much keener
eyes than have we; and they can adjust their eyes for either near or
far vision much more effectively than we can; the hawk, flying high
in the air, can see the mouse on the ground.
There is a wide range of colors found in the eyes of birds; white,
red, blue, yellow, brown, gray, pink, purple and green are found in
the iris of different species. The hen’s eye consists of a black
pupil at the center, which must always be black in any eye, since it
is a hole through which enters the image of the object. The iris of
the hen’s eye is yellow; there is apparently no upper lid but the
lower lid comes up during the process of sleeping. When the bird is
drowsy the little film lid comes out from the corner of the eye and
spreads over it like a veil; just at the corner of our own eye, next
the nose, is the remains of this film lid, although we cannot move it
as the hen does.
The hearing of birds is very acute, although the ear is simply a hole
in the side of the head in most cases, and is more or less covered
with feathers. The hen’s ear is like this in many varieties; but in
others and in the roosters there are ornamental ear lobes.
LESSON IV
EYES AND EARS OF BIRDS
_Leading thought_--The eyes and ears of birds are peculiar and very
efficient.
_Methods_--The hen or chicken and the rooster should be observed
for this lesson; notes may be made in the poultry yard or in the
schoolroom when the birds are brought there for study.
_Observations_--1. Why does the hen turn her head first this side and
that as she looks at you? Can she see an object with both eyes at
once? Can she see well?
2. How many colors are there in a hen’s eye? Describe the pupil and
the iris.
3. Does the hen wink as we do? Has she any eyelids?
4. Can you see the film lid? Does it come from above or below or the
inner or outer corner? When do you see this film lid?
5. Where are the hen’s ears? How do they look? How can you tell where
the rooster’s ears are?
6. Do you think the hen can see and hear well?
THE FORM AND USE OF BEAKS
_Teacher’s Story_
[Illustration: S]
Since the bird uses its arms and hands for flying, it has been
obliged to develop other organs to take their place, and of their
work the beak does its full share. It is well to emphasize this point
by letting the children at recess play the game of trying to eat
an apple or to put up their books and pencils with their arms tied
behind them; such an experiment will show how naturally the teeth and
feet come to the aid when the hands are useless.
The hen feeds upon seeds and insects which she finds on or in the
ground; her beak is horny and sharp and acts not only as a pair of
nippers, but also as a pick as she strikes it into the soil to get
the seed or insect, having already made bare the place by scratching
away the grass or surface of the soil with her strong, stubby toes.
The hen does not have any teeth, nor does she need any, for her sharp
beak enables her to seize her food; and she does not need to chew it,
since her gizzard does this for her after the food is swallowed.
The duck’s bill is broad, flat, and much softer than the hen’s beak.
The duck feeds upon water insects and plants; it attains these by
thrusting its head down into the water, seizing the food and holding
it fast while the water is strained out through the sieve at the
edges of the beak; for this use, a wide, flat beak is necessary. It
would be quite as impossible for a duck to pick up hard seeds with
its broad, soft bill as it would for the hen to get the duck’s food
out of the water with her narrow, horny bill.
Both the duck and hen use their bills for cleaning and oiling their
feathers and for fighting also; the hen strikes a sharp blow with her
beak making a wound like a dagger, while the duck seizes the enemy
and simply pinches hard. Both fowls also use their beaks for turning
over the eggs when incubating, and also as an aid to the feet when
they make nests for themselves.
The nostrils are very noticeable and are situated in the beak
near the base. However, we do not believe that birds have a keen
sense of smell since their nostrils are not surrounded by a damp,
sensitive, soft surface as are the nostrils of the deer and dog, this
arrangement aiding these animals to detect odor in a marvelous manner.
LESSON V
THE BEAK OF A BIRD
_Leading thought_--Each kind of bird has a beak especially adapted
for getting its food. The beak and feet of a bird are its chief
weapons and implements.
_Methods_--Study first the beak of the hen or chick and then that of
the duckling or gosling.
_Observations_--1. What kind of food does the hen eat and where and
how does she find it in the field or garden? How is her beak adapted
to get this food? If her beak were soft like that of a duck could she
peck so hard for seeds and worms? Has the hen any teeth? Does she
need any?
2. Compare the bill of the hen with that of the duck. What are the
differences in shape? Which is the harder?
3. Note the saw teeth along the edge of the duck’s bill. Are these
for chewing? Do they act as a strainer? Why does the duck need to
strain its food?
4. Could a duck pick up a hen’s food from the earth or the hen strain
out a duck’s food from the water? For what other things than getting
food do these fowls use their bills?
5. Can you see the nostrils in the bill of a hen? Do they show
plainer in the duck? Do you think the hen can smell as keenly as the
duck?
_Supplementary reading_--The Bird Book, p. 99; The First Book of
Birds, pp. 95–7; Mother Nature’s Children, Chapter VIII.
* * * * *
_“It is said that nature-study teaching should be accurate, a
statement that every good teacher will admit without debate;
but accuracy is often interpreted to mean completeness, and
then the statement cannot pass unchallenged. To study ‘the
dandelion,’ ‘the robin,’ with emphasis on the particle ‘the’,
working out the complete structure, may be good laboratory
work in botany or zoology for advanced pupils, but it is not
an elementary educational process. It contributes nothing more
to accuracy than does the natural order of leaving untouched
all those phases of the subject that are out of the child’s
reach; while it may take out the life and spirit of the work,
and the spiritual quality may be the very part that is most
worth the while. Other work may provide the formal ‘drill’;
this should supply the quality and vivacity. Teachers often
say to me that their children have done excellent work with
these complete methods, and they show me the essays and
drawings; but this is no proof that the work is commendable.
Children can be made to do many things that they ought not to
do and that lie beyond them. We all need to go to school to
children.”_
--“The Outlook to Nature,” L. H. BAILEY.
* * * * *
“_Weather and wind and waning moon,
Plain and hilltop under the sky,
Ev’ning, morning and blazing noon,
Brother of all the world am I.
The pine-tree, linden and the maize,
The insect, squirrel and the kine,
All--natively they live their days--
As they live theirs, so I live mine,
I know not where, I know not what:--
Believing none and doubting none
What’er befalls it counteth not,--
Nature and Time and I are one._”
--L. H. BAILEY.
THE FEET OF BIRDS
_Teacher’s Story_
[Illustration: O]
Obviously, the hen is a digger of the soil; her claws are long,
strong and slightly hooked, and her feet and legs are covered with
horny scales as a protection from injury when used in scratching the
hard earth, in order to lay bare the seeds and insects hiding there.
The hen is a very good runner indeed. She lifts her wings a little
to help, much as an athletic runner uses his arms, and so can cover
ground with amazing rapidity, her strong toes giving her a firm
foothold. The track she makes is very characteristic; it consists of
three toe-marks projecting forward and one backward. A bird’s toes
are numbered thus:
[Illustration: _Duck’s foot and hen’s foot with toes numbered._]
A duck has the same number of toes as the hen, but there is a
membrane, called the web, which joins the second, third and fourth
toes, making a fan-shaped foot; the first or the hind toe has a
little web of its own. A webbed foot is first of all a paddle for
propelling its owner through the water; it is also a very useful foot
on the shores of ponds and streams, since its breadth and flatness
prevent it from sinking into the soft mud.
[Illustration: _Rouen ducks. The Rouens are colored like the Wild
Mallards._]
The duck’s legs are shorter than those of the hen and are placed
farther back and wider apart. The reason for this is, they are
essentially swimming organs and are not fitted for scratching nor
for running. They are placed at the sides of the bird’s body so that
they may act as paddles, and are farther back so that they may act
like the wheel of a propeller in pushing the bird along. We often
laugh at a duck on land, since its short legs are so far apart and so
far back that its walk is necessarily an awkward waddle; but we must
always remember that the duck is naturally a water bird, and on the
water its movements are graceful. Think once, how a hen would appear
if she attempted to swim! The duck’s body is so illy balanced on its
short legs that it cannot run rapidly; and if chased even a short
distance, will fall dead from the effort, as many a country child has
discovered to his sorrow when he tried to drive the ducks home from
the creek or pond to coop. The long, hind claw of the hen enables her
to clasp a roost firmly during the night; a duck’s foot could not
do this and the duck sleeps squatting on the ground. However, the
Muscovy ducks, which are not good swimmers, have been known to perch.
LESSON VI
THE FEET OF BIRDS
_Leading thought_--The feet of birds are shaped so as to assist the
bird in getting its food as well as for locomotion.
_Methods_--The pupils should have opportunity to observe the chicken
or hen and a duck as they move about; they should also observe the
duck swimming.
_Observations_--1. Are the toes of the hen long and strong? Have they
long, sharp claws at their tips?
2. How are the legs and feet of the hen covered and protected?
3. How are the hen’s feet and legs fitted for scratching the earth,
and why does she wish to scratch the earth?
4. Can a hen run rapidly? What sort of a track does she make?
5. You number your fingers with the thumb as number one and the
little finger as five. How do you think the hen’s toes are numbered?
6. Has the duck as many toes as the hen? What is the chief difference
between the feet of the duck and the hen?
7. Which of the duck’s toes are connected by a web? Does the web
extend to the tips of the toes? What is the web for and how does it
help the duck?
8. Are the duck’s legs as long as the hen’s? Are they placed farther
forward or farther back than those of the hen? Are they farther apart?
9. Can a duck run as well as a hen? Can the hen swim at all?
10. Where does the hen sleep and how does she hold on to her perch?
Could the duck hold on to a perch? Does the duck need to perch while
sleeping?
CHICKEN WAYS
_Teacher’s Story_
[Illustration: D]
Dame Nature certainly pays close attention to details, and an
instance of this is the little tooth on the tip of the upper mandible
of the young chick to aid it in breaking out of its egg-shell prison;
and since a tooth in this particular place is of no use later, it
disappears. The children are delighted with the beauty of a fluffy,
little chick with its bright, questioning eyes and its life of
activity as soon as it is freed from the shell. What a contrast to
the blind, bare, scrawny young robin, which seems to be all mouth!
The difference between the two is fundamental since it gives a
character for separating ground birds from perching birds. The young
partridge, quail, turkey and chick are clothed and active and ready
to go with the mother in search of food as soon as they are hatched;
while the young of the perching birds are naked and blind, being kept
warm by the brooding mother, and fed and nourished by food brought
by their parents, until they are large enough to leave the nest. The
down which covers the young chick differs from the feathers which
come later; the down has no quill but consists of several flossy
threads coming from the same root; later on, this down is pushed out
and off by the true feathers which grow from the same sockets. The
pupils should see that the down is so soft that the little, fluffy
wings of the chick are useless until the real wing feathers appear.
[Illustration: _An anxious stepmother._]
We chew food until it is soft and fine, then swallow it, but the
chick swallows it whole and after being softened by juices from the
stomach it passes into a little mill, in which is gravel that the
chicken has swallowed, which helps to grind the food. This mill is
called the gizzard and the pupils should be taught to look carefully
at this organ the next time they have chicken for dinner. A chicken
has no muscles in the throat, like ours, to enable it to swallow
water as we do. Thus, it has first to fill its beak with water, then
hold it up so the water will flow down the throat of itself. As long
as the little chick has its mother’s wings to sleep under, it does
not need to put its head under its own wing; but when it grows up and
spends the night upon a roost, it always tucks its head under its
wing while sleeping.
[Illustration: “_Chums._”]
The conversation of the barnyard fowl covers many elemental emotions
and is easily comprehended. It is well for the children to understand
from the first that the notes of birds mean something definite. The
hen clucks when she is leading her chicks afield so that they will
know where she is in the tall grass; the chicks follow “cheeping”
or “peeping,” as the children say, so that she will know where they
are; but if a chick feels itself lost its “peep” becomes loud and
disconsolate; on the other hand, there is no sound in the world so
full of cosy contentment as the low notes of the chick as it cuddles
under the mother’s wing. When a hen finds a bit of food she utters
rapid notes which call the chicks in a hurry, and when she sees a
hawk she gives a warning “q-r-r” which makes every chick run for
cover and keep quiet. When hens are taking their sun and dust baths
together, they evidently gossip and we can almost hear them saying,
“Did you not think Madam Dorking made a great fuss over her egg
to-day?” Or, “that overgrown young rooster has got a crow to match
his legs, has he not?” Contrast these low tones to the song of the
hen as she issues forth in the first warm days of spring and gives to
the world one of the most joyous songs of all nature. There is quite
a different quality in the triumphant cackle of a hen telling to the
world that she has laid an egg and the cackle which comes from being
startled. When a hen is sitting or is not allowed to sit, she is
nervous and irritable and voices her mental state by scolding. When
she is really afraid, she squalls and when seized by an enemy, she
utters long, horrible squawks. The rooster crows to assure his flock
that all is well; he also crows to show other roosters what he thinks
of himself and of them. The rooster also has other notes; he will
question you as you approach him and his flock, and he will give a
warning note when he sees a hawk; when he finds some dainty tidbit he
calls his flock of hens to him and they usually arrive just in time
to see him swallow the morsel.
When roosters fight, they confront each other with their heads
lowered and then try to seize each other by the back of the neck with
their beaks, or strike each other with the wing spurs, or tear with
the leg spurs. Weasels, skunks, rats, hawks and crows are the most
common enemies of the fowls, and often a rooster will attack one of
these invaders and fight valiantly; the hen will also fight if her
brood is disturbed.
[Illustration: “_Well, who are you?_”]
LESSON VII
CHICKEN WAYS
_Leading thought_--Chickens have interesting habits of life and
extensive conversational powers.
_Method_--For this lesson it is necessary that the pupils observe the
inhabitants of the poultry yard and answer these questions a few at a
time.
_Observations_--1. Did the chick get out of the egg by its own
efforts? For what use is the little tooth which is on the tip of the
upper part of a young chicken’s beak? Does this remain?
2. What is the difference between the down of the chick and the
feathers of the hen? The little chick has wings; why can it not fly?
3. Why is the chick just hatched so pretty and downy, while the young
robin is so bare and ugly? Why is the young chick able to see while
the young robin is blind?
4. How does the young chick get its food?
5. Does the chick chew its food before swallowing? If not, why?
6. How does the chick drink? Why does it drink this way?
7. Where does the chick sleep at night? Where will it sleep when it
is grown up?
8. Where does the hen put her head when she is sleeping?
9. How does the hen call her chicks when she is with them in the
field?
10. How does she call them to food?
11. How does she tell them that there is a hawk in sight?
[Illustration: _Parts of the bird labeled._
This figure should be placed on the blackboard where pupils may
consult it when studying colors and markings of birds.]
12. What notes does the chick make when it is following its mother?
When it gets lost? When it cuddles under her wing?
13. What does the hen say when she has laid an egg? When she is
frightened? When she is disturbed while sitting on eggs? When she is
grasped by an enemy? How do hens talk together? Describe a hen’s song.
14. When does the rooster crow? What other sounds does he make?
15. With what weapons does the rooster fight his rivals and his
enemies?
16. What are the natural enemies of the barnyard fowls and how do
they escape them?
_Supplementary reading_--True Bird Stories, Miller p. 102.
[Illustration: _Pigeon houses of the upper Nile._
Photo by J. H. Comstock.]
PIGEONS
_Teacher’s Story_
[Illustration: T]
There is a mention of domesticated pigeons by writers three thousand
years ago; and Pliny relates that the Romans were fervent pigeon
fanciers at the beginning of the Christian era. All of our domestic
varieties of pigeons have been developed from the Rock pigeon, a wild
species common in Europe and Asia. The carrier pigeon was probably
the first to be specially developed because of its usefulness;
its love and devotion to mate and young and its homesickness when
separated from them were used by man for his own interests. When a
knight of old started off on a Crusade or to other wars, he took with
him several pigeons from the home cote; and after riding many days he
wrote a letter and tied it to the neck or under the wing of one of
his birds, which he then set free, and it flew home with its message;
later he would set free another in like manner. The drawback to this
correspondence was that it went only in one direction; no bird from
home brought message of cheer to the wandering knight. Now-a-days
mail routes, telegraph wires and wireless currents enmesh our globe
and the pigeon as a carrier is out-of-date; but fanciers still
perfect the homer breed and train pigeons for very difficult flight
competitions, some of them a distance of hundreds of miles. Recently
a homer made one thousand miles in two days, five hours and fifty
minutes. Read to the pupils “Arnaux” in Animal Heroes by Thompson
Seton to give them an idea of the life of a homing pigeon.
[Illustration: _“Game Leg” a homer pigeon of notable achievement_
(Courtesy of _Country Life in America_.)]
The natural food of pigeons is grain; we feed them cracked corn,
wheat, peas, Kafir corn, millet and occasionally hemp seed; it is
best to feed mixed rations as the birds tire of the monotonous diet.
Pigeons should be fed twice a day; the pigeon is the only bird which
can drink like a horse, that is, with the head lowered. The walk of
a pigeon is accompanied by a peculiar nodding as if the head were
in some way attached to the feet, and this movement sends waves of
iridescent colors over the bird’s plumage. The flight of the pigeon
is direct without soaring, the wings move rapidly and steadily,
the birds circling and sailing as they start or alight. The crow
flaps hard and then sails for a distance when it is inspecting the
ground, while the hawk soars on motionless wings. It requires closer
attention to understand the language of the pigeon than that of the
hen, nor has it so wide a range of expression as the latter; however,
some emotions are voiced in the cooing, which the children will
understand.
The nest is built of grass and twigs; the mother pigeon lays two eggs
for a sitting; but in some breeds a pair will raise from seven to
twelve broods per year. The eggs hatch in from sixteen to eighteen
days, and both parents share the labors of incubating. In the case
of the homer the father bird sits from 10 A. M. to 4 P. M. and the
mother the remainder of the day and night. The devotion of pigeons
to their mates and to their young is great, and has been sung by the
poets and praised by the philosophers during many ages; some breeds
mate for life. The young pigeons or squabs are fed in a peculiar
manner; in the crops of both parents is secreted a cheesy substance,
known as pigeon milk. The parent seizes the beak of the squab in its
own and pumps the food from its own crop into the stomach of the
young. This nutritious food is given to the squab for about five
days and then replaced by grain which is softened in the parents’
stomachs, until the squabs are old enough to feed themselves. Rats,
mice, weasels, and hawks are the chief enemies of the pigeons; since
pigeons cannot fight, their only safety lies in flight.
[Illustration: _Pouter pigeons_
Photo by J. Demary.]
As the original Rock pigeon built in caves, our domesticated
varieties naturally build in the houses we provide for them. A pigeon
house should not be built for more than fifty pairs; it should be
well ventilated and kept clean; it should face the south or east
and be near a shallow, running stream if possible. The nest boxes
should be twelve inches square and nine inches in height with a door
at one side, so that the nest may remain hidden. In front of each
door there should be a little shelf to act as a balcony on which the
resting parent bird may sit and coo to relieve the monotony of the
sitter. Some breeders make a double compartment instead of providing
a balcony, while in Egypt branches are inserted in the wall just
below the doors of the very ornamental pigeon houses. The houses
should be kept clean and whitewashed with lime to which carbolic acid
is added in the proportion of one teaspoonful of acid to two gallons
of the wash; the leaf stems of tobacco should be given to the pigeons
as material for building their nests, so as to help keep in check
the bird lice. There should be near the pigeon house plenty of fresh
water for drinking and bathing; also a box of table salt, and another
of cracked oyster shell and another of charcoal as fine as ground
coffee. Salt is very essential to the health of pigeons. The house
should be high enough from the ground to keep the inmates safe from
rats and weasels.
LESSON VIII
PIGEONS
_Leading thought_--The pigeons differ in appearance from other birds
and also in their actions. Their nesting habits are very interesting
and there are many things that may be done to make the pigeons
comfortable. They were, in ancient days, used as letter carriers.
_Methods_--If there are pigeons kept in the neighborhood, it is best
to encourage the pupils to observe these birds out-of-doors. Begin
the work with an interesting story and with a few questions which
will arouse the pupils’ interest in the birds. A pigeon in a cage
in the schoolroom for a special lesson on the bird’s appearance, is
desirable but not necessary.
_Observations_--1. For an out-of-door exercise during recess let the
pupils observe the pigeon and tell the colors of the beak, eyes, top
of the head, back, breast, wings, tail, feet and claws. This exercise
is excellent training to fit the pupils to note quickly the colors of
the wild birds.
2. On what do pigeons feed? Are they fond of salt?
3. Describe how a pigeon drinks. How does it differ in this respect
from other birds?
4. Describe the peculiar movement of the pigeon when walking.
5. Describe the pigeon’s flight. Is it rapid, high in the air, do the
wings flap constantly, etc? What is the chief difference between the
flight of pigeons, crows or hawks?
6. Listen to the cooing of a pigeon and see if you can understand the
different notes.
7. Describe the pigeon’s nest. How many eggs are laid at a time?
8. Describe how the parents share the labors in hatching the eggs,
and how long after the eggs are laid before the young hatch.
9. How do the parents feed their young and on what material?
10. What are the enemies of pigeons and how do they escape from them?
How can we protect them?
11. Describe how a pigeon house should be built.
12. What must you do for pigeons to keep them healthy and comfortable?
13. How many breeds of pigeons do you know? Describe them.
_Supplementary reading_--“Arnaux” in Animal Heroes, Thompson Seton;
Audubon Leaflet, Nos. 2 and 6; Neighbors with Wings and Fins, Ch. XV;
Noah and the Dove, The Bible; Daddy Darwin’s Dove Cote, Mrs. Ewing;
Squab Raising, Bul. of U. S. Dept. Agr.
* * * * *
_For my own part I readily concur with you in supposing that
housedoves are derived from the small blue rock-pigeon,
Columba livia, for many reasons.... But what is worth a
hundred arguments is, the instance you give in Sir Roger
Mostyn’s housedoves in Caernarvonshire; which, though
tempted by plenty of food and gentle treatment, can never be
prevailed on to inhabit their cote for any time; but as soon
as they begin to breed, betake themselves to the fastnesses
of Ormshead, and deposit their young in safety amidst the
inaccessible caverns and precipices of that stupendous
promontory. “You may drive nature out with a pitchfork, but
she will always return:”_
“Naturam expellas furca ... tamen usque recurret.”
_Virgil, as a familiar occurrence, by way of simile, describes
a dove haunting the cavern of a rock in such engaging numbers,
that I cannot refrain from quoting the passage._
“_Qualis spelunca subito commota Columba,
Cui domus, et dulces latebroso in pumice nidi,
Fertul in arva volans, plausumque exterrita pennis
Dat tecto ingentem, mox aere lapsa quieto,
Radit iter liquidum, celeres neque commovet alas._”
(Virg. Aen. v. 213–217).
“_As when a dove her rocky hold forsakes,
Roused, in a fright her sounding wings she shakes;
The cavern rings with clattering:--out she flies,
And leaves her callow care, and cleaves the skies;
At first she flutters:--but at length she springs
To smoother flight, and shoots upon her wings._”
(Dryden’s Translation).
WHITE OF SELBOURNE.
THE CANARY AND THE GOLDFINCH
_Teacher’s Story_
[Illustration: I]
In childhood the language of birds and animals is learned
unconsciously. What child, who cares for a canary, does not
understand its notes which mean loneliness, hunger, eagerness, joy,
scolding, fright, love and song!
The pair of canaries found in most cages are not natural mates. The
union is one _de convenance_, forced upon them by people who know
little of bird affinities. We could hardly expect that such a mating
would be always happy. The singer, as the male is called, is usually
arbitrary and tyrannical and does not hesitate to lay chastising beak
upon his spouse. The expression of affection of the two is usually
very practical, consisting of feeding each other with many beguiling
notes and much fluttering of wings. The singer may have several
songs; whether he has many or few depends upon his education; he
usually shows exultation when singing by throwing the head back like
a prima-donna, to let the music well forth. He is usually brighter
yellow in color with more brilliantly black markings than his mate;
she usually has much gray in her plumage. But there are about fifty
varieties of canaries and each has distinct color and markings.
Canaries should be given a more varied diet than most people think.
The seeds we buy or that we gather from the plantain or wild
grasses, they eat eagerly. They like fresh, green leaves of lettuce
and chickweed and other tender herbage; they enjoy bread and milk
occasionally. There should always be a piece of cuttle-fish bone
or sand and gravel where they can get it, as they need grit for
digestion. Above all, they should have fresh water. Hard-boiled egg
is given them while nesting. The canary seed which we buy for them is
the product of a grass in the Canary Islands. Hemp and rape seed are
also sold for canary food.
The canary’s beak is wide and sharp and fitted for shelling seeds;
it is not a beak fitted for capturing insects. The canary, when
drinking, does not have to lift the beak so high in the air in order
to swallow the water as do some birds. The nostrils are in the beak
and are easily seen; the ear is hidden by the feathers. The canary is
a fascinating little creature when it shows interest in an object;
it has such a knowing look, and its perfectly round, black eyes are
so intelligent and cunning. If the canary winks, the act is so rapid
as to be seen with difficulty, but when drowsy, the little inner lid
appears at the inner corner of its eye and the outer lids close so
that we may be sure that they are there; the lower lid covers more of
the eye than the upper.
The legs and toes are covered with scale armor; the toes have long,
curved claws that are neither strong nor sharp but are especially
fitted for holding to the perch; the long hind toe with its stronger
claw makes complete the grasp on the twig. When the canary is hopping
about on the bottom of the cage we can see that its toes are more
fitted for holding to the perch than for walking.
When the canary bathes, it ducks its head and makes a great splashing
with its wings and likes to get thoroughly wet. Afterward, it sits
all bedraggled and “humped up” for a time and then usually preens its
feathers as they dry. When going to sleep, it at first fluffs out its
feathers and squats on the perch, draws back its head and looks very
drowsy. Later it tucks its head under its wing for the night and
then looks like a little ball of feathers on the perch.
Canaries make a great fuss when building their nest. A pasteboard
box is usually given them with cotton and string for lining; usually
one pulls out what the other puts in; and they both industriously
tear the paper from the bottom of the cage to add to their building
material. Finally, a make-shift of a nest is completed and the eggs
are laid. If the singer is a good husband, he helps incubate the eggs
and feeds his mate and sings to her frequently; but often he is quite
the reverse and abuses her abominably. The nest of the caged bird
is very different in appearance from the neat nests of grass, plant
down, and moss which the wild ancestors of these birds made in some
safe retreat in the shrubs or evergreens of the Canary Islands. The
canary eggs are pale blue, marked with reddish-brown. The incubation
period is 13 to 14 days. The young are as scrawny and ugly as most
little birds and are fed upon food partially digested in the parents’
stomachs. Their first plumage resembles that of the mother usually.
In their wild state in the Canary and Azore Islands, the canaries
are olive green above with golden yellow breasts. When the heat of
spring begins, they move up the mountains to cooler levels and come
down again in the winter. They may rear three or four broods on their
way up the mountains, stopping at successive heights as the season
advances, until finally they reach the high peaks.
THE GOLDFINCH OR THISTLE BIRD
[Illustration: _A pair of goldfinches._
(Courtesy of _Audubon Educational Leaflet_ No. 17).]
The goldfinches are bird midgets but their songs are so sweet and
reedy that they seem to fill the world with music more effectually
than many larger birds. They are fond of the seeds of wild grass, and
especially so of thistle seed; and they throng the pastures and fence
corners where the thistles hold sway. In summer, the male has bright
yellow plumage with a little black cap “pulled down over his nose”
like that of a grenadier. He has also a black tail and wings with
white-tipped coverts and primaries. The tail feathers have white on
their inner webs also, which does not show when the tail is closed.
The female has the head and back brown and the under parts yellowish
white, with wings and tail resembling those of the male except that
they are not so vividly black. In winter the male dons a dress more
like that of his mate; he loses his black cap but keeps his black
wings and tail.
The song of the goldfinch is exquisite and he sings during the entire
period of his golden dress; he sings while flying as well as when at
rest. The flight is in itself beautiful, being wave-like up and down,
in graceful curves. Mr. Chapman says when on the down half of the
curve the male sings “Per-chick or-ree.” The goldfinch’s call notes
and alarm notes are very much like those of the canary.
Since the goldfinches live so largely upon seeds of grasses, they
stay with us in small numbers during the winter. During this period
both parents and young are dressed in olive green, and their sweet
call notes are a surprise to us of a cold, snowy morning, for they
are associated in our memory with summer. The male dons his winter
suit in October.
The goldfinch nest is a mass of fluffiness. These are the only birds
that make feather beds for their young. But, perhaps, we should say
beds of down, since it is the thistle down which is used for this
mattress. The outside of the nest consists of fine shreds of bark or
fine grass closely woven; but the inner portion is a mat of thistle
down--an inch and a half thick of cushion for a nest which has an
opening of scarcely three inches; sometimes the outside is ornamented
with lichens. The nest is usually placed in some bush or tree, often
in an evergreen, and not more than 5 or 6 feet from the ground; but
sometimes it is placed 30 feet high. The eggs are from four to six
in number and bluish white in color. The female builds the nest,
her mate cheering her with song meanwhile; he feeds her while she
is incubating and helps feed the young. A strange thing about the
nesting habits of the goldfinches is that the nest is not built until
August. It has been surmised that this nesting season is delayed
until there is an abundance of thistle down for building material.
Audubon Leaflet No. 17 gives special information about these birds
and also furnishes an outline of the birds for the pupils to color.
LESSON IX
THE CANARY AND THE GOLDFINCH
_Leading thought_--The canary is a very close relative of the common
wild goldfinch. If we compare the habits of the two we can understand
how a canary might live if it were free.
_Method_--Bring a canary to the schoolroom and ask for observations.
Request the pupils to compare the canary with the goldfinches which
are common in the summer. The canary offers opportunity for very
close observation which will prove excellent training for the pupils
for beginning bird study.
_Observations_--1. If there are two canaries in the cage are they
always pleasant to each other? Which one is the “boss?” How do they
show displeasure or bad temper? How do they show affection for each
other?
2. Which one is the singer? Does the other one ever attempt to sing?
What other notes do the canaries make besides singing? How do they
greet you when you bring their food? What do they say when they are
lonesome and hungry?
3. Does the singer have more than one song? How does he act while
singing? Why does he throw back his head like an opera singer when
singing?
4. Are the canaries all the same color? What is the difference in
color between the singer and the mother bird? Describe the colors of
each in your note book as follows: Top and sides of head, back, tail,
wings, throat, breast and under parts.
5. What does the canary eat? What sort of seeds do we buy for it?
What seeds do we gather for it in our garden? Do the goldfinches live
on the same seeds? What does the canary do to the seeds before eating
them? What tools does he use to take off the shells?
6. Notice the shape of the canary’s beak. Is it long and strong like
a robin’s? Is it wide and sharp so that it can shell seeds? If you
should put an insect in the cage would the canary eat it?
7. Why do we give the canary cuttlebone? Note how it takes off pieces
of the bone. Could it do this if its beak were not sharp?
8. Note the actions of the birds when they drink. Why do they do this?
9. Can you see the nostrils? Where are they situated? Why can you not
see the ear?
10. When the canary is interested in looking at a thing how does it
act? Look closely at its eyes? Does it wink? How does it close its
eyes? When it is drowsy can you see the little inner lid come from
the corner of the eye nearest the beak? Is this the only lid?
11. How are the legs and feet covered? Describe the toes. Compare
the length of the claw with the length of the toe. What is the shape
of the claw? Do you think that such shaped claws and feet are better
fitted for holding to a branch than for walking? Note the arrangement
of the toes when the bird is on its perch. Is the hind toe longer and
stronger? If so, why? Do the canaries hop or walk about the bottom of
the cage?
12. What is the attitude of the canary when it goes to sleep at
night? How does it act when it takes a bath? How does it get the
water over its head? Over its back? What does it do after the bath?
If we forget to put in the bath dish how does the bird get its bath?
NESTING HABITS TO BE OBSERVED IN THE SPRING
13. When the canaries are ready to build a nest what material do we
furnish them for it? Does the father bird help the mother to build
the nest? Do they strip off the paper on the bottom of the cage for
nest material? Describe the nest when it is finished.
14. Describe the eggs carefully. Does the father bird assist in
sitting on the eggs? Does he feed the mother bird when she is sitting?
15. How long after the eggs are laid before the young ones hatch?
Do both parents feed the young? Do they swallow the food first and
partially digest it before giving it to the young?
16. How do the very young birds look? What is their appearance when
they leave the nest? Does the color of their plumage resemble that of
the father or the mother?
17. Where did the canaries originally come from? Find the place on
the map.
_Supplementary reading_--“A Caged Bird,” Sarah Orne Jewett in Songs
of Nature, p. 75; True Bird Stories, Miller.
THE GOLDFINCH
_Leading thought_--Goldfinches are seen at their best in late summer
or September when they appear in flocks wherever the thistle seeds
are found in abundance. Goldfinches so resemble the canaries in form,
color, song and habits that they are called wild canaries.
_Method_--The questions for this lesson should be given to the pupils
before the end of school in June. The answers to the questions should
be put in their field note-books and the results be reported to the
teacher in class when the school begins in the autumn.
_Observations_--1. Where do you find the goldfinches feeding? How can
you distinguish the father from the mother birds and from the young
ones in color?
2. Describe the colors of the male goldfinch and also of the female
as follows: Crown, back of head, back, tail, wings, throat, breast
and lower parts. Describe in particular the black cap of the male.
3. Do you know the song of the goldfinch? Is it like the song of the
canary? What other notes has the goldfinch?
4. Describe the peculiar flight of the goldfinches. Do they fly high
in the air? Do you see them singly or in flocks usually?
5. Where do the goldfinches stay during the winter? What change takes
place in the coat of the male during the winter? Why? What do they
live upon during the winter?
6. At what time of year do the goldfinches build their nests? Why do
they build these so much later than other birds? Describe the nest.
Where is it placed? How far above the ground? How far from a stream
or other water? Of what is the outside made? The lining? What is the
general appearance of the nest? Do you think the goldfinches wait
until the thistles are ripe in order to gather plenty of food for
their young, or to get the thistle down for their nests? What is the
color of the eggs?
_Supplementary reading_--True Bird Stories, Miller, pp. 6, 9, 26,
45; The Second Book of Birds, Miller, p. 82; Our Birds and Their
Nestlings, Walker, pp. 180, 200.
* * * * *
_Sometimes goldfinches one by one will drop
From low-hung branches; little space they stop,
But sip, and twitter, and their feathers sleek,
Then off at once, as in a wanton freak;
Or perhaps, to show their black and golden wings;
Pausing upon their yellow flutterings._
--JOHN KEATS.
THE ROBIN
_Teacher’s Story_
[Illustration: M]
Most of us think we know the robin well, but very few of us know
definitely the habits of this, our commonest bird. The object of
this lesson is to form in the pupils a habit of careful observation,
and enable them to read for themselves the interesting story of this
little life which is lived every year before their eyes. Moreover, a
robin note-book, if well kept, is a treasure for any child; and the
close observation necessary for this lesson trains the pupils to note
in a comprehending way the habits of other birds. It is the very best
preparation for bird study of the right sort.
A few robins occasionally find a swamp where they can obtain food
to nourish them during the northern winter, but for the most part,
they go in flocks to our Southern States where they settle in swamps
and cedar forests and live upon berries. They are killed in great
numbers by the native hunters who eat them or sell them for table
use, a performance not understandable to the northerner. The robins
do not nest nor sing while in Southland, and no wonder! When the
robins first come to us in the spring they feed on wild berries,
being especially fond of those of the Virginia creeper. As soon as
the frost is out of the ground they begin feeding on earthworms,
cutworms, white grubs, and other insects. The male robins come first,
but do not sing until their mates arrive.
The robin is ten inches long and the English sparrow is only six and
one-third inches long; the pupils should get the sizes of these two
birds fixed in their minds for comparison in measuring other birds.
The father robin is much more decided in color than his mate; his
beak is yellow, there is a yellow ring about the eye and a white spot
above it. The head is black and the back slaty-brown; the breast is
brilliant reddish brown or bay and the throat is white, streaked with
black. The mother bird has paler back and breast and has no black
upon the head. The wings of both are a little darker than the back,
the tail is black with the two outer feathers tipped with white.
These white spots do not show except when the bird is flying and are
“call colors,” that is, they enable the birds to see each other and
thus keep together when flying in flocks during the night. The white
patch made by the under tail-coverts serves a similar purpose. The
feet and legs are strong and dark in color.
The robin has many sweet songs and he may be heard in the earliest
dawn and also in the evenings; if he wishes to cheer his mate he may
burst into song at any time. He feels especially songful before the
summer showers when he seems to sing, “I have a theory, a theory,
it’s going to rain.” And he might well say that he also has a theory,
based on experience, that a soaking shower will drive many of the
worms and larvæ in the soil up to the surface where he can get them.
Besides these songs the robins have a great variety of notes which
the female shares, although she is not a singer. The agonizing, angry
cries they utter when they see a cat or squirrel must express their
feelings fully; while they give a very different warning note when
they see crow or hawk, a note hard to describe, but which is a long,
not very loud squeak.
A robin can run or hop as pleases him best, and it is interesting to
see one, while hunting earthworms run a little distance, then stop to
bend the head and listen for his prey, and when he finally seizes
the earthworm he braces himself on his strong legs and tugs manfully
until he sometimes almost falls over backward as the worm lets go its
hold. The robins, especially at nesting time, eat many insects as
well as earthworms.
The beginning of a robin’s nest is very interesting; much strong
grass, fine straw, leaves and rootlets are brought and placed on
a secure support. When enough of this material is collected and
arranged, the bird goes to the nearest mud puddle or stream margin
and fills its beak with soft mud and going back “peppers” it into the
nest material, and after the latter is soaked the bird gets into it
and molds it to the body by nestling and turning around and around.
In one case which the author watched the mother bird did this part of
the building, although the father worked industriously in bringing
the other materials. After the nest is molded but not yet hardened,
it is lined with fine grass or rootlets. If the season is very dry
and there is no soft mud at hand, the robins can build without the
aid of this plaster. There are usually four eggs laid which are
exquisite greenish blue in color.
[Illustration: _Robin on nest._]
Both parents share the monotonous business of incubating, and in the
instance under the eyes of the author the mother bird was on the
nest at night; the period of incubating is from eleven to fourteen
days. The most noticeable thing about a very young robin is its wide,
yellow-margined mouth, which it opens like a satchel every time the
nest is jarred. This wide mouth cannot but suggest to anyone that
it is meant to be stuffed, and the two parents work very hard to
fill it. Both parents feed the young and often the father feeds the
mother bird while she is brooding. Professor Treadwell experimented
with young robins and found that each would take 68 earthworms daily;
these worms if laid end to end would measure about 14 feet. Think of
14 feet of earthworm being wound into the little being in the nest,
no wonder that it grows so fast! I am convinced that each pair of
robins about our house has its own special territory for hunting
worms, and that any trespasser is quickly driven off. The young
bird’s eyes are unsealed when they are from six to eight days old,
and by that time the feather tracts, that is, the place where the
feathers are to grow, are covered by the spine-like pin-feathers;
these feathers push the down out and it often clings to their tips.
In eleven days the birds are pretty well feathered; their wing
feathers are fairly developed but alas, they have no tail feathers!
When a young robin flies from the nest he is a very uncertain and
tippy youngster not having any tail to steer him while flying, nor to
balance him when alighting.
It is an anxious time for the old robins when the young ones
leave the nest, and they flutter about and scold at any one who
comes in sight, so afraid are they that injury will come to their
inexperienced young ones; for some time the parents care for the
fledglings, solicitously feeding them and giving them warnings of
danger. The young robin shows in its plumage its relation to the
thrush family, for it is yellowish and very spotted and speckled,
especially the breast. The parents may raise several broods, but they
never use the same nest for two consecutive broods, both because it
may be infested with parasites and because it is more or less soiled;
although the mother robin works hard to keep it clean, carrying away
all waste matter in her beak and dropping it. Robins do not sing
much after the breeding season is over until after they have molted.
They are fond of cherries and other pulp fruits and often do much
damage to such crops. The wise orchardist will plant a few Russian
mulberry trees at a reasonable distance from his cherry trees, and
thus, by giving the robins a fruit which they like better, and which
ripens a little earlier, he may save his cherries. It has been proven
conclusively that the robins are far more beneficial than damaging to
the farmer; they destroy many noxious insects, two-thirds of their
food the entire year consisting of insects; during April and May they
do a great work in destroying cutworms.
The robins stay with us later than most migrating birds, not leaving
us entirely before November. Their chief enemies in northern climates
are cats, crows and squirrels. Cats should be taught to let birds
alone (see lesson on cat) or should be killed. The crows have driven
the robins into villages where they can build their nests under
the protection of man. If crows venture near a house to attack the
robins, firing a gun at them once or twice will give them a hint
which they are not slow to take. The robins of an entire neighborhood
will attack a nest-robbing crow, but usually too late to save the
nestlings. The robins can defend themselves fairly well against the
red squirrel unless he steals the contents of the nest while the
owners are away. There can be no doubt that the same pair of robins
return to the same nesting place year after year. On the Cornell
Campus a robin lacking the white tip on one side of his tail was
noted to have returned to the same particular feeding ground for
several years; and we are very certain that the same female bird
built in the vines of our piazza for seven consecutive years; it took
two years to win her confidence; but after that, she seemed to feel
as if she were a part of the family and regarded us all as friends.
We were sure that during her fifth year she brought a new young
husband to the old nesting site; probably her faithful old husband
had been served for a dinner in some Tennessee hotel during the
previous winter.
[Illustration: _Young robins. Their spotted breasts show their
relationship to the thrushes._
(Photo by Silas Lottridge).]
LESSON X
THE ROBIN
_Leading thought_--To understand all we can about the life and ways
of the robin.
_Methods_--For first and second grades this work may be done by means
of an extra blackboard, or what is far better, sheets of ordinary,
buff, manilla wrapping paper fastened together at the upper end, so
that they may be hung and turned over like a calendar. On the outside
page make a picture of a robin in colored chalk or crayons, coloring
according to the children’s answers to questions of series “_b_”.
Devote each page to one series of questions, as given below. Do not
show these questions to the pupils until the time is ripe for the
observations. Those pupils giving accurate answers to these questions
should have their names on a roll of honor on the last page of the
chart.
For third or higher grades the pupils should have individual
note-books in which each one may write his own answers to the
questions of the successive series, which should be written on the
blackboard at proper time for the observations. This note-book should
have a page about 6 × 8 inches and may be made of any blank paper.
The cover or first page should show the picture of the robin colored
by the pupil, and may contain other illustrative drawings, and any
poems or other literature pertinent to the subject. If prizes are
awarded in the school, a bird book should be given as award for the
best note-book in the class.
_Observations by pupils_--_Series a_ (To be given in March). 1. At
what date did you see the first robin this year?
2. Where did the robin spend the winter; did it build a nest or sing
when in its winter quarters?
3. What does it find to eat when it first comes in the spring? How
does this differ from its ordinary food?
4. Does the robin begin to sing as soon as it comes North?
_Series b_ (To be given the first week of April). 1. How large is the
robin compared with the English sparrow?
2. What is the color of the beak? The eye? Around and above the eye?
3. The color of the top of the head? The back? The throat? The breast?
4. Do all the robins have equally bright colors on head, back and
breast?
5. What is the color of the wing feathers?
6. What is the color of the tail feathers? Where is the white on
them? Can the white spots be seen except during flight of the bird?
Of what use to the robin are these spots?
7. Is there white on the underside of the robin as it flies over you?
Where?
8. What is the color of the feet and legs?
_Series c_ (To be given the second week of April).
1. At what time of day does the robin sing? Is it likely to sing
before a rain? How many different songs does a robin sing?
2. What note does a robin give when it sees a cat?
3. What sounds do the robins make when they see a crow or a hawk?
4. Does a robin run or walk or hop?
5. Do you think it finds the hidden earthworm by listening? If so
describe the act.
6. Describe how a robin acts as it pulls a big earthworm out of the
ground.
7. Do robins eat other food than earthworms?
_Series d_ (To be given by the middle of April). 1. At what date did
your pair of robins begin to build their nest?
2. Where was the nest placed and with what material was it begun?
3. Can you tell the difference in colors between the father and
mother birds? Do both parents help in making the nest?
4. How and with what material is the plastering done? How is the nest
molded into shape? Do both birds do this part of the work?
5. Where is the mud obtained and how carried to the nest?
6. How is the nest lined?
_Series e_ (To be given a week after series _d_). 1. What is the
number and color of the eggs in the nest?
2. Do both parents do the sitting? Which sits on the nest during the
night?
3. Give the date when the first nestling hatches.
4. How does the young robin look? The color and size of its beak? Why
is its beak so large? Can it see? Is it covered with down? Compare it
to a young chick and describe the difference between the two.
5. What does the young robin do if it feels any jar against the nest?
Why does it do this?
6. Do the young robins make any noise?
7. What do the parents feed their young? Do both parents feed them?
Are the young fed in turns?
8. Does each pair of robins have a certain territory for hunting
worms which is not trespassed upon by other robins?
_Series f_ (To be given three days after series _e_). 1. How long
after hatching before the young robin’s eyes are open? Can you see
where the feathers are going to grow? How do the young feathers look?
2. How long after hatching before the young birds are covered with
feathers?
3. Do their wing or tail feathers come first?
4. How is the nest kept clean?
5. Give the date when the young robins leave the nest? How do the old
robins act at this important crisis?
6. Describe the young robin’s flight? Why is it so unsteady?
7. How do the young robins differ in colors of breast from the
parents?
8. Do the parents stay with the young for a time? What care do they
give them?
9. If the parents raise a second brood do they use the same nest?
_Series g_ (To be given for summer reading and observations). 1. Do
the robins sing all summer? Why?
2. Do the robins take your berries and cherries? How can you prevent
them from doing this?
3. How does the robin help us?
4. How long does it stay with us in the fall?
5. What are the chief enemies of the robin and how does it fight or
escape them? How can we help protect it?
6. Do you think the same robins come back to us each year?
_Supplementary reading_--Nestlings of Forest and Marsh, Wheelock, p.
62; Our Birds and their Nestlings, Walker, pp. 26, 37, 41, 42; True
Bird Stories, Miller, pp. 37, 138; The Bird Book, Eckstrom, p. 248;
Familiar Wild Animals, Lottridge; The History of the Robins, Trimmer;
Field Book of Wild Birds and their Music, Mathews, p. 246; Birds in
Their Relation to Man, Weed and Dearborn, p. 90; Songs of Nature,
Burroughs, p. 94; Wake Robin, Burroughs; Audubon Leaflet No. 4.
THE BLUEBIRD
_Teacher’s Story_
[Illustration: S]
Stern as were our Pilgrim Fathers, they could not fail to welcome
certain birds with plumage the color of June skies, whose sweet
voices brought hope and cheer to their homesick hearts at the close
of that first, long, hard winter of 1621. The red breasts of these
birds brought to memory the robins of old England and so they were
called “Blue robins”; and this name expresses well the relationship
implied, because the bluebirds and robins of America are both members
of the thrush family, a family noted for exquisite song.
The bluebirds are usually ahead of the robins in the northward
journey and arrive in New York often amid the blizzards of early
March, their soft, rich “curly” notes bringing, even to the
doubting mind, glad convictions of coming spring. There is a family
resemblance between voices of bluebird and robin, a certain rich
quality of tone, but the robin’s song is far more assertive and
complex than is the soft, “purling” song of the bluebird, which has
been vocalized as “tru-al-ly, tru-al-ly.” These love songs cease with
the hard work of feeding the nestlings in April, but may be heard
again as a prelude to the second brood in June. The red breast of
the bluebird is its only color resemblance to the robin, although
the young bluebirds and robins are both spotted, showing the thrush
colors. The robin is so much larger than the bluebird that commonly
the relationship is not noticed. This is easily explained because
there is nothing to suggest a robin in the exquisite cerulean blue
of the bluebird’s head, back, tail and wings. This color is most
brilliant when the bird is on the wing, in the sunshine. However,
there is a certain mirror-like quality in these blue feathers; and
among leaf shadows or even among bare branches they in a measure,
reflect the surroundings and render the bird less noticeable. The
female is paler, being grayish blue above and with only a tinge of
red-brown on the breast; both birds are white beneath.
The bluebirds haunt open woods, fields of second growth and
especially old orchards. They flit about in companies of three or
four until they mate for nesting. While feeding, the bluebird usually
sits on a low branch keeping a keen eye on the ground below, now and
then dropping suddenly on an unsuspecting insect and then returning
to its perch; it does not remain on the ground hunting food as does
the robin. The nest is usually built in a hole in a tree or post and
is made of soft grass. A hollow apple tree is a favorite nesting site.
In building birdhouses we should bear in mind that a cavity about ten
inches deep and six inches in height and width will give a pair of
bluebirds room for building a nest. The opening should not be more
than two or two and one-half inches in diameter and there should be
no threshold; this latter is a very particular point. If there is a
threshold or place to alight upon, the sparrows are likely to dispute
with the bluebirds and drive them away, but the sparrow does not care
for a place which has no threshold. The box for the bluebird may be
made out of old boards or may be a section of an old tree trunk; it
should be fastened from six to fifteen feet above the ground, and
should be in nowise noticeable in color from its surroundings. To
protect the nest from cats, barbed wire should be wound around the
tree or post below the box. If the box for the nest is placed upon
a post the barbed wire will also protect it from the squirrels. The
eggs are bluish white; the young birds, in their first feathers, are
spotted on the back and have whitish breasts mottled with brown.
The food of the nestlings is almost entirely insects. In fact, this
bird during its entire life is a great friend to man. The food of
the adult is more than three-fourths insects and the remainder is
wild berries and fruits, the winter food being largely mistletoe
berries. It makes a specialty of injurious beetles, caterpillars
and grasshoppers, and never touches any of our cultivated fruits.
We should do everything in our power to encourage and protect these
birds from their enemies, which are chiefly cats, squirrels and
English sparrows.
[Illustration: _Bluebird at the entrance of its nest._
From _Country Life in America_.]
The migration takes place in flocks during autumn, but it is done in
a most leisurely manner with frequent stops where food is plenty. The
bluebirds we see in September are probably not the ones we have had
with us during the summer, but are those which have come from farther
north.
They winter largely in the Gulf States; the writer has often heard
them singing in midwinter in Southern Mississippi. The bluebirds seem
to be the only ones that sing while at their winter resorts. They
live the year round in the Bermudas, contrasting their heavenly blue
plumage with the vivid red of the cardinals. The bluebird should not
be confused with the indigo bunting; the latter is darker blue and
has a blue breast.
_References_--Bulletin, Some Common Birds in Their Relation to Man,
U. S. Dept. of Agr.; Bulletin, The Food of Nestling Birds, U. S.
Dept. of Agr.; Birds in Their Relation to Man, Weed & Dearborn, pp.
86–88; Nature-Study and Life, Hodge, chapters 18–21; Junior Audubon
Leaflets; Birds of Eastern North America, Chapman, 9. 403; Field Book
of Wild Birds and Their Music, Mathews, pp. 251–254; Nature-Study in
Elementary Schools, Wilson, p. 188.
“_Winged lute that we call a bluebird,
You blend in a silver strain
The sound of the laughing waters.
The patter of spring’s sweet rain,
The voice of the winds, the sunshine,
And fragrance of blossoming things.
Ah! You are an April poem,
That God has dowered with wings._”
--THE BLUEBIRD, REXFORD.
LESSON XI
THE BLUEBIRD
_Leading thought_--The bluebird is related to the robins and thrushes
and is as beneficial as it is beautiful. We should study its habits
and learn how to make nesting boxes for it, and protect it in all
ways.
_Methods_--The observations of this lesson must be made in the field
and by the pupils individually. Give to each an outline of questions
to answer through seeing. There should follow reading lessons on the
bluebird’s value to us and its winter migrations, and the lesson
should end in discussions of best way to build boxes for its use in
nesting season, its protection from cats and other enemies.
_Observations_--1. Which comes North earlier in spring the robin or
the bluebird?
2. How do the two resemble each other and differ from each other?
3. Describe the bluebirds’ song. Do they sing all summer?
4. Describe the colors of the bluebird as follows: The head, back,
breast, under parts, wings, tail. How does the male bluebird differ
from his mate in colors?
5. Where were the bluebirds you saw? What were they doing? If
feeding, how did they act?
6. Can you see the color of the bluebird as plainly when it is in a
tree as when it is flying? If not, why?
7. Where do the bluebirds build their nests? Of what material are the
nests made? Do both parents work at the nest building?
8. What is the color of the eggs? How do the young birds look, when
old enough to leave the nest, as compared with their parents?
9. What do the bluebirds eat? How do they benefit us? Do they do our
fruit any injury?
10. What can we do to induce the bluebirds to live near our houses?
How can we protect them?
11. Where do the bluebirds spend the winter?
12. Make a colored picture of a bluebird. How can we tell the
bluebird from the indigo bunting?
13. What are the bluebirds’ chief enemies?
_Supplementary reading_--Nestlings of Forest and Marsh, Wheelock,
p. 62; True Bird Stories, Miller, p. 12; How to Attract the Birds,
Blanchan; Bird Neighbors, Blanchan; Our Birds and their Nestlings,
Walker, p. 17; Familiar Wild Animals, Lottridge; Audubon Leaflet, No.
24.
* * * * *
_Hark! ’tis the bluebird’s venturous strain
High on the old fringed elm at the gate--
Sweet-voiced, valiant on the swaying bough,
Alert, elate,
Dodging the fitful spits of snow,
New England’s poet-laureate
Telling us Spring has come again!_
--THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH.
THE WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH
_Teacher’s Story_
“_The busy nuthatch climbs his tree
Around the great hole spirally,
Peeping into wrinkles gray,
Under ruffled lichens gay,
Lazily piping one sharp note
From his silver mailèd throat._”
--MAURICE THOMPSON.
[Illustration: B]
Blithe and mellow is the ringing “ank, ank” note of the nuthatch,
and why need we allude to its nasal timbre! While it is not a
strictly musical note, it has a most enticing quality and translates
into sound the picture of bare-branched trees and the feeling of
enchantment which permeates the forest in winter; it is one of the
most “woodsy” notes in the bird repertoire. And while the singer of
this note is not so bewitching as his constant chum the chickadee,
yet it has many interesting ways quite its own. Nor is this “ank,
ank,” its only note. I have often heard a pair talking to each other
in sweet confidential syllables, “wit, wit, wit” very different
from the loud note meant for the world at large. The nuthatches
and chickadees hunt together all winter; it is no mere business
partnership but a matter of congenial tastes. The chickadees hunt
over the twigs and smaller branches, while the nuthatches usually
prefer the tree trunks and the bases of the branches; both birds
like the looks of the world upside down, and while the chickadee
hangs head down from a twig, the nuthatch is quite likely to alight
head down on a tree bole, holding itself safely in this position by
thrusting its toes out at right angles to the body, thus getting
a firm hold upon the bark. Sometimes its foot will be twisted
completely around, the front toes pointed up the tree. The foot is
well adapted for clinging to the bark as the front toes are strong
and the hind toe is very long and is armed with a strong claw. Thus
equipped, this bird runs about on the tree so rapidly, it has earned
the name of “tree mouse”. It often ascends a tree trunk spirally but
is not so hidebound in this habit as is the brown creeper. It runs
up or down freely head first and never flops down backwards like a
woodpecker.
In color the nuthatch is bluish gray above with white throat and
breast and reddish underparts. The sides of the head are white; the
black cap extends back upon the neck but is not “pulled down” to the
eyes like the chickadees. The wing feathers are dark brown edged with
pale gray. The upper middle tail feathers are bluish like the back;
the others are dark brown and tipped with white in such a manner
that the tail when spread shows a broad white border on both sides.
The most striking contrast between the chickadee and nuthatch in
markings is that the latter lacks the black bib. However, its entire
shape is very different from that of the chickadee and its beak is
long and slender, being as long or longer than its head, while the
beak of the chickadee is a short, sharp, little pick. The bill of the
nuthatch is exactly fitted to reach in crevices of the bark and pull
out hiding insects, or to hammer open the shell of nut or acorn and
get both the meat of the nut and the grub feeding upon it. It will
wedge an acorn into a seam in the bark and then throw back its head,
woodpecker fashion, and drive home its chisel beak. But it does not
always use common sense in this habit. I have often seen one cut off
a piece of suet, fly off and thrust it into some crevice and hammer
it as hard as if it were encased in a walnut shell. This always seems
bad manners, like carrying off fruit from _table d’hote_; but the
nuthatch is polite enough in using a napkin, for after eating the
suet, it invariably wipes its bill on a branch, first one side then
the other most assiduously until it is perfectly clean.
[Illustration: _The white breasted nuthatch._]
The nuthatches are a great benefit to our trees in winter, for then
is when they hunt for hiding pests on their trunks. Their food
consists of beetles, caterpillars, pupæ of various insects, also
seeds of ragweed, sunflowers, acorns, etc. While the nuthatch finds
much of its food on trees, yet Mr. Torrey has seen it awkwardly
turning over fallen leaves hunting for insects, and Mr. Baskett says
it sometimes catches insects on the wing and gets quite out of breath
from this unusual exercise.
It is only during the winter that we commonly see the nuthatches,
for during the nesting season, they usually retire to the deep woods
where they may occupy a cavity in a tree used by a woodpecker last
year, or may make a hole for themselves with their sharp beaks. The
nest is lined with leaves, feathers and hair; from five to nine
creamy, speckled eggs are the treasure of this cave.
LESSON XII
THE NUTHATCH
_Leading thought_--The nuthatch is often a companion of the
chickadees and woodpeckers. It has no black bib, like the chickadee,
and it alights on a tree trunk head downward, which distinguishes it
from woodpeckers.
_Methods_--This bird, like the chickadee and downy, gladly shares the
suet banquet we prepare for them and may be observed at leisure while
“at table.” The contrast between the habits of the nuthatch and those
of its companions make it a most valuable aid in stimulating close
and keen observation on the part of the pupils.
_Observations_--1. Where have you seen the nuthatches? Were they with
other birds? What other birds?
2. Does a nuthatch usually alight on the ends of the branches of a
tree or on the trunk and larger limbs? Does it usually alight head
down or up? When it runs down the tree, does it go head first or does
it back down? When it ascends the tree does it follow a spiral path?
Does it use its tail for a brace when climbing, as does the downy?
3. How are the nuthatch’s toes arranged to assist it in climbing?
Are the three front toes of each foot directed downward when the
bird alights head downward? How does it manage its feet when in this
position?
4. What is the general color of the nuthatch above and below? The
color of the top and sides of head? Color of Back? Wings? Tail?
Throat? Breast?
5. Does the black cap come down to the eyes on the nuthatch as on the
chickadee? Has the nuthatch a black bib?
6. What is the shape of the beak of the nuthatch? For what is it
adapted? How does it differ from the beak of the chickadee?
7. What is the food of the nuthatch? Where is it found? Does it open
nuts for the grubs or the nut meat? Observe the way it strikes its
beak into the suet, why does it strike so hard?
8. How would you spell this bird’s note? Have you heard it give more
than one note?
9. How does the nuthatch benefit our trees? At what season does it
benefit them most? Why?
10. Where do the nuthatches build their nests? Why do we see the
nuthatches oftener in winter than in summer?
[Illustration]
THE CHICKADEE
_Teacher’s Story_
“_He is the hero of the woods; there are courage and good
nature enough in that compact little body, which you may hide
in your fist, to supply a whole groveful of May songsters.
He has the Spartan virtue of an eagle, the cheerfulness of a
thrush, the nimbleness of Cock Sparrow, the endurance of the
sea-birds condensed into his tiny frame, and there have been
added a pertness and ingenuity all his own. His curiosity is
immense, and his audacity equal to it; I have even had one
alight upon the barrel of the gun over my shoulders as I sat
quietly under his tree._”
--ERNEST INGERSOLL.
[Illustration: H]
However careless we may be of our bird friends when we are in the
midst of the luxurious life of summer, even the most careless among
us give pleased attention to the birds that bravely endure with us
the rigors of winter. And when this winged companion of winter proves
to be the most fascinating little ball of feathers ever created,
constantly overflowing with cheerful song, our pleased attention
changes to active delight. Thus it is, that in all the lands of snowy
winters the chickadee is a loved comrade of the country wayfarer;
that happy song “chick-a-dee-dee-dee” finds its way to the dullest
consciousness and the most callous heart.
[Illustration: _Chick-a-dee-dee-dee_]
The chickadees appear in small flocks in the winter and often in
company with the nuthatches. The chickadees work on the twigs and
ends of branches, while the nuthatches usually mine the bark of the
trunk and larger branches, the former hunting insect eggs and the
latter, insects tucked away in winter quarters. When the chickadee
is prospecting for eggs, it looks the twig over, first above and
then hangs head down and inspects it from below; it is a thorough
worker and doesn’t intend to overlook anything whatever; and however
busily it is hunting, it always finds time for singing; whether on
the wing or perched upon a twig or hanging from it like an acrobat,
head down, it sends forth its happy “chickadeedee” to assure us that
this world is all right and good enough for anybody. Besides this
song, it begins in February to sing a most seductive “fee-bee,”
giving a rising inflection to the first syllable and a long, falling
inflection to the last, which makes it a very different song from the
short, jerky notes of the phœbe-bird, which cuts the last syllable
short and gives it a rising inflection. More than this, the chickadee
has some chatty conversational notes, and now and then performs
a bewitching little yodle, which is a fit expression of its own
delicious personality.
[Illustration: _Chickadee entering her nest._]
The general effect of the colors of the chickadee is grayish brown
above and grayish white below. The top of the head is black, the
sides white, and it has a seductive little black bib under its chin.
The back is grayish, the wings and tail are dark gray, the feathers
having white margins. The breast is grayish white changing to buff or
brownish at the sides and below. It is often called the “Black-capped
Titmouse,” and it may always be distinguished by black cap and black
bib. It is smaller than the English sparrow; its beak is a sharp
little pick just fitted for taking insect eggs off twigs and from
under bark. Insects are obliged to pass the winter in some stage of
their existence, and many of them wisely remain in the egg until
there is something worth doing in the way of eating. These eggs are
glued fast to the food trees by the mother insect and thus provides
abundant food for the chickadees. It has been estimated that one
chickadee will destroy several hundred insect eggs in one day, and it
has been proven that orchards frequented by these birds are much more
free from insect pests than other orchards in the same locality. They
can be enticed into orchards by putting up beef fat or bones and thus
we can secure their valuable service. In summer these birds attack
caterpillars and other insects.
When it comes to nest building, if the chickadees cannot find a house
to rent they proceed to dig out a proper hole from some decaying
tree, which they line with moss, feathers, fur or some other soft
material. The nest is often not higher than six to ten feet from the
ground. One which I studied was in a decaying fence post. The eggs
are white, sparsely speckled and spotted with lilac or rufous. The
young birds are often eight in number and how these fubsy birdlings
manage to pack themselves in such a small hole is a wonder, and
probably gives them good discipline in bearing hardships cheerfully.
_Reference_--Useful Birds and Their Protection, Forbush, p. 163;
Birds of Village and Field, Merriams; Bird Neighbors, Blancham.
LESSON XIII
THE CHICKADEE
_Leading thought_--The chickadee is as useful as it is delightful; it
remains in the North during winter, working hard to clear our trees
of insect eggs and singing cheerily all day. It is so friendly that
we can induce it to come even to the window sill, by putting out suet
to show our friendly interest.
_Methods_--Put beef fat on the trees near the schoolhouse in
December and replenish it afresh about every two or three weeks. The
chickadees will come to the feast and may be observed all winter.
Give the questions a few at a time and let the children read in the
bird books a record of the benefits derived from this bird.
_Observations_--1. Where have you seen the chickadees? What were they
doing? Were there several together?
2. What is the common song of the chickadee? What other notes has it?
Have you heard it yodle? Have you heard it sing “fe-bee, fee-bee.”
How does this song differ from that of the phœbe-bird? Does it sing
on the wing or when at rest?
3. What is the color of the chickadee: Top and sides of head, back,
wings, tail, throat, breast, under parts?
Compare size of chickadee with that of English sparrow.
4. What is the shape of the chickadee’s bill and for what is it
adapted? What is the food in winter? Where does the bird find it? How
does it act when feeding and hunting for food?
5. Does the chickadee usually alight on the ends of the branches or
on the larger portions near the trunk of the tree?
6. How can you distinguish the chickadees from their companions, the
nuthatches?
7. Does the chickadee ever seem discouraged by the snow and cold
weather? Do you know another name for the chickadee?
8. Where does it build its nest? Of what material? Have you ever
watched one of these nests? If so, tell about it.
9. How does the chickadee benefit our orchards and shade trees? How
can we induce it to feel at home with us and work for us?
_Supplementary reading_--“Foster Baby,” Nestlings of Forest and
Marsh; “Ch’-geegee-lokh-sis,” Ways of Wood Folk; “Why a Chickadee
Goes Crazy,” Animal Heroes, Seton; “The Titmouse,” a poem, by Emerson.
[Music]
[Illustration]
THE DOWNY WOODPECKER
_Teacher’s Story_
[Illustration: F]
Friend Downy is the name this attractive little neighbor has earned,
because it is so friendly to those of us who love trees. Watch it as
it hunts each crack and crevice of the bark of your favorite apple or
shade tree, seeking assiduously for cocoons and insects hiding there,
and you will soon, of your own accord, call it friend; you will soon
love its black and white uniform, which consists of a black coat
speckled and barred with white and whitish gray vest and trousers.
The front of the head is black and there is a black streak extending
backward from the eye with a white streak above and also below it.
The male has a vivid red patch on the back of the head, but his wife
shows no such giddiness; plain black and white are good enough for
her. In both sexes the throat and breast are white, the middle tail
feathers black, while the side tail feathers are white, barred with
black at their tips.
[Illustration: _Friend Downy’s foot._]
The downy has a way of alighting low down on a tree trunk or at the
base of a larger branch and climbing upward in a jerky fashion;
it never runs about over the tree nor does it turn around and go
down head first, like the nuthatch; if it wishes to go down a short
distance it accomplishes this by a few awkward, backward hops; but
when it really wishes to descend, it flies off and down. The downy,
as other woodpeckers, has a special arrangement of its physical
machinery to enable it to climb trees in its own manner. In order to
grasp the bark on the side of the tree more firmly, its fourth toe is
turned backward to work as companion with the thumb. Thus it is able
to clutch the bark as with a pair of nippers, two claws in front and
two claws behind; and as another aid, the tail is arranged to prop
the bird, like a bracket. The tail is rounded in shape and the middle
feathers have rather strong quills; but the secret of the adhesion of
the tail to the bark lies in the great profusion of barbs which, at
the edge of the feathers, offer bristling tips, and when applied to
the side of the tree act like a wire brush with all the wires pushing
downward. This explains why the woodpecker cannot go backward without
lifting the tail.
But even more wonderful than this, is the mechanism by which the
downy and hairy woodpeckers get their food, which consists largely
of wood-borers or larvæ working under the bark. When the woodpecker
wishes to get a grub in the wood, it seizes the bark firmly with its
feet, uses its tail as a brace, throws its head and upper part of the
body as far back as possible, and then drives a powerful blow with
its strong beak. The beak is adapted for just this purpose, as it is
wedge-shaped at the end, and is used like a mason’s drill sometimes,
and sometimes like a pick. When the bird uses its beak as a pick,
it strikes hard, deliberate blows and the chips fly; but when it is
drilling, it strikes rapidly and not so hard and quickly drills a
small, deep hole leading directly to the burrow of the grub. When
finally the grub is reached, it would seem well nigh impossible to
pull it out through a hole which is too small and deep to admit of
the beak being used as pincers. This is another story and a very
interesting one; the downy and hairy can both extend their tongues
far beyond the point of the beak, and the tip of the tongue is hard
and horny and covered with short backward-slanting hooks acting like
a spear or harpoon, and when thrust into the grub pulls it out easily
(see initial). The bones of the tongue have a spring arrangement;
when not in use, the tongue lies soft in the mouth, like a wrinkled
earthworm, but when in use, the bones spring out, stretching it to
its full length and it is then slim and small. The process is like
fastening a pencil to the tip of a glove finger; when drawn back
the finger is wrinkled together, but when thrust out, straightens.
This spring arrangement of the bones of the woodpecker’s tongue is
a marvellous mechanism and should be studied through pictures; see
Birds, Eckstorm, Chapter XIV; The Bird, Beebe, p. 122; “The Tongues
of Woodpeckers,” Lucas, U. S. Department of Agriculture.
[Illustration: _Friend Downy._
Drawing by A. L. Fuertes.]
Since the food of the downy and the hairy is where they can get it
all winter, there is no need for them to go South; thus they stay
with us and work for us the entire year. We should try to make them
feel at home with us in our orchards and shade trees by putting up
pieces of beef fat, to convince them of their welcome. No amount of
free food will pauperize these birds, for as soon as they have eaten
of the fat, they commence to hunt for grubs on the tree and thus earn
their feast. They never injure live wood.