The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-04-28

the arrlValS Tor that week are arranged l in small glass cases, which admit of | their being viewed from all sides. They are then placed where they will be ac- 1 cessible to all, and the colored pictures 1 hang near so that each one has a 1 chance to become familiar with every | bird. At irregular intervals their names 1 are covered they are rearranged in the | cases, and there follows a test in rapid Identification, which is either the de- | light or the despair of the would-be or 1 nithologist. The student learns at the | start and remembers by later practice,
 how to describe correctly a birds ap- 1 pearance. She learns in~addition how to | identify by the aid of keys, particularly 1 such as can be used in the field, These
 exercises in the laboratory by training
 the eye, save much time in the recogni- | tion of birds, and this is essential for one so busy as is the college girl. Be- | sides this ''rapid-fire" practice in de- scription and identification, there areNat 1 intervals quizzas, both oral and written, which cover points of structure, of adap- tation to habit and environment, and | the general characters of the most im-
 portant orders and families.
 Since Wellesley is naturally so fa- vored it is worth our while to make it as far as possible a veritable paradise for birds. We try, therefore, not only to keep them, but also to make the grounds even more attractive than na- ture formed them. The edct has gone forth that all cats walking upon the
 grounds do so at their own peril Red nd Enc ch
 made to feel at times that price is set
 upon their heads. A generous friend
 has given in the last two years large
 number of bild-attracting trees, which
 have been set out in some of the favor-
 ite reports. Holes in one of the large
 barns will oger a home for swallows,
 and bird houses, it is hoped, will at-
 tract those whose eyes are open for the
 sign, "To let" On one or two spots
 stand shelters where, especially in the
 winter, the. birds may find food, these
 shelters answering the purpose of the
 ''soup kitchens" in our large cities.
 There iXist, in addition, numerous pri-
 vate charitable enterprises which have
 in many cases made the recipients quite
 tame.
 It is comparatively easy to arouse en-
 thusiasm in this subject, but the rub
 comes in adding to it definite knowl-
 edge and the spirit of thoughtfulness.
 The lack of these elements is what
 makes the bird 'faddist'' It is all very
 well to wax eloquent over the bluebird
 and the chiclSadee but it must be some
 what dampening to enthusiasm not to
 know bluebird from a bluejay or a
 chickadee from nuthatch. The same
 difficulties beset bird study at Wellesley
 which we meet in the study of general
 biology, and which probably exist in the study of any subject anywhere-namely, indefiniteness, whether in observation or in Knowledge, and thoughtlessness as to what is seen.
 There Is no absolute remedy for these defects, but they may be reduced to minimum by directing carefully and rather minutely the observations, and by insisting constantly upon accurate results. After the ordinary methods, both in the field and in the laboratory, any device which will secure the desired end is welcome, especially if it brings in variety. The little game of guessing a bird by a description of its markings or structure or habits, or the reverse of this, guessing by the "twenty-question' method, is admirable, for it requires as much ready knowledge in a college girl at 1t does in primary children. This year the field notes will include answers to posted set of questions dealing with the structure and habits and relations of some of our common representatives, These questions will serve the double purpose of showing the student how to work, and of giving her definite, tangi- ble material for the understanding of some of the more general subjects of in- terest in ornthology. Each student, will adopt one bird, to study it fully in it's structure, it's habits, it's nesting, it's food, its song and it's re- lation to its own family and order From this as a center will radiate the knowledge of other birds, both of indi- viduals and of their relations with one another and with the rest of nature.
 Bird study at Wellesley is, of course, not ideal, either in it's methods or in its results. Even while we make allowance for improvement in the future, by the | of other and new ideas, we | must remember that the best bird work | takes time and sense of leisure which | under present conditions we cannot ex- pect in college. But though the | course is imperfect, it is worth the ef- fort, if only because it brings to SC many 1 girls fresh and keen delight, and be- | cause it opens to them an endless field | of pleasure for their after-college days. | Bird Lore.