Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1900-05-14

Growth of BIRD Day" Idea.
AUTHORIZATIONS

u
He owns the bird songs of the hills
The laughter of the April rills;
And his are all the diamonds set
In mornings dewy coronet-
And his the dusk's first minted stars
That twinkle through the pasture bars
And litter all tne skies at night
With glittering scraps of silver light;
The rainbow's bar, from rim to rim,
In beaten gold, belongs to him.
So sings James Whitcomb Riley of
the child, says the Chicago Post. To
the tender in years, looking out with
wide-eyed wonder on the strange new
things of the world, all nature. is a
heritage, and it is fitting that he be
taught to look on these things as
sacred, as intended for his pleasure,
instruction and uplifting. This seems
to be the central thought in the bird
day idea which is growing in such an
encouraging way. 1t is for the child.
1t strives to acquaint him with the
beauties of nature, to find kinship in
every living thing, to read the music
in the trill of each feathered songster,
beauty in every leaf and flower, to find
tongues in trees, books in
the running BROOKS
Sermons in stones and good in every
thing.
Unfortunately bird day is not estab-
lished by law in Illinois, but it un-
doubtedly will be before long. 1t is
however, observed in many of the pub
lie schools where teachers are person
ally interested in the work of Audubon
societies. 1t is generally observed
every year in the schools of Evanston,
this years exercises having been held
Monday last and having shown in
creased interest on the part of both
pupils and teachers. 1t is said that
nearly every school child in the classic
little city is now acquainted with all
the birds which frequent the locality,
and can distinguish them by their
songs. And it is only three years since
the bird-day idea became general in
Evanston! Wisconsin, by enactment,
has set apart a day each year as Arbor
and Bird day, and Governor Scofeld
has just issued proclamation naming
Friday, May 4, of this year for the
holding of appropriate exercises in all
the schools of the state, when trees
will be planted and the children will
be encouraged to increase their love
for birds.
The Arbor and Bird day program for
Wisconsin has been issued as a state
publication by the department Of pub
lie instruction, and it is one of those
rare things-a public document full of
poetry sentiment and the best of good
tons from the best poets; essays on
planting and caring for trees; how
plants grow and feed, enemies of veg
citation; the life of a tree; how to i'm
prove school grounds and parks;
poems on flowers and birds; papers on
how to know birds and how the birds
work for us. 1t shows in signal way
the growth of the bird-day idea when
a state officially recognizes it's value
and beauty and culls from the best
writer's of the world the best things
they have said about natures never
palling beauties.
Another publication coming every
| soLo - n ~; 70
age love for birds and to discourage an
unnatural tendency to slaughter them
is Bird-Lore, published by the Mac
milan company. The present number
reminds one of the most significant
thing said by Ernest Seton-Thompson
during his recent visit to Chicago. He
suggested the substitution of the cam
era for the shotgun, and said that the
hunter could get as much sport and a
great deal more pleasure and informa-
ton from shooting birds and animals
with a camera than in killing them
with a gun or rifle. In this number
John RoWley, chief taxidermist of the
American Museum of Natural History.
describes a new camera for bird pho
tographers, which, like gun, may be
fired the instant it is sighted. That is,
the mechanism is so arranged that as
soon as the object appears on the find
ing glass, clear and of proper focus.
the plate may be exposed, the entire
operation being done with the same
lever or button.
AS an illustration of the work done
with this camera Bird-Lore presents
as frontispiece scene in Central
Park, New York. showing three wild
geese swimming in one of the artificial
lakes. The picture clearly gives al
most in complete detail the arrange
| ment of the feathers on each bird. the
smallest ripples on the water and a
! bright eye in each well-poised head.
| Another article tells of the photo
graphing of a robin feeding it's young.
There are also papers on the marsh
hawk, bird work at Wellesley college
and the usual notes and suggestions