Omaha daily bee., 1903-03-22

HPS24fM name bestowed by the pupils of
- New York's public schools on
Miss Elizabeth Putnam Moore, whose
mission is to bring children to more inti-
mate knowledge and a better appreciation
of bird life.
Once in so often she makes her rounds OF
the schools in what are known as the tene-
ment districts, and to the children these
rounds seem far apart. They never know
when she is coming, but some morning
when the opening exercises are over a class
finds her standing at the table wi.A her
arms full of Sky" as they call the big
blue cloth which she carries about with
her for a setting to her bird talks.
The 'sky" is placed on the table ard out
of it's changeable folds she draws bird after
bird-brds that are all red, large birds OF
black and yellow, brown birds with
flash of crimson on the breast, and modest
gray-brown birds. And then the fifty or
a hundred children whose daily horizon is
bounded by skyscrapers and towering
dwelling houses listen to the tale of the
songsters they all hope to see some day.
Miss Moore conceived the idea about six
years ago of teaching city children bird lore.
To pursue her own studies of the bird life
as city children might find it, IL they were
induced to visit the parks, she spent days
in the PARKS and outlying districts dress
ing in green and sitting motionless among
the trees while the birds few and played
about her built their nests and fed their
young, unalarmed by the presence of
strange creature. Today her work, both
professional and socEl, is broad and far
reaching but her chosen field is the pr-
mary schools in the poor, overcrowded
sections of the city.
The wrapt attention Of the children and
their delight at seeing the most ordinary
birds familiar to all children who live in
the country is truly pathetic
This first wonder is at the real size and
color of the birds of which they have read.
1t seems That the best of illustrations to be
found in circulating libraries give wrong
Impressions Generally the size of bird
is a disappointment. The children have
imagined 1t many times large In
variably when a scarlet tanager is pro-
duced. there is a hushed chorus of "Oh,
see the robin" Fer the chilcren have read
that a robin is called "redbreast."
The teachers are enthusiastic about Miss
Moore's work, as are the children, and her
methods may be followed without trouble
by mothers and teachers everywhere.
A bird talk" means much more than
the name implies. For one thing it is an
excellent form of mind training. Miss
Moore profits by long experience in work
ing with children in the kindergarten. Her
talk is not a recital of facts. but a con
VersatiOn with the children, in which Che
tells them interesting stories of the birds
she shows and keep7 them on the alert to
think out the various points for them
selves.
A woodpeckeT is drawn from the blue sky
The children guess it's name. Generally
there is at least one who has read thai
woodpeckers live in trees. Miss Moore
draws n tree on the blackboai j. She show;
how the bird runs up and down the trunk
She draws a hole in the side of the tree
Then she draws eggs inside the nest. With
the specimen in her hand she illustrates
how the bird goes into its hole and how il
comes out. She tells how ii feeds on in.
sects which it picks out of the bark. AT tho