The Savannah morning news., 1903-03-22
BY F. A. DAWSON.

are shaped in such a peculiar fashion,
she finds that the children have rea-
soned all this out for themselves.
Or, after telling her listeners of the
dangers which beset young birds and
how the nest is generally the same
color as it's surroundings, in order to
hide it from the watchful eyes of
squirrels and hawks, she shows them
the male and female tanagers-the
father bird with his scarlet plumage,
the mother with her sober coat of
green.
why is this difference?" she will
ask
The quick brains have thought 1t
out in a minute. The mother must
be the same color as the leaves and
grass around her, so that, while on
the nest, she will not attract the at
tention of her enemies. But the
father, who does not have to stay by
the nest may have a brilliant plum
age.
"In summer birds rise at about four
in the moyning, and go to bed at
seven in the evening" says Miss
Moore. How long, then, is a bird S
day?"
The children work out the prob
lem.
"And I have sat by a swallows nest
ana WdICieu II lieu It's young lot
several hours" Miss Moore pursues
THE mother bird flew back and forth
with food about thirty times each
hour. If she does this all day long,
how many times will she feed her lit
tie ones in a day."
1t takes scarcely two minutes for
the children to make the calculation.
my" says, an awed voice among
the little girls. Just think of feeding
your children $50 times day"
Even your mother doesn't have to
work that hard. does she?" asks Miss
Moore.
From that time the idea that all that
birds have to do is to hop around and
enjoy themselves, vanishes from the
childish mind.
Enthusiastic Young AudubOnites.
Miss Moore never talks pointedly
against cruelty to birds.
Interest the children in birds" she
says, land after that you cannot in
duce them to harm one"
Her hearers never leave her without
promising to protect all animals from
harm and to join the Audubon Society.
or some other similar body.
After she had told the class of little
girls about the chatter-box bird, which
quacks like a duck and barks like a
dog, and of the blue-jay, which hid a
seed in her hair as she sat perfectly
still watching him one day, and
dozen other similar stories, Miss
Moore asked:
''Now, who can tell me some enc
mics which birds have?"
Hawks" said the little girls,
breathlessly. land CATS
Boys throw stones at Them said
several voices, with evident satisfac-
ton at being able to dilate upon the
wickedness of boys.
And what do little girls do to harm
birds?"
A pause.
''They pick them up" suggested
small voice.
And squeeze them" said another.
'And put them in cages"
what do little girls wear in their
has?' Miss Moore asked, finally.
"Bibbons-and flowers-and feath-
ers," suggested several girls.
And where do feathers come
from"
why, we buy them on the hats"
But where do the people who make
the hats find those feathers2"
Eyes opened wide. There was a
pause.
When Miss Moore explained that
the birds must be killed 20 obtain tile
feathers. fifty little girls pledged
themselves not 20 wear feathers again.
Boys do not leave Miss MOore's
talks without learning the game laws
OF the state. That IN almost every
state in the Union, q person may be