The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-06-11

ScAfdl-O4 or DiEGS or one SpecleS-
 Their combined efforts, if scattered
 over the whole field of ornithology,
 would probably result in but very small
 additions to science, but if brought to a
 focus, say on robins, the data accumu- lated fin the course of a year or two
 would. in all likelihood. be very valu-
 able, and the people themselves, in stead of belonging to vast army, each
 member os which has a smattering of
 knowledge concerning birds in general,
 might easily be the leading authorities in the world on the particular species
 to which they had given their at
 tention.
 If this plan of bird-study were ade2ted in the schools. it would also have another advantage: it would tend
 to save the nests of the rarer birds in
 any particular locality from the visits Of enthusiastic but often thought.ess
 youngsters. who might get just as much pleasure, and perhaps more instruction,
 by studying the nest of one of the com
 moner birds. Some of the rarer bir5s
 are very shy, and where a band of school children undertake to visit, even
 occasionally, tbe nest of bird which ] is perhaps the only one of it's kind in the township, the chance of that birds coming back the following year is very slight, even if it is so fortunate as to
 rear it's young, which is doubtful. On
 the other hand, if it is a robins nest
 which is the object of study, the rarent birds will stand any reasonable num- Der of visits without neglecting the
 eggs or young. And even if they did neglect them. sad as it would be. the
 harm done would be less than is would
 And it is very probable that wide
 knowledge Of a single species, gained i from the experiences of a great many
 people in different parts of the coun-
 try. would be found most useful in the
 study of birds in general.
 And. come to think of it. why should
 We not organize national club whose object it shall be to make a careful study of the robin? Suppose We try it.
 Any bird-lovcr interested in the sug-
 gestion. can show his or her interest by
 ending to my address, Newport, New Hampshire, postal card, with name and address, and the name which
 seems most suitable for such club. We will adopt that name which eeems best to the greatest number and if no
 two are 3like we will call 1t The Ma tional Robin Club. There need be no initiation fee CT dues, in the beginning
 at any rate, but any one desiring to
 join must signify willingness to study 1 p a rpfI11lxr tba oe+ rr Al raoo or
 robins a year as long as he or she is a
 member. Is the members so desire, I will act as secretary for the time beirg;
 in which case, all members will be ex- i peeted to send me their notes as soon as they are as complete as possible. At
 the end of the se39on will go ove~ all
 these notes. and publish the results ia
 an article of this series. Each member
 will then be able to compare his or her
 notes with the notes of other members from Mainesto California.
 For the benefit of those who so far have had no experience in studying birds. will make the following sug-
 gestions for the study of the robin: Begin S'our study of the nest as soon
 as possible after the birds have begun to built. Make note of the site se-
 leeted, whether in a tree on part of a 1 dwelling ors other buifSing, ca the ground in hole in q tree, for robins select very queer sites sometimes. No
 tice it's heinht from the ground. and if i it is in a tree. note what kind of a tree it is in. Find out if both the male and the female assist in the building. and
 whether they divide the work about
 evently. or is one does more than the other. If the latter is the case which bird works the harder? Notice the kind of material used in the making of the nest. and describe the process as
 nearly as yol can. If you are an early
 riser, find out exactly at what time the
 first bit of building material is brought to the nest in the morning, and at what time the last bit is brought at night.
 See how long it is before the nest is completed, and notice whether the fe-
 male lays her first egg at once, or 1 whether she waits day or two and. if so. how long she waits. Does the bird begin to sit ass soon as the first egg is Ilasd. or does it wait until she has laid the whole set? Does she lay one each day until all are laid, or does she lay
 one every other day? How many eggs are there in the full set? Are they all the same size and color? Does the male or the female sit on the eggs. or do they take turn? Which sits at night? Which in the daytime? How
 many days does it take for the eggs to hatch? Do they all hatch at once? Are there any which do not hatch? Do both parents begin to feed the young at once, or does one go away for food while the other remains to protect the little ones. Which one remains? Watch and make notes on the develop ment of the young at least once a day. How many days elapse between the date of matching and the date on which the young birds leave the nest? Do all those which were matched live.,to leave the nest? Did you notice whether any accident happened to any of them after they left the nest? Try to find out how long the young are fed by their parents after leaving the nest Also as many notes as possible on the actions of the birds under different circumstances. What do they do when it rains? What
 do they do when it is very hot? How do they act when an enemy, a cat or a snake or a squirrel, approaches the
 nest? Be sure to put down all the dates, and notice whether the parents