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Photo by Mookk. CLASS OF ‘09 n m
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DEBRIS. 13 □ 11= =□111—j||i i||i=3||i Hli—Him »1 □ 0! OUR BIRDS. 1 □ i '■•‘ia iiit=3iH □ E of the most delight- ful divisions of zoology is ornithology, or the study of birds. This science takes its devo- tees into green fields and shady woods where nature blends all in perfect harmony. Yet. although rural districts arc most favorable for the pursuit of bird lore, many of our feathered friends find homes in cities, and can be studied from the humblest garret window, as well as on the beautiful lawn which surrounds the palatial home on the avenue. There are many reasons for the study of birds, yet all may be con- densed into a few leading ones. Birds are sensitively organized creatures, and respond so readily to the influ- ence of their surroundings that ill their distributions, structure, and hab- its they furnish naturalists with in- valuable evidences of the workings of natural laws. In preventing the un- due increase of insects, in devouring small rodents, in destroying the seeds of harmful plants, and in acting as scavengers they are man's best friends in the animal world. Without their service, the earth would not long be habitable. Therefore we should spare no effort to protect them. We have an inborn Interest in ani- mals which, properly developed, will not only afford us much pleasure, but will broaden our sympathies and mor- ally elevate us. Birds being the most abundant and conspicuous of the high- er animals, may be most easily stud- ied and observed. They are beauti- ul in form and color and exhibit an unequaled power of flight, their ac- quaintance thus stimulating our love of beauty and of grace. They are un- rivaled as musicians: their songs arc the most eloquent of nature's voices, and by associations may become in- expressibly dear to us. The migra- tion of birds excites our wonder and admiration, and their periodic com- ings and goings not only connect them with the changing seasons, but « alter the character of the bird-life of the same locality during the year, that their study Is ever attended by fresh interest. In their migrations, matings, nest-buildings, and home- lives. birds not only display an intel- ligence that attracts us. but exhibits human traits of character that create within us a feeling of kinship with them, thereby increasing our interest in, and love for them. With birds the individual lives. In the species: the robins we hear in our childhood we may hear in our old age: therefore birds seem never to grow old. and acquaintance with them keeps alive the many pleasant mem- ories of the past with which they are associated. Thus possessing so many and such varied claims to our atten- tion. birds more than any other ani- mals may serve as bonds between man and nature. Are these reasons not sufficient for every one of us to give some attention at least to the study of birds? We cannot help noticing them when some day in March the weather chan- ges, the sun shines and we realize that spring will soon be with us. Robin Redbreast Is perhaps the first to be seen. This bird o' free- dom shares the honor of proclaim- ing the glad tidings of spring with his friendly rival, the Bluebird alone. Dr.r'ng the uncertain days of spring Robin remains in the shelter of the woods, but when spring has come for sure, he reclaims the old haunts, and rejoices in song. Robin is an inspir- ing singer. Yet he sometimes con- ceives passages which are too high for him. and these he hums unaudib- ly. like a tenor with a cold. When the music comes back to his compass he resumes where he left off. Thus singing and nest-building he whiles away the spring months. Then there Is our friend, the Blue Jay, a curious mixture of Beauty and the Beast. He is the outlaw among birds, and never hesitates to remove the eggs from the nests of other birds, yet sometimes vengeance comes to the Blue Jay in the form of a crow, who robs Blue Jay's nest while the latter looks on pleading with him to cease. The crow is no saint, yet it does not conceal his vil- lainies under a coat of blue and white. The Cardinal, or Red Bird, is per- haps the greatest favorite of all. He is beloved not only for his splendid plumage and the magic of his whist- ling song, but also for the gentle boldness of comradship. The law now forbids a Red Bird to be impris- oned. yet there was a time when no such law existed, and Red Birds were frequently kept as pets. There is in- stance in which one was kept in cap- tivity for thirty years, and when it died was mourned as a member of the family. Without the Red Bird summer would not be complete, for in the words of the poet: Along the dust white river road The saucy Red Bird chirps and trills. H!s liquid notes resound and rise Until they meet the cloudless skies And echo o'er the distant hills. The most widely distributed of any of our American birds are the Bam Swallows. Year after year they re- turn to the old nest, a neat bracket or half-bowl of mud luxuriously lined with grass and feathers, and cement- ed to the beam of a bam. They are of a confiding nature, and their liv- ing is full of gracefulness and poetry of motion. On a day in late April while walk- ing through a damp wood a dark fig- ure suddenly rises from the dead leaves at one's feet, and uttering a low cry moves away with ghostly noislessness and drops down into a bush a rod or so away. So perfectly do the softly-blended colors of the Whippoorwill blend with the leafy world that it is useless to look for him. The Whippoorwill is a noctur- nal bird and catches insects during the night as he flies through the air. aided by the bristles that project from either side of the beak. The mellow liquid notes of this songster are heard more often during the first hours after sunset, but sometimes ex- tends far into the night. The prince of American songsters is the Mocking Bird. As a mimic it has no peer. A stoutly contested dis- cussion is carried on between the friends of the European Nightingale and those of the Mocking Bird as to which is the greater singer, but mu- sic itself is so diverse in conception and execution that comparisons are
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