Each member of the troop wears an emblem badge sewn over her left pocket flap, and a shoulder knot of the colors chosen by her troop.

Every Scout is expected to know all about the life history of the emblem of her troop. If it is a flower, she should know what it looks like, when and where it blooms, and she should if possible grow it herself. If the emblem is a bird the Scout should know what it looks like, its call or song, its food, where to look for its nest, the color of its eggs and time of migration.

BIRD.ATTRIBUTE.COLOR.
Robin.Brave and friendly.Brown and red.
Swallow.A quick home worker.Dark blue and white.
Wren.Modest and plucky.Brown.
Sparrow.Busy and home-loving.Black and brown.
Bantam.Plucky and strong.Red and yellow.
Canary.Makes sunshine in the house.Yellow and white.
Thrush.Gives joy to all.Brown and yellow.
Blackbird.Happy and helpful.Black and yellow.
Cardinal Bird. Beautiful and lively.Rosy red.
Mocking Bird.Courageous and singing while he works. Greyish brown and white.

List of Troop Crests Always Kept in Stock

A Cuckoo Patrol

A jay is a showy, gaudy kind of bird and, like her bigger friend the peacock, has a rasping, raucous voice, and she eats other birds’ eggs, and generally does more harm than good in the world. There are human jays and peacocks, but you won’t find them among the Scouts. The English cuckoo is a curious bird of another kind. She makes herself out to look somewhat like a hawk, and somewhat like a dove, you don’t know whether she is very bold or very peaceful; at any rate she lets you know that she’s there. She uses her voice freely. But she’s a lazy creature, does not bother to make a nest of her own, but goes and puts her eggs in other birds’ nests—rather deceitful, because she often makes her eggs match those in the nest she is using—gives them all the trouble of bringing up her young ones. She leaves them and goes off South in July, before her offspring can fly with her. In fact, she is a fraud, she imitates others and blusters about a lot for a short time, but she does not do any real work.

Sometimes there have been imitation Girl Scouts, who dressed themselves up in our uniform, gave themselves similar badges, made themselves unpleasantly conspicuous, but never really grasped the Scout spirit nor did the Scout work, and so they won for themselves the name of cuckoo. So don’t belong to a cuckoo patrol.

If you are the Scout you ought to be, you will start to work to make your own patrol the best in the troop and to make yourself the best Scout in the patrol—for smartness, for efficiency, and for happiness.