Bird with parts labeled
“BIRDS THAT ARE OUR FRIENDS”
One of the new “Habitat Group” circulating nature-study collections. The label-holders are hinged to the back of the case and close over the ends, protecting the glass during transportation. The label at the left is general and gives reasons why birds are our friends. That on the right deals with the habits and use of the specific birds in the case, each being identified by a simple drawing instead of by title or number.
Markings and Color: See just where the markings are. Remember that if a bird were seen without feathers, it would look quite a bit like any other animal. The next time you have a chicken after the feathers have been removed, look at it closely. The wings look like arms, and as a matter of fact, they have three “fingers,” which may be easily seen. The bird has a crown on its head; he has “cheeks,” a breast, a throat, a belly, and a rump as well as other external or outside parts. Do not say that you saw a bird that was “black and white and brown all over.” No one could tell you what sort of a bird that was. See—just what you are looking at. As with the Markings, you should know something of the parts of a bird before you are able to tell just where the colors occur. How many colors are there on the under side of the Robin?
Appearance: The bird may be alert, wide awake or pensive as though it had just lost a friend. Its tail may be drooped, its crest erected or its feathers ruffled.
Haunts: Where did you see the bird? Was it near the seashore, beside the river, in the woods, the fields, a place where the land was low and swampy or high and rocky, or was it down near the side of the lake?
Season: The time of year that the bird is seen is a very important thing to notice and to take into consideration. Look for the times when birds first arrive and when they leave. Did you see them in the winter, spring, summer, or fall? Are they permanent residents?
Food: When you walked through the pasture or through the park and saw a bird eating something, did you stop and try to discover what that food was? Was the bird eating berries, insects, seeds? How was this food secured?