The Omaha Sunday
PAST THREE
EDITORIAL
FAGES ONE TO SIX
FART THREE
MAGAZINE
PAGES ONE TO SIX
Bee
VOL. XI. V XO. 411.
OMAHA. KtWIUY MOKNIMJ, MARCH 1!, 1910.
SIN'GLK COPY FIVE CENTS.
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.Boys
Build
Fine
douses for the Birds
If Our Feathered Friends Don't Flourish in Omaha it Won't Be for Lack of Homes
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Here Are a Few
Typical Exhibits
of the Boys in the
Different Public
Schools Where the
Making of Bird
Houses Has Com
manded Attention
JUT-
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THE city hall cat will be restrained on
Thursday, Friday and Satlfc-day, when
an exhibit of bird houses will be held
In the city council chamber in the city
hall. 'Some of the avian domiciles will be mounted
on trees and the scene will be further embellished
by stuffed specimens of birds.
Boys of the manual training departments or
thirty-five public schools have been working
assiduously for several months on theso houses.
There will be S60 houses In the exhibit. Miss
Helen Thompson, supervisor of manual training
in the schools, has charge of the work. She se
cured sample bouses and books on bird house
construction. City Commissioner Hiinimrl fur
nished the lumber and it was Mr. Hummel's sug
gestion in the first instance that the boys of the
schools make these houses for the public parks.
Incidental to the making of the houses the chil
dren of the schools have been given considerable
training in bird life, of the value of the birds and
of the practical side of building houses for differ
ent kinds of birds.
Parents and children will be invited to the ex
hibit, which will be free to all. After the exhibit
Is over, the houses will be turned over to Com
missioner Hummel for installation in the parks.
The boys have indicated on their houses their pre
ferred parks, so they may observe the occupancy
ot their handiwork from time to time.
Various materials were used In fashioning'
these houses. One boy tied himself to a larger boy
at Carter lake while he waded out to get reeds of
desired size, A few houses were cut of sections
of logs, others made of cans and others of wil
lows. Some are pretentious pleret of work.
This bird house feature of the school work
has served to stimulate the general interest in
birds and has proved beyond expectations of
school officials to have been a splendid educa
tional feature. President Ernst of the Board of
Education and V. A. Foster, one of the members,
are "bird men," and are much Interested In the
building of bird houses by the boys.
"I do hope the birds will appreciate these
houses, for the boys have worked hard," said Su
perintendent Graff.
Th boys at Comenius school were given a
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tree, which was cut down in u neighboring yard.
They cut the tree into blocks and hewed then
blocks into bird houses.
The members of the Poard of Kdiunt-n luive
been pleased with this bird house work. They
regard it as something more than the mere work
of making the houses. They consider it as au
ethical matter in connection with the school
training. They believe that any activity which in
spires boys and plrls to get out and tak an in
terest In nature is sure to make for better citizen
ship, to say nothing of the practical side of carlnp
for the birds.
When Commissioner Hummel shell have
placrd these houses in the parks It Is the Inten
tions of many of the teachers to have outings dur
ing the spring and early simmer for bird study
and observation. A group of experienced observers
of birds have seen as many as sixty varlctleR of
birds in the local parks in one day. It Is known
that about 400 kinds of birds of all kinds are se"n
In Nebraska within a year. Blue birds were seen
In Hanseom park last week and other birds are
beginning to migrate to this section for their sum
mer visit.
Pr. Bolon R. Towns, one of the bird authorities
of Nebraska, is interested In the efforts of Omaha
school children to provide houses for the feathered
residents of the parks. The doctor looks at this
subject from the practical at well as the ethical
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Comenius cSclool
side. He values the birds as weed destroyers, as
well as treo presorvers. "The woodpeckers,
ihlckadees, nut hatches and brown creepers work
all winter eating caterplllers. The chickadee has
been known to have 100 caterpillar eggs In its
( rop at 6 a. in.," said the doctor.
Puring u conversation the doctor said:
' The downy woodporker ha been referred to
by Knos Mllln as the tree surgeon, in that it goes
rll over the bark of a tree rfter tho chrysalis and
bores for grubs, particularly Into injured bark.
Mills has ' observed one downy woodpecker
visit "00 trees In one day. The hairy woodpecker
is similar except that it works deeper Into the
forest. The flicker Is fond of ants. It will take
several hundred ants from a lawn In short order
ii given the privilege.
"The chickadee, hairy and downy woodpecker,
flicker and red-headed woodpecker all build in
hollow trees, but will accept jblong boxes If built
similar to the nests they make In their own wav.
A promluont Herman iiaturullst set out a lot of
boxes and found that nine-tenths were occupied.
Caterpillars denuded a nearby forost but did not
molest his trees because of thp extensive bird life
he encouraged. The birds that work in our parks
during the winter may be favored by preparing
proper nests and encouragement by food supply.
If such attentions are given, the birds Immediately
lespond by becoming familiar with the neighbor
hood taking this care. This was brought out by
Krnest Harold Bayers of Merlden, N. II., who spokf
1 ere a week ago. He showed how his home town
has learned to get ulong without the English spar
row. "Aside from the winter birds I mentioned
there are perhaps twenty-five summer sonir birds
who build their nests here In thickets, and these
birds may be helped by promoting growth of
shrubbery and bringing the leaves and branches
of phruhs together In such a manner that these
I irds will be attracted. Catbirds and brown
thrashers, for Instance, never build nests in tres.
"The bird houses should not be painted whit
or highly colored, because the birds prefer their:
nests In places which haruionlzo with the sur
roundings; la other words, they do not want their,
rests to be conspicuous. We know that swallows!
like openings In barns and sheds, and that robins,
will build in a box if one side Is left open." '
The bird house campaign created such an in-,
terest at Comenius school that 150 boys and glrlsi
of the upper grades have formed a branch of theJ
Liberty Bell Bird league, an organization for th,
study and protection of birds. These member
have buttons and they Intend to go on field ex
peditions during the spring and summer. They,
will make bird houses for their homes and for the
friends of the school district. A collection of
twenty-five mounted birds Is used at the school
in connection with the nature studv work. Prin
cipal Orr is encouraging her children In this
tlvtty.
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