A Guide for the Study of Animals Part 45

4. Discuss the temperature of birds, the amount of energy they show, and the oxygen they use.

5. Beaks of birds.

6. Feet of birds.

7. The crop and gizzard. Why absent in many birds?

8. What is there in a bird's construction which enables it to twist its head so far around? What are the advantages in being able to do so?

9. Account for the oiliness of plumage of water birds; for the complete feathering of legs and feet in some forms.

10. Define moulting and discuss its advantages and disadvantages.

11. Give reasons why you would not expect a bird to hibernate.

12. Name two or more kinds of birds which show "recognition marks."

What sort of birds would you expect to find with such marks? Why?

13. Is a bird's egg alive when it is laid? Why does it have so much food stored in it? What direct interest have we in this fact?

14. How are the eggs of various birds protected while they are developing?

_Note._--Do not be satisfied with only one way. A bird seldom is.

15. Compare praecocial and altricial birds as to their stage of development when hatched; the location and character of the nest; the care given by the parents; the singing habit of the parents; the success of the type.

16. Name at least three insect-eating birds and tell how many insects it is estimated each will destroy in a day. Effect in a garden?

17. If you had an orchard to protect from insects would you spray it with poison, or would you police it with birds?

_Note._--Consider both sides. There is much to be said on each.

If you decided that you needed more birds, how would you get them?

18. Suppose you had a city lot in the suburbs, 50 feet wide by 200 feet deep, with a house covering the first 50 feet. Make a plan of the back yard to show what you could do to attract the birds to it in the summer; in the winter. Remember that birds must have protection against enemies as well as against changes in weather, etc.

19. For what purposes are birds killed by man? Which of these do you consider legitimate? Which birds may not legally be killed at any time of the year in this state? Which may at certain seasons? Which may at any time? When should an "open season" be permitted? How long should it last?

20. Give a short biography of Audubon. Describe the purpose of the Audubon Society and some of the work accomplished by it.

21. When were the house sparrows, or, as we call them, the English sparrows, introduced into this country? Where? Why? Have they proved a success from our standpoint? From their own? Why have they increased so enormously? What part of the country is still free from them? Why? Give the reasons for and the methods of fighting English sparrows.

22. The history of the pa.s.senger pigeon.

23. What has the quail or bobwhite to do with our food supply?

24. Poultry keeping.

25. Name three bird magazines and give a characteristic of each one.

26. Fossil birds and the light they shed on the probable ancestry of birds.

Study of the Migration of Animals in General

The migration of birds is only one case of a phenomenon which is comparatively common. From your text and reference books find other examples of migration. What are the causes which make animals migrate? What methods do various animals use? What are some results of these migrations? Summarize your study in the following thesis:--

_The distribution of animals._

1. The necessity for this distribution.

2. Methods of distribution--voluntary--involuntary.

_Note._--See in review the methods used to spread corals, hydroids, and other sedentary forms, starfish, clams, etc., as well as those used by the various vertebrates.

3. Time when migration occurs. Consider here the young of most animals, and the movements of many birds, as well as movements caused by some accidental occurrence.

4. Distance that animals move from the place of their birth.

5. Factors which determine the routes of distribution.

6. Factors which limit distribution.

_Migration maps._

1. A map to show the migration route of the birds of your region.

2. A map to show the migration of the potato beetle (or English sparrow or any other animal the extension of whose range has been studied).

3. A map of the world, showing the zonal areas.

4. A map of North America, showing the distribution of the ungulates, with the boundaries and barriers marked.

5. A map of North America, showing the distribution of the fur-bearing animals.

6. A map of the world, showing the distribution of the human races.

#E. STUDIES OF MAMMALS#

#To ill.u.s.trate Man's Relation to Other Animals; the Connection between Mode of Life and Structure#

The Rabbit