TEXT BOOKS.—­The writers of the nature study text books are very much to blame because nine-tenths of the time this subject has been ignored.  The situation has not been taken seriously, save in a few cases, by a very few authors.  I am glad to report that in 1912 there was published a fine text book by Professor James W. Peabody, of the Morris High School, New York, and Dr. Arthur E. Hunt, in which from beginning to end the duty to protect wild life is strongly insisted upon.  It is entitled “Elementary Biology; Plants, Animals and Man.”

Hereafter, no zoological or nature study text book should be given a place in any school in America unless the author of it has done his full share in setting forth the duty of the young citizen toward wild life.  Were I a member of a board of education I would seek to establish and enforce this requirement.  To-day, any author who will presume to write a text book of nature study or zoology without knowing and doing his duty toward our vanishing fauna, is too ignorant of wild life and too careless of his duty toward it, to be accepted as a safe guide for the young.  The time for criminal indifference has gone by.  Hereafter, every one who is not for the preservation of wild life is against it and it is time to separate the sheep from the goats.

From this time forth, the preservation of our fauna should be regarded as a subject on which every candidate for a teacher’s certificate should undergo an examination before receiving authority to teach in a public school.  The candidate should be required to know why the preservation of birds is necessary; why the slaughter of wild life is wrong and criminal; the extent to which wild birds and mammals return to us and thrive under protection; why wild game is no longer a legitimate food supply; why wild game should not be sold, and why the feathers of wild birds (other than game birds) never should be used as millinery ornaments.

As sensible Americans, and somewhat boastful of our intelligence, we should put the education of the young in wild-life protection on a rational business basis.

STATE EFFORTS.—­In several of our states, systematic efforts to educate children in their duty toward wild life are already being made.  To this end, an annual “Bird Day” has been established for state-wide observance.  This splendid idea is now legally in force in the following states: 

California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Bird Day is also more or less regularly observed, though not legally provided for, in New York, Indiana, Colorado and Alabama, and locally in some cities of Pennsylvania.  Usually the observance of the day is combined with that of Arbor Day, and the date is fixed by proclamation of the Governor.

Alabama and Wisconsin regularly issue elaborate and beautiful Arbor and Bird Day annuals; and Illinois, and possibly other states, have issued very good publications of this character.