pany reproductive activity in the bird life should be kept
ever prominent,--the affection between the parents, their care and love
for each other, the care and love for the helpless young, their
happiness in this duty as shown in their song and bright colors. Unlike
the fish and the frog, the bird cannot develop unless the egg is kept
warm, and after it hatches the young bird cannot take care of itself for
several weeks. It must be carefully nurtured, and finally even taught
how to fly and find its food.

The maternal hen can be a treasure to the mother seeking to impress the
lesson of love and care; the only defect is the indifference of the
father, which is in marked contrast to the interest shown by other
birds, though there are many proofs that the cock is not without
parental love, as where young chicks have been abandoned he has been
known to rear them.

The love of both the birds for their helpless young, and their devotion
to each other, can be impressed on the young mind in many a picture of
beauty. Many birds pair for life, returning to the same nest year after
year. Nor should the instruction fail to impress upon the young mind the
advance of love and tenderness on the parent for the offspring as we
ascend the scale of life. The flowers, the fishes, the frogs, entrust
their offspring to the care of Mother Nature; the birds cannot do this.
The mother and the father of the helpless little creatures take deep joy
in sacrificing their own freedom and strength and time to this loving
duty. A bird will even lose its life for its young, trying to drive off
an enemy; and every one knows how dangerous it is to approach the nest
of any large bird, eagles and even cranes sometimes killing men and boys
who try to rob them of their young.

The plumage of birds is a pretty subject of study. The wonderful way in
which feathers are adapted to their use, in keeping the bird warm
without greatly increasing its weight or impeding its flight, may be
made very interesting; also their beauty both of structure and color,
and the fact that at maturity the plumage often undergoes remarkable
changes. Young birds are colored like the mother. The brilliant male of
the Baltimore oriole gets his bright dress at maturity, but until that
time he is as soberly clad as his quiet little mother.

The inheritance of the young bird from its father should be enlarged
upon. At the beginning, though the male birds resemble the mother in
appearan