THE A. A. IN SCHOOLS. 95 



When a wide-awake teacher takes hold of the mat- 

 ter, the most important results follow. 



About six months ago, Chapter 266 A. A. was organized in 

 connection with my school. We have succeeded wonderfully, both 

 in point of numbers and collections. We now number thirty-three, 

 and the prospects are that we shall soon have as many more. The 

 boys, some twenty or more, have over five hundred specimens, 

 consisting of fossils and insects. The girls, of whom we have 

 lately added a dozen, are busily engaged in gathering leaves, 

 roots, and seeds, and, when they make a report, we shall classify 

 them botanically. The whole neighborhood has been awakened 

 by the enthusiasm of the boys and girls. All this work is col- 

 lateral ; that is, no part of school-time is taken up. The County 

 Superintendent of Schools was so delighted with the idea, that he 

 has earnestly requested me to bring the matter before our County 

 Institute, the third week in December. The Institute numbers 

 six hundred teachers, and if this is done, the A. A., no doubt, will 

 spread in this county. 



T. G. JONES, St. Clair, Schuyl. Co., Pa. 



Another marked instance is that of Chapter 285, 

 Greenfield, Mass., as shown by this extract from the 

 Springfield Republican : 



"Principal Sanderson started a good deal of zeal among the 

 high-school pupils, some two years ago, in the study of natural 

 history, and as a result the natural history society was organized. 

 The work began in a small way in the collection of birds, plants, 

 and minerals, until the foundation has been laid for a permanent 

 museum. The society now has one large case of stuffed birds, 

 containing 150 well preserved specimens. These are mostly 

 native birds, caught and mounted by members of the society. 

 Several in this way have become quite expert taxidermists. The 

 society belongs to the Agassiz Association, and by exchanges has 

 added to some of the departments. The local organization is 

 made up of thirty-six members, who were ambitious enough, last 

 fall, to hire of the town the old brick house near the high-school 

 building, paying a rental of $150 a year. These youthful scien- 

 tific investigators want encouragement from the citizens at large, 

 and are going to ask the town, at its annual meeting, to contribute 

 the rent of this building. It would seem that the voters could 

 very properly encourage the young people in this way. As the 



