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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



and of assisting, if not being absolutely essential, in the processes of 

 digestion. 



To develop narrative skill we have introduced a game called caravan. 

 Beginning in one of the rooms of the upper grade, the teacher selects 

 three pupils especially interested in nature-play, each to describe some 

 animal from the course. The name of the creature is not to be given 

 by the narrator, but must be guessed by the others. Contrary to most 

 guessing games, the object is to have given such a lucid description 

 that the name of the animal will be guessed very soon. Then every one 

 is invited to add anything not mentioned, or to correct any misstate- 

 ments ; so that the descriptions may become the general contribution of 

 the room. By a majority vote the animal is selected to represent the 

 room in the caravan, and then in a similar manner the pupil who can 

 best describe the selected animal. Thus, the caravan starts on its way, 

 in each room, adding a new animal after those already in the caravan 

 have been described. The game proves an admirable review, in which 

 each participating mind is keenly stimulated by the spirit of competitive 

 play. 



When man first became superior to the other animals he used wea- 

 pons to kill them with. The vestige of that primitive struggle for 

 existence is found now in hunting, sometimes necessary for the supply 

 of food, but generally indulged in as a " sport." One summer day, 



A Geound Owl that Mistook a Rancho La Beea Pool of Tae foe Wateb. 

 Vegetation on bank reflected in pool. Copyright 1909 by J. Z. Gilbert and F. C. 

 Winter and reproduced by their permission. 



