156 THE NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [ 2:s may, 1906 



that blissful peace of mind which is so often associated with the idea 

 of a finished product. Commonplace objects, however, take on a 

 new significance when the arrangement adapts them to a definite use, 

 and this has been a helpful incentive in the effort to utilize old 

 material. In working out the collections for the Children's Museum 

 therefore, the aims have been: 



r. To employ objects attractive and interesting to children and at 

 the same time helpful to teachers in every branch of nature-study. 



2. To secure an arrangement at once pleasing t . the eye and 

 expressive of a fundamental truth. 



3. To avoid confusion from the use of too many specimens and 

 the consequent crowding in cases. 



4. To label with brief descriptions expressed in simple language 

 and printed in clear, readable type. 



A description of the contents of every collection would exceed the 

 limits of this paper, although brief reference to those features which 

 illustrate the scope and character of exhibition material, will throw 

 light on the educational methods followed. 



The zoological type collection, for example, with its synoptic series 

 extending from the Protozoa (represented by drawings) to man. 

 presents in objective form those elementary ideas of evolution at 

 once fascinating to children and helpful to older students with 

 zoological training. 



In the bird room where the young visitor may see the more common 

 song, water and game birds of Long Island, he finds also a large 

 case filled with the " Birds We Read About" in song and story- 

 such as the albatross, cassowary, condor and peacock, — the labels 

 bearing quotations from famous literary works. 



The botanical collection planned especially with reference to high- 

 school visitors is limited to the display of models, pictures and speci- 

 mens supplementary to high-school courses of study. 



The mineral collection not only attempts to familiarize the visitor 

 with the more common minerals and rocks, but it also sets forth some 

 of their uses. For example, with the quarried graphite, lead pencils 

 are shown in progressive stages of manufacture; likewise specimens 

 of marbles are accompanied by photographs of quarries, of men chipp- 

 ing and carving monuments and of buildings constructed of marble. 

 In the insect collection, the synoptic arrangement of typical insects 

 answers the questions of many a high-school pupil confused in his 

 classification. The young collector finds common Long Island insects, 



