grah-amJ NATURE-STUDY IN RURAL SCHOOLS 91 



"Spiders never use Hies well." How do they treat them? 

 Have you e\er watched a spider sitting quietly on his web? 



"The strange cat took the little kittens, one by one, and car- 

 ried them to the attic." How did the cat carry the kittens? 

 What other animal carries its young in the same way ? ( See 

 lesson, page 68, Mc Guffey's Eclectic Second Reader. What 

 other characteristics are common ? Such an exercise forms a 

 basis for a classification). 



"And they caught the little mousie, 

 Long time ago." 



Are kitty's claws always out of the soft paw ready to catch 

 or scratch? Are a dog's claws always out? 



"The kingbird eats flies, etc." Watch him fly from a fence- 

 stake or limb, out into the air and back. What is he doing? 



One might continue making abstracts from readers more 

 advanced, but they would only serve to emphasize the idea 

 already presented. 



Another feature of nature work is found in making reason- 

 able criticisms of statements. But this work can be carried on 

 to such a degree that children look for more that calls for unfav- 

 orable rather than for favorable criticism. A few examples will 

 suffice : 



"Cowslip, daisy, violet, 



In their leafy beds, 

 All among the grasses 



Hide their heavy heads." 



Do cowslips, daisies, and violets lie in leafy beds ? Do any 

 of these hide their heads ? 



"One fine day in July, she sent George to the woods ; * * * 

 While he hunted about the bank, he saw among the moss some 

 fine wild strawberries." Do strawberries ripen in Ohio in July? 

 Are they found among moss ? 



Another very interesting exercise is in making a study of 

 pictures to find out whether or not the artist drew them cor- 

 rectly. 



In one reader the spider's web is drawn in a way that the 

 web is shown to be made up of concentric circles. Is that 

 correct ? 



