guyek] THE QUESTION OF METHOD IN NATURE-STUDY 233 



5. To what' diseases is it subject? Can it convey these or other 

 diseases to man ? 



c. Adjustment to Physical Surroundings. 



1. Where does it live (geographical locality; ground; water; 

 leaves, roots, or stems of plants; etc.) ? 



2 . How is it fitted in general form and in the special conformation 

 of its organs to its place of abode ? Cf., Locomotion and Sensation, 3 

 and 4 under 1, a. 



3. How is it protected against extremes of temperature, moisture 

 or drought ? Where does it go in winter ? In foul weather ? 



II. TO CARE FOR OFFSPRING 



1. Is the animal an egg-laying form or are the young born alive? 

 If an egg-laying form, where and how does it deposit its eggs? 



2. How are the young nourished? What provision is made for 

 their safety ? To what extent are they taught by their parents ? Cf., 

 also 3 and 4 under 1, b. 



3. How long does the animal live? What length of time are the 

 young in maturing ? 



4. Do the young undergo a pronounced change in form (metamor- 

 phosis) while developing into the adult, or do they principally increase 

 in size? 



5. Is there rivalry for mates (battle, song, parade of cleverness or 

 of color) ? 



6. (What changes have come about during the ancestry of the 

 race ? Were they advantageous ? To be omitted for children) . 



Plants 

 As regards plants, it is evident that the same general synopsis 

 will answer, for the business of plants is the same as that of animals. 

 While the same problems confront plants, the solutions of these 

 problems are largely by different processes. 



The Business of Plants 

 i. to care for themselves 



a. Food. Most plants (e. g., tree) get food from the air (hence leaves) 

 and earih (hence roots); consequently the adaptations of plants must 

 differ from those of animals. 



1. No organs of locomotion ordinarily, because food surrounds 

 plant. 



2. No organs of special sense (eyes, ears, etc.) because it is un- 

 necessary for plants to get information of objects at a distance. 



3. Besides getting food-stuffs, the green plant must make its 

 own food, hence the presence of special machinery ("leaf-green") and 

 devices for arrangement of the same. 



