palmer CHILDREN'S NATURE INTERESTS 25 



here. In this connection, it might be mentioned that apparently 

 the season at which the questions were written had considerable 

 to do with the nature of the questions. While the leaves were 

 falling, the most frequently asked questions were "Why do trees 

 shed their leaves?" and "What makes leaves change color?" 

 Later on these questions were not asked, but in their stead came 

 questions on meteorology such as "Why does the frost stay 

 longer on bridges than on the ground?" 



Inorganic nature claimed 5}% of the total number of questions 

 asked. 2|% dealt with geology and paleontology, 2% with 

 meteorology, and 1 of 1% with astronomy. 



Applied science in the form of agriculture laid claim to 4|% 

 of the grand totals, the questions being divided more or less 

 equally between gardening, dairy, farm crops and poultry. The 

 cow's cud seemed to be the basis for more questions in this group 

 than any other thing. 



Three and two-fifths percent of the total dealt with teaching 

 problems which were obviously asked by the teacher rather than 

 by the pupils. The remaining 1|% were of a highly miscel- 

 laneous nature. 



There are certain weaknesses in a statistical method such as 

 has been followed here. The chances are quite probable that 

 many of the teachers wrote down only those questions which they 

 themselves could not answer, or which they considered unusual. 

 If this was generally the case, it is obvious that the teachers need 

 further help in the field of zoology — particularly in entomology. 

 Help of this sort is forthcoming in a leaflet soon to appear. There 

 is also some danger in drawing conclusions when the numbers of 

 questions asked are not greater. The number represented ought 

 to give some clue as to what might be expected however. 



A further examination of the questions returned gives some 

 interesting light on the phases of the subjects considered which 

 seemed to be most commonly present. If we may judge some of 

 the books we lead we might expect that definitions, morphologies 

 and bits of taxonomy would be most important. Thirty-nine 

 and f % of all the questions asked however dealt with habits 

 and activities. Nineteen % were questions in taxonomy; 16f%, 

 in economy; 8%, teaching problems; 6f% physiology; h\% 

 miscellaneous; 3|%, ecology, 1|% definition; \\% mor- 



