Nature-Study at Quanset, 1921 



Mrs. E. A. W. Hammatt, 



Camp Quanset, Cape Cod 



Fresh wild flowers, each in its own receptacle, and each named 

 with the scientific and common name were kept in the camp 

 assembly hall. The leaves of onr common trees and shrubs were 

 preserved in the same way. Campers were eager to add to the 

 collection. 



The eight or nine small tables of girls were often divided into 

 two bands (some name always suggests itself for each party). 

 Each follows a trail leading back to camp, one going east, the 

 other west. At supper after the meal is finished, the tables name 

 their specimens; the honor goes to the group finding and naming 

 the larger number. Sometimes flowers, or leaves of trees or shrubs 

 are given out to the tables after supper to see which table has the 

 honor of naming the most. 



This sort of thing cultivates the seeing eye, but does it develop 

 a real love of nature ? It seems more like a mad scramble for the 

 most, a "grabbing," as it were. It is really not the "getting" 

 that we want most. It is the watching, the seeing, the learning 

 to draw an inference — the loving it all and getting a glimpse of its 

 inner meaning — that is of the greatest value to the young in the 

 study of nature. 



On the long stretch of smooth sand dunes on Nauset Beach, 

 across the bay, Quanset girls often watch the maze of footprints, 

 big, or tiny leading in and out among the sparse tufts of beach 

 grass, or over open spaces. This leads them to study the little 

 wild things of the dune and their search for food. Here a field 

 mouse scampered about looking for his breakfast. There a skunk 

 rooted for bugs, and again he sat on his haunches and devoured 

 his find. And here are bird tracks. What bird, and what did 

 he find? 



On their own beach they find a clay bed, and they wonder 

 (and they learn) how it came there. A well striated and polished 

 boulder too is found on their own beach. They learn what smooth- 

 ed and scratched it, and how it came there. The "cut" is a_low 



132 



