30 THE NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [6:l-Jan.. 1910 



are typical of many other eastern states. It is a common plan 

 to restrict biological nature-study to the first six grades, which, 

 with 45 minutes per week would give 4 1-2 hours weekly 

 through all these grades combined. Little nature-study is gen- 

 erally taught during the winter, either on account of the diffi- 

 culty involved in securing material, or because the time is occu- 

 pied by physiology. This would take away about one-third 

 more of the time, leaving 3 hours weekly as the total time 

 devoted to biological nature-study in the grades. To the 

 course in high school biology, five periods of about fifty min- 

 utes each are generally given, making about 4 hours weekly. 

 Thus the time allowed for nature-study in all the grades is less 

 than the time given to the year's course in high school biology. 

 Other considerations to be taken into account in comparing 

 these two, are that the children in the grades are less mature, 

 averaging five years younger than in the first year of the high 

 school; the grade teacher is not so well prepared in this par- 

 ticular line as is the high school teacher, and is usually obliged 

 to provide her own material while the high school teacher 

 usually has hers provided by the city authorities. All of these 

 considerations point to the one conclusion, that under present 

 conditions much less can be accomplished in biological nature- 

 study throughout the grades than in the secondary course. 



This leads me to the point I wish to make finally, that too 

 much has been expected in the grades, and that one thing 

 needed is to simplify very materially our nature-study outlines 

 by reducing the amount required and including some of these 

 eliminated topics in the high school biology. So from another 

 approach I would reach the same conclusion as Prof. Hodge: 

 "Simplify, simplify, simplify." 



NATURE-STUDY NEWS 



A Last Effort to Find and Save from Extinction the 

 Passenger Pigeon — The following is quoted from a memoran- 

 dum read at the meeting of the American Ornithologists' Pin- 

 ion, Dec. 9, 1909. 



"Through the interest and generosity of Colonel Anthony 

 R. Kuser I am able to offer the following award : 



"THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($300.00) for first in- 

 formation of a nesting pair of wild passenger pigeons (Ectopis- 

 tes migratoria) UNDISTURBED. 



