NATURE PLAY IN LOS ANGELES CITY SCHOOLS 



377 



the same spirit that they do play. On one occasion the goal seemed 

 near, when a child said, "Don't you like this better'n teaching 

 school?" 



With the fifty-six schools that had field lessons during the 

 autumn, the emphasis was put upon the edible and poisonous 

 plants we found; the mallow, the watercress, radish and the 

 Jimson-weed, poison-oak, etc. Snakes and lizards, grasshoppers 

 and butterflies were found on most of the excursions and fre- 

 quently the trapdoor spiders, tarantulas, scorpions, and centi- 



They have found the Spider's trap door 



pedes. Except with the snakes and lizards we saved specimens 

 in our cyanide jar for the Nature-Study Museum, which we are 

 endeavoring to establish in each school. In fact, all new buildings 

 are having installed a Nature and Agriculture room combined, in 

 which all such work of the school can be carried on. 



The boys and gills having the field work during the Spring, are 

 fortunate in enjoying the beautiful CaliJornia wild flowers, and the 

 many species of birds. In our park visits, some classes have found 

 as many as twelve different species of birds and have been charmed 

 with their songs. They have followed the gregarious cedar- wax- 

 wings from tree to tree, studying the markings from the crest on 

 the head to the flaming tips of wax on the wings. Other groups, 



