On Juvenile Museums. 413 



The sister of our juvenile botanist is 18 months younger 

 than he ; and, at the time he began his collection, was little 

 more than three years of age. Accustomed to imitate her 

 brother in most things, the little girl begged to have some 

 blotting-paper for her tiny specimens ; and accordingly she 

 liad some given her, of an octavo size, as more easily managed. 

 The reader will scarcely believe that the specimens, dried 

 without assistance, by this child of three years of age, would 

 not disgrace any herbarium in the empire; yet her little col- 

 lection, consisting of several hundred plants, native and culti- 

 vated, is in existence to prove the fact. 



These two children spent, and now spend, many a delighted 

 hour in examining, arranging, or adding to their little collec- 

 tions : thus gaining a practical acquaintance with the works of 

 nature, while other children are, to say the least, not so use- 

 fully or pleasantly employed. Out of doors, still more, their 

 collection employs them, in active search for specimens, in all 

 the fields within their reach. It is not to be supposed, how- 

 ever, that they could have done all this without being carefully 

 directed, and their attention turned to what appeared likely 

 to interest them : in this their mother was very assiduous ; 

 but as they have just been deprived of her by consumption, 

 they have now lost their chief guide in forming habits of 

 observation. 



It is proposed that they shall next begin little collections 

 of minerals and shells, as soon as appropriate boxes, drawers, 

 &c., shall be constructed for their reception. An account of 

 their proceedings in these departments, shall be furnished on 

 some future occasion, as it may serve to stimulate others to 

 follow their example. In the mean time, it may not be amiss 

 to mention one method of making boxes for shells, &c. 



Juvenile Cabinet for Shells. 



In one of Miss Edgeworth's delightful little books for young 

 people (I forget which), there is an account of a pasteboard 

 tray, furnished with divisions, fitted to hold shells, &c., ar- 

 ranged according to their genera and species. As this is pre- 

 cisely what young people want, to give them habits of order 

 and arrangement, such trays ought to be given them, or they 

 may (as in the case of Miss Edgeworth's young friends) be 

 taught to construct the trays themselves. The method of doing 

 this may be found in an excellent little work, lately translated 

 from the German, entitled the Art of working in Pasteboard, 

 which, with its companion volume, the Papyro-plastics, or the 

 Art of working in Paper .^ ought to be in the hands of all juve- 

 nile naturalists ; for, next to the pleasure of collecting in the 



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