NATURM. IIISToin 



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THE STAGE SETTI\(; (ECOLOGY) 



Preview. Ecology of a typical region • How to study ocolog>' • IMaiit 

 and animal associations • Basic environments : water as a factor ; tempera- 

 ture ; light as a factor ; chemical factors ; gravity as a factor ; substratum ; 

 molar agencies ; biotic factors • Life in the water • Life in the air • Life on 

 land • Suggested readings. 



PREVIEW 



"My heart is fixed firm and stable in the belief that ultimately the sun- 

 shine and the summer, the flowers and the azure sky, shall Ijecome, as it 

 were, interwoven into man's existence. He shall take from all their beauty 

 and enjoy their glory." — Richard Jefferies : The Life of the Fields. 



There is a lure in knowing something intimate about i)lant and 

 animal neighbors, their habits and the places where thoy live. A 

 trout fisherman finds almost as keen enjoyment in watching a king- 

 fisher make its catch as in having a trout take his own fly. Flic 

 banks, meadow\s, and woods along a trout stream are aliv'e with 

 interesting plants and animals. Even a slight acquaintance with 

 what may be expected along the path makes a hike througii the 

 forest and field immensely more worth while. An early morning 

 walk, if one knows a few permanent bird residents and can recognize 

 a migrant here and there, takes on an absorbing interest for tlie 

 observer. Such trips in the open are eventful experiences, the joy 

 of which is not easily forgotten. One may see the beauty of living 

 things, and enjoy the songs of birds and the gay colors of insects, or 

 get a thrill out of the sight of the first violet or bluebird, as he drinks 

 in the sweet odors of the flowery meadow. From the standpoint of 

 the more observant, another side than passive enjoyment of nature 

 is to be found. It is discovered in asking and trying to answer the 

 how and why of life aroimd us. 



Charles Elton has called the science of ecology "scientific natural 

 history." This deals with the occurrences and behavior of organ- 

 isms in a given habitat or home. Anyone who feels a genuine response 

 to the call from the natural environment surrounding him cammf 



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