questions, not by reading ])ooks nor by guessing, but hv actual 

 observations ? 



1st. Why does tlie insect make a mine in the leaf? 



2d. liow long does the miner live in the leaf i 



3d. Why is one end of the mine larger than the other? 



•Jrth. Is the mature insect a fly or a moth ? 



5th. How does the mature insect escape from the mine ( Is the 

 hole through which it escapes in the upper or lower surface of the 

 leaf ? 



0th. Do you find similar mines in the leaves of other plants than 

 the nasturtium ? If so, press some of these leaves and send them 

 to lis. (To Uncle John.) 



7th. Make some drawino^s of the mines vou find in nasturtium 

 leaves and send them to us. 



The way to capture the adult insect is to find leaves containing 

 the living miners. Let these leaves remain on the plant and place 

 over each a little bag of cheese cloth or thin muslin, and tie the 

 mouth of the bag closely around the stem of the leaf. Thus when 

 the winged insect emerges, it is caught in the bag and cannot fly away. 



Send us any insects you have captured in this way. T^hey may 

 be put in a small pasteboard or wooden box and mailed to us. 

 Wrap the box securely in strong paper. You will not need to pro- 

 vide air holes, for there will be air enough iu the box. 



Questions 1, 8, -I, 5, 6, 7, may be answered this autumn. But 

 question 2 and possibly question 4 may be answered next summer. 



If the Junior Naturalists complete this study it will be the first 

 time the whole story of the nasturtium leaf miner has been told to 

 the world. ANNA BOTSFORD COMSTOCK. 



WHAT A YOUNG NATURALIST SAW. 



It requires a long time for young people to become close observers 

 but this is what you must do in order to make your work in nature- 

 study successful. Look carefully at the out-of-door things which 

 YOU most often meet, and make note of all that interests or puzzles 



437 



