324 Junior Naturalist Monthly. 



by moonlight or when the stars first begin to twinkle through the 

 open spaces in its branches. You will soon learn to enjoy the 

 leafless trees. 



In Fig. 13 you will see a tree as it looks in winter. Notice how 

 the branches spread. Notice, too, the long, deep furrows in the 

 bark. What tree is it? 



SUGGESTIONS FOR THE STUDY OF TREES IN WINTER. 



If you do not know the name of the tree you have chosen for study, I hope you 

 will not ask anyone to tell you. In your note-books write everything that you 

 can learn about it now. Sometime during the year the leaves or fruit may tell 

 you the name. 



2. Compare the tree you are studying with some other tree near. How does 

 it differ in size, in shape, in the number of branches and twigs? 



3. A woodman can recognize a tree by its bark. Write in your note-books four 

 facts that you have learned from the study of the bark on your tree. What is 

 its color? Are the furrows deep or shallow? Are they long or short? Do they 

 extend in regular or in irregular lines? It may be that the bark is smooth. How 

 many trees do you find near your home that have smooth bark? 



4. Tell us whether there are buds on your tree. If there are, describe them. 

 How are they placed on the branches, opposite or in some other way? How are 

 the buds covered or protected? 



BRIGHT BERRIES IN WINTER. 



A short time ago I visited a Junior Naturalist Club and found 

 the children studying five kinds of berries that had been gathered 

 on the way to school: — barberry, Virginia creeper, bittersweet, 

 false or climbing bittersweet and partridge berry. 



The lesson was a silent one. Each child had a single specimen 

 and was writing his observations. On the blackboard were a few 

 helpful suggestions as follows: — 



1. Where have you seen the berries growing? Did you find the specimen on a 

 tree, a shrub, or a vine? 



2. What is the color of the berries? How many colors can you find on stem 

 and fruit? 



3. What is the size and shape of the berries? 



4. How many seeds do you find in one berry? 



5. As you go home from school this afternoon, where will you look for the 

 plant on which your berries grew; in a garden, in a field, or along the roadside? 



When the children had finished their study of the specimens, I 

 asked them to tell me what they had written. Here is a copy of 

 one of the papers, prepared by a girl about ten years of age: — 



" This berry is a partridge berry. It grows on a sort of vine with 

 leaves all growing up the stem. It is good to eat but it don't taste 



