370 Junior Naturalist Monthly. 



The important points to remember are, that the soil is made up of a very 

 great number of particles of different sizes, with small spaces between 

 the particles as there are in a pile of brick or stone, and that there is every 

 imaginable mixture of these particles. The soil down by the creek may 

 be very different from that on the hill. 



Questions on Soils 



1. How many kinds of particles can you find in a handful of soil? 



2. Put a little soil on a hot stove. Does any of it burn? Docs the color 

 change any? How? 



3. You like to play in clean white sand and you remember it is made up of 

 an innumerable lot of little particles — grains, you might call them. Can you find 

 any of these sand particles in the soil from the garden? 



4. Did you ever notice the fine sparkle of some soils? What colors are there? 



5. How many different sizes of particles can you see? 



6. What is the shape of some of these little particles? Are they shaped any- 

 thing like the boulders you have seen at the gravel pit or on the stone pile? 



7. How many different kinds of soil do you know, such as sand, claj', etc.? 



8. When you washed the different sized particles from the soil, did you find 

 it as good as making mud pies ? 



Note. — Many Junior Naturalists collected samples of soil in October. This 

 lesson will give them an opportunity to do some experimental tvork zcith the soils. 



SOMETHING ABOUT MICE 



In my office there is a little hotise mottsc as friendly and as much at 

 home there as if it were his own abiding place, and such he has made it. 

 He comes in and plays about my chair, runs across my desk, and in 

 general keeps in touch with what is going on about Idm. 



Now I do not thiid< that we can permit mice to live in our homes and 

 I am sure that the good housekeeper is right when she refuses to share her 

 house with them. I do think, however, that the yoimg naturalist can learn 

 much from the study of house mice and field mice, and this is a good time 

 to begin. The true naturalist will always find out for himself the animal 

 life that is useful and that which is harmful. This can be done only by 

 patient and careful study. Here are a few questions that will help you : 



Are there mice in your home? Wliere do they live? What do they 

 eat? When do they come out to find food? What harm do they do? 

 Have you found them of use in any way? Of what do they make their 

 nests ? 



