Teachers' Leaflet. 595 



Facts for teacher. — The common water snake lives mostly upon frogs and 

 salamanders. It catches them by chasing them and seizing them in its jaws. It 

 has a very keen sense of smell and probably traces its prey in this manner some- 

 thing as a hound follows the fox. While it becomes very vicious when cornered 

 and Battening itself strikes fiercely, this is a bluff, as it has no poison and can 

 inflict only a slight and harndess wound. Give it a chance to escape and it will 

 flee to the water like " a streak of lightning," as the boys say. These snakes are 

 very local in their habits and each one chooses its own favorite place for sunning 

 itself. This may be a rock, or stone, or wharf, or rock ledge; once the place is 

 chosen the snake returns to it year after year on sunny days. The young are 

 born alive in August and September; the young snakes are pale gray with jet 

 black cross bands. The food of the water snake consists largely of fish, frogs, 

 toads, etc. However, it usually preys upon the less valuable fish, so it is of 

 little economic importance. 



References. — " The Reptile Book," Ditmars ; " Familiar Life in Field 

 and Forest," Mathews; "The Serpents of Pennsylvania," Surface; 

 Pennsylvania State Bulletin ; " Riki Tiki Tava " and " Kaa's Hunting," 

 Kipling. 



THE ONION. 



Every one knows the onion by sight, taste and smell. It is so 

 abundantly grown, it is so well liked by so many people, either for itself 

 or when lending its flavor to viands of duller taste, that no one is un- 

 acquainted with the bulb in its cured and marketable state. But few, 

 even of those who cultivate it would think of it as a lily, or that it is 

 closely related to the lovely " Stars of Bethlehem," which open their 

 pearly white or azure blossoms in the time of daffodils ; they and the 

 onions have the same " sirname," Allium. The onion is surely the most 

 useful of all the lily family. In the Bermuda Islands, where almost all 

 industry is absorbed in the cultivation of two lilies — the Easter lily and 

 the onion — the people would undoubtedly declare the greater part of 

 their prosperity to be due to the latter. 



LESSON LIV. 



THE BULB. 



Purpose. — To lead the pupils to observe the different parts of the 

 plant and their use in the preservation of its life. 



Material. — An onion on the desk of each pupil. 

 Observations by pupils. 



1. What is the shape of the bulb? 



2. Describe the color and texture of its outer envelope or skin. 



3. Where are the roots attached? What is their shape and are they 

 many or few? 



4. Remove one of the layers. Is it of uniform thickness? Describe 

 the veins on it. If any portion of the top has been left on the bulb note 

 whether the veins extend upward into the leaves. 



5. Are the layers tender and juicy or woody and rootlike? 



