Teachers' Leaflet. 



585 



References. — " Everyday Butterflies," Scudder ; " Manual for the 

 Study of Insects," Comstock, p. 73 ; Cornell Home Nature-Study Leaf- 

 lets, No. 3, 1905; "How to Know the Butterflies," Comstock, p. 16; 

 " Nature-Study in Elementary Schools," Wilson ; " Nature-Study and 

 the Child," Scott, pp. 434-435. 



THE COW. 



Preliminary Work. — The fact that our milk, butter and cheese as well! as our 

 beef are all provided by the cow, is sufficient to make the pupil interested m this 

 useful animal. But 

 all of these useful 

 products hardly ap- 

 peal to the imagina- 

 tion of the child ac- 

 customed to the do- 

 mesticated animal. 

 Probably the subject 

 will be far more in- 

 teresting if taken up 

 in another phase, — 

 ihat of regarding the 

 horned cattle as wild 

 animals, and trying 

 to understand their 

 physical adaptations 

 for leading successful 

 lives in droves on the 

 great plains. There- 

 fore, it will be well 

 to begin this work with stories of buffaloes and wild cattle. Interesting stories of 

 this kind are found in " Neighbors with Claws and Hoofs," pp. 171-181 ; also the 

 exciting story of Shere Khan in "The Jungle Book," by Kipling; The Alien of 

 the Wild in "Watchers of the Trail;" also "A Country Reader," p. 2,7- Bring 

 out the point that wild cattle ranging the plains have for their chief enemies the 

 wolves. When attacked by a pack they place the calves in the center, while the 

 cows and bulls form a circle with heads out and horns ready and no possible chance 

 for a rear attack. The teacher of resource might be able to suggest a play called 

 "Wolves and Cattle," which would be \ev\ interesting. If the pupils are from the 

 farm they will know that in many instances if a calf is born in the field the: cow 

 will hide it and the calf will never stir until an attempt is made to seize it. Bring 

 out the fact that this habit is of great use to a cow in the wild state, when it is 

 necessary for her to go ofl and graze in order to get sustenance enough for her calf. 



LESSON CLV. 



THE PHYSICAL ADAPTATIONS OF TIORNED-CATTLE. 



Purpose— To call the attention of the pupils to those characteristics 

 of cattle, which enable them to get their living and repel their enemies 

 in the wild state. 



A good dairy cow. 



