^7^2 Home Nature-Study Course. 



(2). Find a small spider on a bush, fence post, or at the top of some 

 tall grass stalk; watch it until it begins to spin out its thread. 



(3). What happens to the thread as it is spun out? 



(4). If the thread does not become entangled in any surrounding 

 object, what happens? 



(5). If the thread does become entangled, what happens? 



(6). How far do you suppose that a spider can travel on this silken 

 aeroplane ? 



(7). Why should the young spider wish to travel? 



Facts for the Teacher. — We have a photograph of a plowed field taken in autumn 

 which looks like the waves of a lake ; so completely is the ground covered with 

 spider threads that it shows the path of the sun like water. When we see so many 

 of these random threads it is a sign that the young spiders have started on their 

 travels and it is not difficult then to find one in the. act. The spiderling climbs to 

 some tall object, like a twig or on top of the grass and sends out this thread of 

 silk upon the air. If this thread becomes entangled the spiderling sometimes walks 

 off on it, using it as a bridge or sometimes it begins again. If the thread does 

 not become entangled with any object there is enough given off soon so that the 

 force of the air current on it supports the weight of the body of the little creature, 

 which promptly lets go its hold of earth as soon as it feels safely buoyed up and 

 off it floats to lands unknown. Spiders thus sailing through the air have been 

 discovered in mid ocean. This is simply the spider method of distributing its 

 species. 



References. — "American Spiders," Emerton ; " Manual for the Study 

 of Insects," Comstock ; " Insect Stories," Kellogg. 



.THE MOON. 



The study of the moon is in more than one sense an illumining ex- 

 perience for the beginner in physical geography. The child cannot see 

 air, and it is, therefore, difficult for him to realize that it is present; 

 and although he sees water everywhere, yet it is difficult for him to 

 realize what water does for the life of our world. But the moon reminds 

 the child anew every month of a world which has neither air nor water, 

 and in realizing the conditions of the moon world he can realize better 

 what air and water do for us and our earth. This lesson should be used 

 after some of the simple experiments in physics, showing that air refracts 

 light and carries sound, etc. However, the lesson may be given simply 

 to set the child to thinking and reasoning. The questions should be 

 given several days in advance of the lesson, and the lesson itself should 

 be a discussion, the more informal the better, between pupils and teacher. 



As a preliminary it would be well to tell the pupils that by the aid of 

 the telescope astronomers have studied carefully the surface of the moon 



