196 The Field Naturalist's Quarterly August 



Last year several instances were given in these columns 

 of the adder having been observed swimming in water, 

 notably one by Mr. Eagle Clarke. It may interest some of 

 our readers to know that a few weeks ago the editor of the 

 F. N. Q. encountered an adder on a stone in the water some 

 six feet from the bank of a river in the Highlands of Scot- 

 land, and secured a snap-shot photograph of it as it took to 

 the water. The photo was, however, much underexposed, 

 and though showing the reptile distinctly, will not repro- 

 duce well unless intensified. Should this process render it 

 more satisfactory, we hope to reproduce it in an early issue. 



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The editor would be grateful if any field naturalists who 

 are in a position to give him information on the lizards of 

 their own district would do so. The information par- 

 ticularly wanted is the relative frequency of the slow-worm 

 and the common viviparous lizard, or whether they are 

 absent. 



The Place of "Nature Study" in 

 Education. 



By R. Hedger Wallace. 



I 

 " NATURE study," in the sense of fostering a loving study 

 of nature, has of late been so frequently advocated, that 

 it may not be out of place if the attention of all interested 

 be now drawn to the problem — How can children be 

 induced to take this very desirable interest in nature during 

 their school life ? Emerson has written "that the best pai't 

 of a boys schooling is that which he gets on his way to and 

 from school" and we take it that it will be admitted that 

 this schooling he obtains simply through satisfying his 

 natural nature hunger. It is a purely voluntary act, and 

 in this fact, perhaps, lies the secret of success, so that 

 when any form of nature teaching is taken up by the 

 teacher, it follows that his main object should be to find for 



