no First Conference 



Good school museums are still very few and far 

 between. They should be encouraged by grants and 

 by offers of specimens which cannot be procured 

 locally. Arrangements might also be made by the 

 County Councils for the circulation of apparatus and 

 diagrams among groups of schools; but these must 

 always be supplemented by the use of the natural 

 objects found in the neighbourhood by the students 

 themselves. 



As regards secondary schools, I would suggest that, 

 besides providing them with gardens and museums, 

 the attention of the governing body should be 

 directed to the courses for " schools of science in 

 rural districts" prescribed by the government direc- 

 tory. These courses include most valuable practical 

 teaching, and might be made more popular than they 

 are, if the schools taking them were encouraged (as 

 is done, e.g., in Somerset) by the County Council sup- 

 plementing the government grants by special grants 

 for experimental plots and instruction in horticulture. 

 Apart from the general educational value of 

 "Nature-study", there are certain practical ends 

 which may well be kept in view by county organizers. 

 Take, for example, tJie protection of wild birds. This 

 cannot be secured merely by the passing of county 

 bye-laws and by the circulation of police notices. 

 Extraordinary ignorance of the appearance, names, 

 and habits of wild birds prevails in the rural as well 

 as in the urban districts. County Councils might 

 properly attempt to remove some of this ignorance 

 by holding classes at convenient centres, to which 

 farmers and gamekeepers should be especially invited. 

 No less practical an end is the prevention of the 



