Miss Gurney's Address 225 



Perfection of Life in Plants, by Miss Hibbert-Ware 

 of the Clergy Orphan School, Bushey, containing a 

 consecutive plant history, with illustrations on every 

 page; also the Life Histories of Plants and Animals 

 from the Streatham Church School, &c. I will further 

 mention the schemes of two schools. 



At Clapham High School Nature-study (including 

 object and other lessons given in class hours) is in 

 the hands of the science mistress, with a mistress 

 trained at Swanley College. 



The children learn all the branches of practical 

 gardening, with bee-keeping, and they select plants, 

 or such living creatures as gold-fish, for care in their 

 class-rooms. 



They have a meteorological hut in the garden, 

 and keep weather charts from readings taken there 

 daily: I, maximum and minimum temperature; 2, wet 

 and dry bulb; 3, hygrometer; 4, barometer; 5, rain- 

 fall ; 6, wind. 



They watch the growth of plants in the garden, 

 and draw the various stages of budding, in the same 

 branch of an apple-tree, dated April 3rd, nth, i/th, 

 22nd, and 2Qth. They keep Nature -diaries, and 

 record their observations, as the eclipse of the moon 

 at various hours, and the first sight of a bird or 

 flower. 



Nature-sheets are hung in their class-rooms, and 

 they write down and sign there any daily remarks, 

 such as "All rose-trees (except Allen-Richardson's) 

 are budding", "A fossilized insect has been dug up 

 in Streatham ", " Blackbirds and thrushes are begin- 

 ning to sing". 



At Streatham Hill High School there is a Nature- 



