Animals. 97 



In arranging the bones one of the boys took a humerus 

 and tried to fit the ball at its upper end into the socket of 

 the hip-bone. He came to me and said, " These bones do 

 not fit." He was quite sure that he had a femur instead of 

 a humerus. On being told to hunt again he went to work, 

 and at length found the shoulder-blade. This taught them 

 that we are not made haphazard. There is method in the 

 way in which bone is joined to bone. The child who 

 catches a glimpse of the plan of the Creator in the structure 

 of animals has caught something worthy to be treasured in 

 his mind and heart. 



The accompanying drawings were made by pupils of 

 seventh and eighth grades, from work with bones actually 

 prepared by the children themselves. 



BONES. V. 

 FOR HIGHER GRADES. 



In the preceding articles on this theme bones have been 

 studied by putting them into the hands of the children^ and 

 by requiring a careful study of each bone, its shape, size, 

 structure, and adaptation to the purpose for which it was 

 intended. The lowest pupils strung them like beads, or 

 glued them to cards, putting together the feet and wings of 

 animals. The chicken foot and wing, the simplest struc- 

 tures of this kind, were prepared by lowest primary or 

 second-year pupils. Much composition, language, and 

 number-work was based upon them. 



The second step was with the foot of the sheep, and later 

 still the pig's foot. Here again the work was made a basis 

 for language, number, and composition, and the manufac- 

 ture of their own drills gave manual training of a practical 

 character. 



The third step, rather more difficult, consisted in more 

 especial work on skulls, noticeably those of larger animals, 

 where the sutures are marked, and it was advised that these 

 bones be painted with enamel paints so as to bring out their 



