748 



NATURE 



[June io, 1922 



what is generally implied by " nature study." He is 

 perfectly capable of appreciating the elementary 

 conceptions of anatomy and physiology. He is, 

 moreover, fully aUve to questions of sex, and is 

 ready to assimilate a clean scientific view of its 

 meaning. Personally I should find it very difficult 

 to teach either botany or zoology apart from one 

 another to these young boys. 



Botany may be offered as a subject both for the 

 Lower and School Certificates ; but there is no 

 indication from higher authority as to what should be 

 included in a course of zoology for boys of this 

 standard. It has been necessary, therefore, to sub- 

 stitute special syllabuses in biology of our own 

 making, in order to enforce the inclusion of zoology 

 in the examinations. Two examples are quoted 

 below of the zoological content of biological syllabuses 

 for the Lower Certificate : 



A. Boys of 14^-151, working four hours a week for 

 three terms. 



Elementary outUnes of anatomy of following : 

 Earthworm, Frog, Rabbit. 



Prevention and destruction of insect pests, Elaters 

 (wire worms), Tipulidae (leather jacket), Aphididae 

 (woolly aphis). 



Special scheme of Research Work. 



(a) British Bird Life : (i.) Embryology ; (ii.) 

 General Anatomy of Birds. The mounting 

 of specimens, examination of beaks and crops 

 in connection with cultivation. 



(6) Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera. 



(c) Anatomy of Farm Animals. 



(<^) Diseases of Animals ; Blood. 



\e) Insect Pests of English Fruit Trees. 



One group only has been taken by any boy. Special 

 work has been done by the whole form in preparation 

 of charts, recording agricultural operations, bird life, 

 etc., during the different seasons, and meteorological 

 observations taken daily. 



B. Boys of 14-15, working two hours a week for 

 three terms. 



A general knowledge of the Natural History of 

 animals, with special reference to British forms 

 {e.g. Rabbit, Pigeon, Frog, Snail, Butterfly, Spider). 

 The study of pond life. 



The general facts of fertilisation, and embryology 

 of the frog and chick. 



Use of the microscope for the study of Protozoa 

 and Crustacea, also for parts of higher animals 

 {e.g. scale of fish, feather, squamous epithelium frorn 

 human cheek). 



A general idea of organic evolution. 



The above syllabuses, and others of a similar 

 nature, have been successfully carried out. They 

 are, however, open to criticism as not being suitable 

 for wide application, especially in schools where 

 monetary considerations constitute a hmiting factor. 

 In the absence of a recognised syllabus for a first 

 introduction to zoology, and with a view of showing 

 how the subject can usefully be introduced in any 

 school, the writer has prepared a small text-book, 

 the zoological syllabus of which is as follows : 



Frog — External features, mode of life, respiration, 

 alimentation. Development ; breeding, segmenta- 

 tion, tadpole life, metamorphosis. 



Earthworm — Habitat, mode of life, external features, 

 general dissection, reproduction, soil action. 



Fishes — Dogfish and Cod ; habitat, mode of life, 

 external features, development. Scales as a 

 means of age-determination. 



Arthropods — Crayfish, Bluebottle Fly, Garden 

 Spider ; habits, external features, life-cycle. 



NO. 2745, VOL. 109] 



Comparative table and summary of leading 

 characteristics of each class. 



Insect Pests — (An introduction to economic zoology.) 

 Cabbage White Butterfly, Winter Moth, Cock- 

 chafer, Bean Weevil, Chck Beetle (wireworm). 

 Bean Aphis, Crane-fly (leather jacket), Larch 

 Saw-fly. 



Skeleton of the Vertebrate Fore-limb — Perch, Frog, 

 Pigeon, and Rabbit. Comparative table. 



Elementary conceptions of Variation and Heredity. 

 Evolution. 



The Microscope — Its use ; suitable objects for observa- 

 tion. The nature of living matter ; the cell. 

 (For schools where the microscope is available.) 



This syllabus is in close accordance with the 

 general scope of teaching advocated by the British 

 Association Committee, but is so condensed as to be 

 covered by one hour's work a week throughout one 

 school year. Types which, either through their 

 Umited distribution or their expense, may be difficult 

 to obtain have been omitted ; it is fatal to begin the 

 study of zoology from a book instead of from an 

 animal. 



Finally, although a precise syllabus is necessary 

 for the successful prosecution of class work during 

 school hours, the best interests of zoology will never 

 be served by that means alone. The museum and 

 the aquarium must be going concerns, continually 

 renewed and augmented by voluntary laboiir cheer- 

 fully given out of play-hours. 



E. W. Shann. 



The School, Oundle, Mav 16. 



Every teacher of biology in public schools will 

 naturally welcome both the original memorandum 

 of the British Association and also the article signed 

 F. K. in Nature of May 13, p. 628. The greatest 

 difficulty in the teaching of biology at public schools 

 at the present time is the position of the teacher. 

 Unlike the teacher of so many other subjects the 

 biologist is not turned out more or less a master 

 of his subject, but is just in a position to begin to 

 learn it, and the subject or subjects are so vast 

 that if he is to do his work conscientiously he has a 

 life's task before him. Of course this is more or less 

 true of every other subject, but I think I am not 

 in serious error when I say that a man with a good 

 classical degree probably finds himself sufficiently 

 well equipped to cope with the really intelligent 

 boys of the upper sixth of the average public school. 



So vast is the subject of biology, however, that 

 the teacher cannot hope to cope with the really 

 clever boy unless he is a real student of his subject, 

 and even then of course his influence is that of a 

 slightly superior but at the same time a fellow 

 student, and not that of a master. 



The teacher of biology, if he is to carry on his work 

 successfully, must have an average knowledge of a 

 great deal besides his text-book of botany or zoology. 

 He must have a practical working knowledge of 

 microscopy, pond-life, marine biology, field botany, 

 including a reasonable knowledge of mosses, lichens, 

 rusts, and other fungi. One knows, of course, that 

 the mind of the average schoolboy is somewhat 

 limited, but there are always a few that are capable 

 of doing really good work, and for such boys the 

 position of the master must be either one of sup- 

 pression or that of a fellow-student, and one is 

 seriously led to think that too often the work of the 

 teacher is an act of suppression. 



