406 OUTDOOR RECREATION 



countless numbers of small bodies which are moving at a 

 speed almost one hundred times as swift as that of a rifle 

 bullet, but since there is no air, there is no resistance to 

 these bodies, and they cannot be seen. If any of them 



going at this rate of 

 speed reach the upper 

 air they become hot be- 

 cause of the friction and 

 soon begin to glow so 

 that they appear as ob- 

 jects which are on fire. 



A shooting star. g-^ ^ ^^ attracts 



them, they fall toward it, usually reaching the earth as dust. 

 Sometimes, however, a very large meteor plunges into the 

 earth, and when we dig it up, we find it to be a mass of 

 rock looking not unlike iron. 



Home and community, All through the book we have 

 tried to show how science touches pur everyday life. Only 

 a few of the many home pleasures have been suggested here, 

 for much of your pleasure will be had in the companionship 

 of others. Hiking, fishing, insect collecting, camping, 

 boating, and bathing are all pleasures that others must 

 share with you to be really fun. So we will leave the 

 discussion of these to your project making and to the later 

 treatment of community life. The purpose of the next book 

 will be to show you how intimately science is connected 

 with the lives of those who live together as citizens in the 

 community. It is hoped that the book just being finished 

 may help to make you better and more useful members 

 of your own family. The next book will help to make 

 you more useful and efficient citizens in your own com- 

 munity. 



