1898.] ESSAYS. 69 



He could know the coddling moth and the l)est thing to do with 

 respect to it, the tent catcrpilhirs, the canker worms, cut worms, 

 ajihids, rose beetles, our flies and mosquitos and a host of 

 others. He could learn about them without going outside 

 of the city limits, by simply seeing what is going on in his 

 own back yard. This work belongs equally to the Natural 

 History Society, and I am happy to see that it is being taken up 

 by that organization. In planning work of this sort, we must 

 remember that the school courses are already being over- 

 crowded. This is a point we must take into careful considera- 

 tion. It is, however, a good thing; for we are under the 

 obligation, whenever we attempt to add anything to school work, 

 to make it a thing so good that the people will be glad to let 

 something be dropped which is not so good in the school course 

 that this may be taken up. In this way, only the best possible 

 lines of work for the children can be introduced into the 

 schools. 



As I say, the Natural History Society has taken up this mat- 

 ter, especially for the study of insects and birds, and it is to be 

 hoped that a great deal can be done in this line. Boxes and 

 cases have been provided by the Natural History Society. 

 These will be left in the different schools where teachers desire 

 to take this up as a part of their nature work. The children are 

 to be encouraged, and they are anxious to do this kind of work, 

 to collect insects, bring them in, and they may be allowed to 

 spend some of the time after their other lessons are learned in 

 preparation of these cases, in the mounting of the insects and 

 the study of live insects in cages, feeding upon the leaves of 

 our different plants, all of which can be easily provided in the 

 school-rooms. 



Many of our moths and butterflies readily lay their eggs in 

 confinement. These with the eggs which the children can bring 

 in from outside may be allowed to hatch. The children may 

 then rear the larvae, feeding them with the leaves of their vari- 

 ous food plants. When full grown, they may be seen to spin 

 their cocoons and undergo their transformation into pupte and 

 finally to emerge as the adult moth or butterfly. The class may 



