DOWNING] CHILDREN'S INTEREST 337 



Physical Material. No. of Xo. of Total in 



Observations Questions. Per Cents. 



Physical ]^Iaterial. 



Astronomical 20 16.26 



Geographical and Geological 12 18 24.39 



Industrial 3 2.44 



Mechanical 4 3.25 



Mineralogical 6 4.88 



Physical 11 41 42.28 



Photographic 2 6 6.50 



25 98 100.00 



Miscellany 10 3 



It is to be noted that among animals, the chief interest seems 

 to center in insects, then birds follow as the next most interesting 

 topic, then mammals. Among the latter group, the questions and 

 observations pertain largely to the wild mammals. Out of a 

 total of eighty-four, only nineteen pertain to pets and four to 

 horses. It is rather surprising that the domestic animals come 

 in for so small a share of the child's interest. With plants too, 

 the wild forms seem to have a larger interest for the child than 

 the garden flowering plants and vegetables. It is difficult, of 

 course, to interpret these results, as they may mean so many 

 different things. It may be that questions regarding the com- 

 mon animals and plants around the house are more readily an- 

 swered at home and the questions to St. Xicholas are the residue 

 of unanswered queries, so that the less familiar plants would 

 come in for a larger share of questions. Among the animals the 

 maximum number of questions seem to be upon the forms that 

 are. as a rule, most numerous. 



Classifying the material in the letters on another basis, the 

 per cents in each group — plant, animal and physical material — are 

 given with respect to care, activities, etc. The table follows : 



The figures express again per cents of the total questions 

 and observations in each group — -plants, animal and physical 

 materials. 



Plant. Animal. Physical. 



Activities 56.2 65.5 66.6 



Care 1.3 4.8 2.5 



Classification 1.9 2.4 1.6 



Function of Parts 2.7 3.8 



Identification 24.8 13.9 21.9 



