270 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [10:7— Oct., 1914 



The record of observations and experiments made in the field and 

 at school, illustrated by drawings, photographs and diagrams, led 

 to the production of many interesting note-books. Neighborhood 

 maps were made, some setting forth the plants and animals found 

 and their economic relations, and others the unsanitary conditions 

 like piles of manure leading to the mutliplication of flies and stag- 

 nant pools for mosquito breeding. 



In the class of animal industries of commercial value, there were 

 exhibits of silk caterpillars, showing the eggs, feeding larvae, 

 cocoons, silk spinning reel in operation and articles woven from the 

 silk. 



Observation bee-hives gave the visitors an opportunity of finding 

 the queen and of watching the workers with their loads of golden 

 pollen, endlessly busy with whirring wings, evaporating the gath- 

 ered nectar into honey, or building their wax cells, or feeding the 

 young grubs. 



Most interesting and important of all were the pupils, enthusias- 

 tically explaining their various exhibits to the visitors. There was 

 the story of a long tramp in the mountains when the treasured 

 skulls of the coyote and wild-cat were found. The capture of king 

 and gopher snakes involved no danger, for these friendly creatures 

 seldom snap at man. At the minus tide, crabs, sea-urchins, peri- 

 winkles, limpets and starfish, were taken from, the tide-pools and 

 the octopus dragged from his lair beneath a huge rock. One pupil 

 had fed many caterpillars of the west coast "lady" to pupation and 

 then later secured the perfect butterflies. Another had followed the 

 nest life of a family of mocking birds, noting the number and kinds 

 of insects brought to the hungry babies until, as fledglings, they 

 departed from their parental home. All the children of the schools 

 were happy, for they had bathed in the glorious California sunshine 

 and had learned many wonderful things about the wild animals and 

 plants of mesa, mountain and seaside and the tame animals and 

 cultivated flowers of the home. 



The two annual nature-study exhibitions which have been held 

 by the Los Angeles City Schools have demonstrated their value as 

 yearly reviews of the achievements and ideals of the department. 

 Pupils and parents attending have been drawn together in a 

 common interest and have learned much of nature. The schools 

 have been stimulated to better work by the models selected by the 

 judges for prize awards and the general public has been informed of 

 the purpose and scope of nature-study. 



