10 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW 11:1— Jan., 1915 



of the nervous system of a rabbit, and I discovered to my astonish- 

 ment that he did not surely know a cottontail as he saw it 

 crouched in its form. 



The nature-study movement at the psychological moment 

 supplied the much needed books, books about flowers and 

 animals written so simply that whoever could read might under- 

 stand. The Species Hunter and the Man with the Microtome 

 snorted in concert and in derision at this kind of literature. But 

 the snorting was wasted effort. Many people throughout the 

 country began to appreciate the nature-study idea, which for them 

 meant a pleasant speaking acquaintance with flowers, trees, 

 the birds and butterflies. It was not scientific education that they 

 desired, it was just a general intelligence as to their environment. 

 So the books came to stay and more and better came to keep them 

 company, until, now, thanks to the nature-study idea, the man 

 or woman does not need to go to college to be able to know some- 

 thing of the flora and the fauna and the geology of his farm. How 

 much this ability has added to the health and the happiness of 

 country communities cannot be estimated. 



I spoke to you last year at length upon the practical benefit 

 afforded the agriculturist, the horticulturist, and the gardener, 

 by nature-study. This assistance is so great that it cannot be 

 estimated or appreciated during the present generation. Nature- 

 study deals with the basic principles of these vocations. But 

 the good that it may do to the agricultural pursuits or the benefits 

 it may confer upon communities through education in hygiene, 

 are after all byproducts of the greater work which it does for the 

 spirit and the intelligence of human beings, whatever may be their 

 pursuits. 



In fact, there are so many practical benefits bestowed upon the 

 world by the nature-study idea that there is a temptation to regard 

 it onl}^ from the practical standpoint. But this is a limitation 

 which should never be permitted. We should realize that to 

 gain the most practical results the nature-study idea should do 

 the work unhampered by economic boundaries. As an instance 

 of this, note the great work done through the nature-study idea 

 in the conservation of wild life. With a fatuity that our descend- 

 ants of three centuries hence will characterize a criminal stupidity 

 we have exterminated many species of birds, destroyed many 

 interesting and harmless wild animals, hacked down our trees 

 ruthlessly and cleared our streams of valuable fish. Men of 



