The Real Note-book of a Real Boy 



(Donald Farquhar, aged ii, Lawrence, Mass.) 



We are indebted to Miss Edith Mank teacher of Nature Study in the school 

 of Lawrence, Mass., who sends the following letter with the entirely original 

 field notes of one of her pup ils — Ed. 



Dear Mrs. Comstock: 



It might be interesting to you to know that this eleven year old boy first 

 came to watch the insects. Last fall, when school opened I started a nature 

 study club in one of our sixth grades near my home. Donald was in the room 

 and went with us on our walks although to start with he had such a dislike 

 for anything in the insect line that he had always carefully avoided coming 

 in contact with them. After the first walk, however, when we went parti- 

 ctdarly to investiga e some lady bugs in a thick bed of plant lice, Donald 

 evinced an interest in the life of the insect world. 



Because of the influenza epidemic our club was interrupted in its early 

 stages but that did not interfere with Donald's awakened interest. During 

 the weeks that we were having our enforced vacation from school his family 

 was at the beach, and there, without any guidance he continued his investi- 

 gations with only the aid of a younger brother He became interested in the 

 milkweed butterflies which were abundant at that tihie and he kept quite a 

 number alive, feeding them every day with sugar and water. It was after I 

 learned of this interest in butterflies that I realized he was showing an enthus- 

 iasm for learning about insects. 



Due to the pressure of my own school work and more illness our dub was 

 not continued when school began again but Donald with some of his friends 

 whom he organized into a club accompanied me during the spring on quite 

 a few scouting expeditions besides the nimiberless hours he has spent in the 

 fields by himself. 



Dtu-ing the summer he has again been at the beach. The notes which he 

 has kept, have been done wholly by himself for his own use and not until a 

 few days ago had I even seen them although I knew he had kept some account 

 of the things he saw. I have fovmd the children and Donald in particular 

 very observing and interested in the why and wherefore of what they see. 



Yours sincerely, 

 • Edith Mank. 



April gth. — I went out with Miss Mank. We went over to 

 Baker's. In the stream we got some very big Water Striders and 

 four kinds of caddice worms. The water in this stream runs very- 

 fast. We caught a great many different things. 



April nth — I caught a back swimmer. I caught him up at the 

 Cemetery Pond. Miss Mank and I went up to the Cemetery 

 Pond. We caught some snails and a few beetles and some eggs that 

 were on a leaf. We are going to keep them if we can. I caught a 

 Back Swimmer. I caught a frog. Mother kicked the bottle over, 



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