74 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [16:2— Feb., 1920 



and in working out the plot, our author, it seems to me, exemplifies 

 the method of thinking we are trying to teach. He tells in order: 



1. How Reynard was trapped. 



a. How he was attracted to the bait. 



b. What precautions he took to avoid danger. 



c. How he was finally deceived. 



2. How he escaped from the trap. 



a. His first reaction to the trap. 



b. How he tried to shake it off. 



c. How he bit off his foot. 



Either of these subordinate phases of the general plot illustrates 

 an organization of incidents and a method of mental activity very 

 suggestive of that used by our group of bird students, a method 

 most young pupils greatly need. 



The proper use of nature fiction both prose and poetry, that 

 which makes no false pretenses as well as that which Mr. Roose- 

 velt condemned as Nature faking and Mr. Ruskin berated for its 

 pathetic fallacy, I cannot here discuss. Neither the rambling, 

 discursive comment on Nature. I simply point out one sort of 

 thing we can make excellent use of when we can get it. We can 

 treat it analytically as problem material focussing the interest on 

 the problem as we do in the field. We may not claim that any 

 books used indoors exclusively will impel pupils to go afield, but 

 they may tend that way in the hands of a teacher who tends that 

 way herself. In such a case their outcome whatever is is will prob- 

 ably be good. 



Coming Issues of the Nature-Study Review 



March 1920. The School Garden Ntimber. Edited by Susan 

 Sipe Albertis, Director of School Gardens, Washington, D. C. 



April 1920. The Bird Study Number containing a detailed 

 outline of Bird Study from the Kindergarten throughout the 

 Grades. Extra copies should be ordered early. 



