viNAL COMMON MISTAKES IN NATURAL HISTORY 341 



What do Bees Gather from Flowers ? 

 The idea that insects gather nectar and pollen increases and the 

 mistaken notion that bees gather honey persists into adult life 

 although not to so marked a degree as in youth. 



Nectar Pollen Honey 



College and Normal School 17% 32% 36% 



High School 6% 22% 67% 



What is the Use of the Hollow Stem to the Flower of 

 THE Dandelion? 

 The hollow stem is stronger than the solid stem. 



Students Examined Storage Passage Strength 



Water Food Water Food 



College Freshmen (men) 8% 18% 28% Q% 



College Freshmen (female) 4% 26% 



Normal School Freshmen 6% 3%, 15% 



The table indicates that the majority think of the hollow stem 



as a passage way. Some think of it as a storage place yet they 



never see anything stored in the hollow part. Perhaps they think 



that the food mysteriously disappears upon cutting the stem. 



Underlii^e THE Parts Which are Present in the Pussy 



Willow Plant 



(The parts of a plant are root, stem, leaf, bud, flower, fruit.) 

 If one did not already know he might guess that all these parts 



are present in the pussy willow plant. 



The highest average per cent and the lowest average per cent 



obtained by the various classes are hereby indicated : 



Root Stem Leaf Bud Flower Fruit 



Lowest.. ..HSF 50% HSF 61% HSSO HSF 61% JH 21% HS 

 Highest. . .JHS 100% JHS 100% NSG NSG 86% NSS78% NSG50 



NSS 100% CFM 86% 



Key: 



HSF — high school freshmen NSS — ^normal school seniors 

 JHS — ^junior high school NSG — ^normal school graduates 



CFM — college freshmen, male HS — high school 

 What Relation is There Between Toads and Warts? 



There is no relation. Only twelve of those examined knew 

 friends who had had warts as a result of picking up toads. It is 

 probably not a coincidence that these twelve were not limited to 

 one such acquaintance. If they knew one they knew several. 

 It is easy enough to obtain witnesses who have picked up toads 



