NATURE STUDY, TEACHER, AND CHILD 33 



that any further practical work was done in adding to the famous 

 Grecian's monumental discoveries. The nineteenth and twentieth 

 centuries, however, saw a perfect invasion of men of science, all 

 seeking for knowledge, all seeking for truth. Now scientific 

 research and study have received a temporary check ; but when 

 all our thoughts are transferred to more peaceful things, to more 

 peaceful occupations, to the better employment of leisure hours, 

 more knowledge-seeking, more intelligent pur- 

 suits and pleasures, then many will turn to the 

 country for solace and delight. The study of 

 Nature is the birthright of everybody. It has 

 made slow, but sure, progress throughout the 

 ages. It has been handed down to us from 

 generation to generation. It is no " preserve " 

 of the learned, it may become the precious 

 possession of all, young and old, rich and poor. 

 Nature Study is one of the most fascinating 

 of the sciences because it deals with living, and, 

 let us hope, happy creatures, by whom we 

 humans are surrounded, creatures both animals 

 and plants who pass their daily lives with us 

 and around us, under our own eyes as it were. 

 Yet people are mostly blind and unresponsive 

 to the manifold delights which are to be found 

 in the outdoor world. We are all of us, men, 

 women, and children, birds, insects, flowers, part 

 and parcel of the great scheme of life. Recogni- 

 tion of this inter-relatedness, as I may call it, 

 seems to me to be one of the chief solutions 

 of social problems to-day. We must go to 

 Nature for prompting as to how best to act. 

 creation is such that the idea of more co-relation among human 

 folk becomes pertinently manifest to all those who follow the 

 story of the country -side. I have proved many times during 

 my own earthly pilgrimage how influence passes all unconsciously 

 from A to Z, although Z may be quite unaware of A and vice versa. 

 A student of Nature, of living creatures in their own homes, is 

 always coming up against, and marvelling at, this wonderful web 

 of life, this natural and well-designed dove-tailing as I may 

 christen it. The humblest investigator may, by diligence, find 

 sufficient even in his, or her, back garden to amply repay, nay, 

 overpay, not merely the study of an hour, but the devotion of a 



FIG. 11. 

 WHITE CAMPION. 



The web of 



