42 



MY LIFE AS A NATURALIST 



the wonderful and beautiful engrained upon its. soul. It is eager 

 to know something of the great world of life round and about 

 its own little orbit, and it is up to the teacher in charge to en- 

 deavour to 'point the way. The child is full of day-dreams, and 

 very often night-dreams as well. It desires to feel, and to realise, 

 things that are. It is continually seeking for first-hand informa- 

 tion, asking How, Why, When, and Where, and the teacher must 

 see to it that he, or she, is so accommodated as to be able to satisfy 

 all demands. This is a tall order as I have long since discovered. 

 One must be prepared for emergencies of almost every kind. 

 There is, as I have already indicated, no rule of thumb, and it is 



a good and blessed thing that 

 Nature Study lends itself to so 

 much elasticity. To a very large 

 extent one must be guided by 

 local conditions and circum- 

 stances. The teacher may perhaps 

 map out, prepare, and even com- 

 mence, a well-thought-out lesson 

 on such a topic as the beauty 

 of Flowers, and, by mere chance, 

 the whole subject of the lesson 

 may be changed quite suddenly, 

 and all unconsciously, and the 

 lesson may more than likely con- 

 clude with a dissertation on the 

 Donkey ! One important factor 

 to be considered is to deal with things known by sight, or 

 sound, to the children, things they see, or hear, every day. It is 

 necessary they should familiarise themselves with these, and 

 the teacher would do well to set them to work on their own 

 account. Wherever possible, too, let the subject treated of be 

 of a seasonable character. In the glad days of Spring, for 

 example, it is a good idea to draw attention to the resurrection of 

 plant life, such as the coming of the modest Snowdrop, or that 

 brave herald, the dear, dancing Daffodil. The first bird's nest 

 will conjure up wonders untold, the mysteries of bird migration 

 will evolve many points of immense interest, and one might 

 suggest also at such a time the remarkable hibernation of Butter- 

 flies and other animals which have been asleep throughout the 

 lone Winter days. The fascinating life-story of a Butterfly, 

 Moth, Beetle, or other insect, may be related, and will, I venture 



FIG. 13. WILD GUELDER ROSE. 



