THE STUDY OF THE RABBIT. 79 



strength, arrangement of enamel, and manner of growth 

 of teeth. 



STEP 5. Greneral summary and expressive work. 



Making a drawing of head and parts externally vis- 

 ible is most exact and effective way of summarizing 

 these. With this, or in place of it, can be an oral or 

 written summary, telling briefly but exactly " How 

 the Rabbit's Mouth and Teeth are Fitted for His 

 Food." 



LESSON VII. 



Comparison and Classification. " Gf-nawers " or Rodents. 



Aim. To broaden pupils' conceptions and lead to 

 greater unity in their minds ; to train them to compare, 

 to discriminate between essentials and non-essentials, to 

 understand plan and to discover similarity of plan amid 

 great diversity in minor details ; to make rabbit a type 

 in the pupils' mind of a great order of animals, the 

 " gnawers " or rodents. 



Material. Living rabbit and cat or dog ; hare (can 

 often be obtained from meat market in winter), or pic- 

 ture of hare, showing incisor teeth ; any other ro- 

 dents, living, dead, or mounted, such as rat, mouse, 

 squirrel (in winter can sometimes be obtained at mar- 

 ket), gopher, prairie dog, or woodchuck ; pictures of 

 beavers, and of any carnivorous animals, showing ca- 

 nine teeth. 



Essentials of classification. Classification is based on 

 essential similarities, or similarity in plan, as distin- 

 guished from such minor characteristics as size, color, 



