206 NATURE STUDY. 



canary in its cage in the schoolroom, how it hops and 

 walks and perches, how it eats and drinks, how it sings, 

 how it sleeps ; and each has a different story to tell, or 

 tells what he has seen in a way different from all the 

 others. When they come to describe the structure of 

 the canary, its body and head and wings and tail and 

 legs and feet, all are telling about the same thing, and 

 are apt to tell it in about the same order and words. 

 The latter description will be more exact, but at the 

 same time more stereotyped, less free and individual. 



Much of what is here said about the value or content 

 of the study of life and habits, and about the method of 

 observing these, has been brought out concretely and 

 clearly illustrated in the outline or plan for the study 

 of the rabbit in Chapter II. 



This study of life and habits in the schoolroom or at 

 home requires time ; it cannot be done in a day. The 

 material should be before the pupils for several days, 

 where they can watch it, and occasionally report what 

 they have learned. They may watch the germination 

 of the seeds in their window-boxes, or the development 

 of the buds in the jars, or the movements and habits of 

 the crickets or fish or snails or crayfish, for a week or 

 more before they have a formal lesson. Much of this 

 work will be done before or after school, or at home, if 

 the children are interested. If there are several boxes 

 or jars about the schoolroom, they can watch or study 

 these during school-hours without confusion. The study 

 of relation to environment and habits is of little value 

 unless based largely on personal observation by the chil- 



