ADAPTATION TO THE ENVIRONMENT 



251 



from those that live in the water? Why do we find such 

 different animals along the coast of the seashore from 



those we find on the 



shores of inland lakes ? 

 If you really think 

 about this, you can- 

 not escape realizing 

 that this living of dif- 

 ferent things in differ- 

 ent places must have 

 something to do with 

 fitness or adaptation. 

 If a fish has gills in- 

 stead of lungs, it will 

 live in the water, and 

 if a bird has wings in- 

 stead of front legs, it 

 can fly. Well, you 

 are "warm," as they 

 say in guessing games. 



American Museum of Natural History 

 What adaptations can you find that fit these 

 animals to live in different environments? In 

 what respect are their environments similar ? 



But there is more to 

 the problem than this. We would have to ask how these 

 adaptations were brought about and why certain plants 

 and animals were always found living together in certain 

 localities and not in others. We would find that most of 

 our answers depend upon that characteristic which living 

 things have of reacting to stimuli. 



Another thing that boys and girls want to know about 

 living things is the names of some of the plants and ani- 

 mals that are found in certain localities that they are 

 likely to visit. We want to know what animals we will 

 find in the ponds near at home, what plants and animals 

 we are likely to see in a field trip to the mountains or the 

 shore, what plants we can best use in our home gardens, 

 what common birds can be persuaded to nest in our home 



