26— • THE PSYCHOLOGY 



air and boos can be kept ami observed in safety. One moth, kept in a cage on 

 window sill will attract others of its kind of the opposite sex. 



Then there nuist be an aquarium, small enough to be carried about, yet large 

 enough to accommodate small sized fish, cray fish, mud-turtles, etc. A little 

 care in observing and collecting water-plants will soon enable the teacher and 

 inipils to keep a balance between plant and animal life without any further care 

 than to keep the vessel clean, in a favorable light, and to replenish the water as 

 it evaporates. Care must be taken to put just enough food in the aquarium so 

 that none will remain. If too much is put in, the surplus must be carefully 

 removed. 



All these are for living things. But there is a place for dead things and 

 pictures of living things, especially if the pictures are in colors. There should be 

 stufted specimens of representative birds and mammals and preserved specimens 

 of insects and plants for reference and ior the purpose of showing how this work 

 should he done. But avoid trying to have a complete set of specimens, and, 

 above all things, do not think that the study of dead specimens, especiallj' dead 

 birds, is natuie study. It is better to get 3'our specimens of birds and mammals 

 from a regular taxidermist, rather than to accept them from pupils, who should 

 rather be discouraged fiom collecting birds and birds' eggs, because of the im- 

 portance of preserving our birds from complete destruction. Encourage your 

 pupils to expend their collecting energy on insects and plants. 



A few life histories of butterflies, moths, and beetles, should be jirepared lor 

 reference and for review work. Several typical specimens of plants, especially 

 of those more difficult to obtain, should be pressed, dried, mounted, and properly 

 named, in order to show how this work should be done. Specimens from remote 

 districts very properly find a place in the museum, as they will arouse interest in 

 their native country and extend the knowledge of familiar nature. 



Finally, although these should not be studied very extensively until the third 

 stage of school-life is reached, specimens of all the common minerals and rocks 

 of the country should be in every museum. If, corresponding to each mineral, 

 pictures of the mines, of mining machinery and of the mining country can be 

 procured, geography may be made a profitable study. Sections of wood, in its 

 natural state and also polished and stained should be obtained. Correspomling 

 to these, pictures of the whole tree in its natural environment should be secured. 



The Work of the Teacher and Pupils. 



The teacher will first of all select the material for study. Having done this 

 and provided suitable quarters for it, she must direct the analj'sis and the 

 expression of the pupils in each stage in an orderly vva}'. She must not allow the 

 material to be so great in quantity as to confuse the pupil or to cause dissipation 

 of energy and yet must sustain interest by allowing the pupil's love of activity 

 and discover}' to find free play. The chief work of the teacher, at first, is wise 

 questioning suited to the pupil's capacit}'. We shall illustrate the work of 

 teacher and pupils, in all three stages, in a lesson or series of lessons on the 

 butterflj'. 



