14 NATURE STUDY 



sometimes they are gray, low, heavy, and give us rain 

 (nimbus, or rain clouds) ; and oftenest of all, instead of 

 being simple cumulus, stratus, nimbus, or cirrus, they 

 are puzzling combinations of two kinds. The com- 

 monest of these mixed clouds is the strato-cumulus, and 

 the most characteristic, the cirro-cumulus or mackerel 

 sky. 



From the Weather Bureau, Washington, D.C., may be 

 had, for the asking, pictures of the various clouds cor- 

 rectly named. While it would be fatal to the main 

 object of nature teaching to teach these forms and names 

 dogmatically to the children, it is certainly essential 

 that the teacher should know them, and that she should 

 learn them by daily observation. 



Raixdrops : 



The study of the various forms of water, such as rain, 

 snow, hail, etc., has been purposely delayed until Janu- 

 ary ; yet the good teacher will not fail to take advantage 

 of a rainstorm to call attention to shape, varying size, 

 and impression made on the window pane and on the 

 soil by the falling drops. 



LITERATURE 



Myths : 



Tell the story of ^olus, in whose cave Mercury was 

 born ; of his children and their work ; of Thor and his 

 Hammer ; of Aurora's Tears ; of Iris ; of the Palace of 

 Alcinotls. 



Easy Poems : 



What the Winds Bring, Stedman. 



Stop, Stop, Pretty Water, Whittier's Child Life. 



