A NATURALIST'S CALENDAR 169 



of distinct varieties of that species, are a 

 waste of life, of which no true naturalist 

 will be guilty. The student should approach 

 the study in a loving spirit. Then he will 

 derive pure pleasure and increased under- 

 standing. In my opinion, the use of the 

 notebook should rank first as a means 

 towards the attainment of a scientific 

 acquaintance with plants and animals. 



One of the most useful applications of the 

 notebook is the construction of a Naturalist's 

 Calendar. A good specimen will be found at 

 the end of White's Natural History of Selbwne. 

 A calendar of this sort notes the dates of the 

 operations of Nature, either for one year, or 

 for an average of several years. In it we 

 record the times of the opening of flowers in 

 our own neighbourhood, the budding of trees, 

 the appearance of insects, and the other 

 events which vary the charms of successive 

 seasons. The making of such a calendar is 

 a work of great utility. It affords excellent 

 training in habits of observation, and the 

 completed work is of much practical use. 

 By means of a list of this kind it is possible 

 to compare the natural history of oae district, 



