46 THE NATURE STUDY COURSE. 



climbs a tree, while the oldest ones are trying to discover 

 how she retracts her claws into their sheaths. At or near 

 the end of the observing and comparing bring in stories and 

 literature and pictures relating to dogs and cats. Take first the 

 children's original stories of dogs and cats, then stories from 

 books, stories of Eskimo dog-trains in the Klondike, St. 

 Bernards digging exhausted travellers out of the snow, 

 Newfoundlands rescuing drowning children, Wordsworth's 

 " Fidelity," Holder's " Owney " that travelled round the world 

 alone, Southey's "Llewellyn and His Dog," Scott's "Helvellyn," 

 Dr. John Brown's " Rab and His Friends," Mrs. Browning's 

 "To Flush," Baillie's "The Kitten," etc. 



After these observations and comparisons the children who 

 are advanced enough will read these stories to their school- 

 mates with an interest and expressiveness that seldom marked 

 their ordinary reading-lessons before the introduction of the 

 Nature Studies. The stories, original or second-hand, which 

 they write or relate will afford improving practice in com- 

 position. Their taste, if not their skill, will be cultivated by 

 showing them pictures of dogs and cats by Landseer and 

 other good artists. 



Rabbit and Guinea - Pig.— In similar manner other 

 domestic animals such as the horse and cow, the sheep and 

 pig, rabbit and guinea-pig may be compared. Lessons on the 

 cow and rabbit are given in " Public School Nature Study," 

 pp 22-33, also in "Guide to Nature Study." An exhaustive 

 study of the rabbit, elementary and advanced, is given in 

 C. B. Scott's "Nature Study and the Child," pp. 38-88. 

 The guinea-pig is easily kept at the schoolhouse. It is sure to 

 be a favorite with the younger pupils who will take great 

 pleasure in supplying it with bread or hay, carrots or grass, or 

 other kinds of vegetable food, and observing its habits. "While 

 like the rabbit in many respects it differs conspicuously in the 

 teeth, upper lip, whiskers and ears ; further, it has only three 



