i6 The Nature-Study Exhibition 



logical, as well as biological — of the district imme- 

 diately surrounding the school or college, or of that 

 traversed on excursions and in wider "school-journeys". 

 In illustration, the regional surveys, mainly physio- 

 graphical, exhibited by the Wells Blue School may be 

 noticed as examples of careful work. On a higher 

 plane are the botanical surveys exhibited by Dr. 

 Smith from the Yorkshire College, Leeds. 



(iv) Nature Diaries. — There are numerous inter- 

 esting exhibits of " nature books " or " nature diaries " 

 at many different levels. We may refer especially to 

 those from the Ambleside House of Education, and 

 from the Sheffield High School for Girls. The method 

 deserves encouragement, but a warning seems neces- 

 sary. The observations should not be made in a 

 routine-fashion ; mere dates of occurrence are often 

 unproductive and stupefying, and the introduction of 

 quotations from books on Natural History, however 

 excellent these may be, is contradictory to the aim 

 of the method of strictly individual observation and 

 record. 



(v) School Gardens. — Encouragement should be 

 given to the formation of school-gardens, especially 

 in certain centres, and if the scholars participate in 

 the gardening.* There are good illustrations from the 

 Surrey County Council, from the Grammar School 

 of Aberdeen, and from other schools. But against 

 " 28,cxx) school-gardens in France and 7000 in Russia", 

 Britain has not numerically much to show. 



(VI) Vivaria and Aquaria. — We have been able 

 to commend the exhibits of living animals by the 

 Frcebel Institute and the Cambridge Training Col- 



• Professor Wallace dissents from this recommendation. 



