THE SKY 53 



full significance of this from the philosophical standpoint would 

 be absurd, but children are interested in little puzzles of this 

 kind. If, as a philosopher has said, even .a little dog is for him- 

 self the centre of the universe, there seems no reason why we 

 should not point out the fact in a Nature Study course. 



While speaking of the zenith, bring out the fact that no 

 member of the class has ever seen the sun in the zenith. If the 

 day is sunny and the shadows of the party clear as they stand 

 on the summit, bring out also the fact that because the sun is 

 never exactly overhead there is no time of the year when we have 

 no shadows. Prescott's statement about Quito (" Quito lay 

 immediately under the equator, where the rays of the sun threw 

 no shadow at noon ") may be repeated, and without stopping 

 to discuss in detail its accuracy, we may bring out that at least 

 at times at the equator there is no noon shadow, because the sun 

 is in the zenith. 



Returning to the visible sun, we may by reference to it bring 

 out the meaning of the term altitude ; perhaps, even by suggest- 

 ing that it is always in the zenith somewhere, we may think 

 out the meaning of declination. Quite a number of other simple 

 points may similarly be considered in an informal fashion, and 

 will clear the way for the teacher of geography afterwards. 



If the excursion be taken in the afternoon the sinking sun 

 as we turn homeward may well be used to bring out the difference 

 between day and night as regards warmth and light ; the contrast 

 of a summer day and a winter one may similarly be used to 

 suggest that the sun's rays are warmer the more nearly direct 

 they are, and less warm the more they slope. 



Among other points which should be studied during excursions 

 are the colours of the sunset sky, the rainbow and its relation to 

 rain, and especially to thunder showers, and the forms and 

 characters of clouds. All these subjects involve, however, con- 

 siderable detail ; they require both to be studied out of door 

 whenever occasion permits, and also indoors, when the observa- 

 tions and deductions made out of doors may be summed up and 

 conclusions drawn. 



SUNSETS. As opportunities for observing sunsets during 



