132 THE BOOK OF NATURE STUDY 



school neighbourhood, it should be compared with part of the 

 country itself. It will thus be brought home to the students 

 that the map is a more handy thing than the model for storage, 

 as a guide, and for purposes of measurement of distances. But 

 it lags far behind the model in that it gives no representation of 

 relief. 



Now relief is a thing which is brought out by shade and 

 shadow, as may be shown by photographing the model again 

 from the same point of view, but illuminated with oblique light 

 from one window (Fig. 34). (Care should be taken that the 

 usual convention of illumination from the north-west corner is 

 followed in order to avoid erroneous impressions later on.) 

 This will give the idea that it may be possible to combine the 

 features expressed on a plane map with those in a picture, and 

 a relief, or hill-shaded map produced, which will now be almost 

 the equal of the model in the one character in which it was 

 inferior to it. 



Having got so far, it might be well to go back a little in 

 order to prepare plans of the schoolroom and the playground, 

 or any other readily available area. These should at first be 

 mere sketches of area, each pupil being allowed a free hand to 

 make his plan as he likes. Comparison of the several drawings 

 with each other would show that correctness in detail is in- 

 dependent of actual scale ; but it would indicate the advisability 

 of uniformity in certain particulars, and particularly in scale. 

 The most satisfactory drawing should be selected, its scale deter- 

 mined by measurement, and, if convenient, adopted in later 

 drawings. 



Incorrect proportion of parts in some of the drawings would 

 at once suggest testing by measurement, which would then be 

 applied to the whole plan. Inaccurate placing of objects could 

 be checked also by measurement ; but a better way would be to get 

 sighting lines marked by stretched strings, to transfer intersecting 

 lines to the drawing, and then to insert the correct position of 

 objects. This will suggest the principle to be employed later in the 

 use of the plane table. Comparison will necessitate identity of plac- 

 ing, and thus introduce the advisability of constructing all plans 

 with identical orientation, and this will lead to the utilisation of 



