February 20, 1902] 



NA TURE 



369 



the sea, the shores are deeply indented with innumerable 

 fjords and little inlets, above which the rocks rise in long 

 lines of terraced clitif. Along the southern coast, the 

 margin of the land consists for the most part of low flats 

 and bars of fine sand and mud, brought down by the many 

 rivers and streamlets that escape from the edges of the 

 great glaciers and snow-fields. A contest is constantly 

 waged between the Atlantic breakers, on the one hand, 

 and the sediment-bearing inland waters, on theother. Bars 

 and spits are thus thrown up. behind which stretch long 

 narrow lagoons. For a distance of some 250 English 

 miles such is the general character of the coast-line. In 

 spite of the fury of the Atlantic storms and the occasional 

 breaking down of the detrital barriers opposed to them, 

 the sea has been losing ground. Since the Ice Age 

 so much sand and silt have been carried down that a 

 wide stretch of lowland has been gained, and the sea has 

 become so shallow that for long distances no ship of 

 any size can approach the coast. Vet such is the un- 

 fortunate physical geography of Iceland that, at least in 

 the meantime, this accession of land brings but little 

 advantage to the inhabitants. The territory is so liable 

 to rapid inundation, and to be swept over by sudden 

 floods, that it is too dangerous to be reclaimed, and often 

 cannot even be crossed without serious risk. In that 

 portion of it which lies nearest to the Myrdal glaciers, 

 an additional source of peril is furnished by the eruptions 

 of Katla, which, buried under the snow-fields, from time 

 to time finds a vent, disrupts and melts the ice, and 

 sends it in huge masses down the floods that sweep over 

 the plain and carry their freight of ice even out to sea. 

 Dr. Tlioroddsen has given in his various publications 

 graphic though only too brief accounts of these operations, 

 and his new map enables us to follow their scope with 

 greater clearness. 



Now that the great labour of preparing this map has 

 been successfully accomplished, every geologist and every 

 visitor to Iceland will hope that Dr. Thoroddsen may be 

 able to devote himself to the preparation of a full de- 

 scription of his native country. He has accumulated a 

 large amount of material, only a small part of which has 

 been published, and this merely in brief outline. He 

 has, doubtless, many parts of the island to revisit and 

 many difiicult questions to elucidate before such a volume 

 or series of volumes can be written. We can only wish 

 him continued health and strength for his important 

 task. It is surely not too much to hope that work of so 

 national a character and of so much general scientific 

 interest will meet with such hearty support and aid in 

 Denmark that it may be vigorously prosecuted to an 

 early and successful conclusion. ARCH. Gkikie. 



W^ 



NATURE STUDY IN SCHOOLS} 



E have received the first part of the Nature- St tidy 

 Jiiiii-tia!^ published by the South-Eastern Agri- 

 cultural College, Wye, Kent, with a preface by Sir William 

 Hart-Dyke and an introduction by the editor, Mr. A. D. 

 Hall, principal of the College. This new publication is 

 the outcome of a discussion held at the College during a 

 summer course for teachers in 1901, and the thirty-one 

 teachers, mostly from schools in Kent and Surrey, whose 

 names are appended to the part received constitute the 

 first members of a Xature-Study Society by which this 

 journal. will be maintained. The object of the journal, 

 as set forth in the preface and introduction, is mainly to 

 facilitate the teaching of "nature-knowledge" in rural 

 schools, by enabling the teachers to interchange ideas 

 and schemes of instruction and to be in communication 

 with the Wye College as a central organisation. The 

 whole subject of nature-teaching in rural schools has 



1 The Natiirg-Study Journal. Published by the South-Eastern Agricul- 

 tural College, Wye. No. I. Pp. \1. (Kentish Express Office, Ashford, 

 Kent.) Price 3,/. 



NO. 1686, VOL. 65] 



been brought into prominence of late years, and there 

 has been a distinct revival in this branch of education to 

 which we have, from time to time, called attention in 

 these columns. The initiatory work of the Countess of 

 Warwick in emphasising by practical e.\ample the 

 necessity for the establishment of schools of science in 

 rural districts (see article by Lady Warwick and Prof. 

 Meldola, Nature, vol. li.x. p. 7), followed by the work of 

 the Agricultural Education Committee inspired by Sir 

 William Hart Dyke and Mr. Henry Hobhouse, has been 

 largely instrumental in bringing about this much-needed 

 reform, and the demand for sound instruction in this kind of 

 science has naturally been on the increase since the issue 

 of the " Specimen Courses of Object Lessons, &c." by 

 the Board of Education (N.vture, vol. Ixiii. p. 603). It 

 is to be hoped and expected that this demand will go on 

 increasing, and the establishment of the present journal 

 is therefore opportune. The great danger to education 

 in this country is complete apathy and neglect in the first 

 place, and then reckless precipitation and unorganised 

 excess in order to try to recover lost ground. Rural 

 education is bound to go through the usual phases, and 

 we may already begin to ask ourselves whether there is 

 anything to be gained by the multiplication of organisa- 

 tions,conferences and congresses, all carrying on much the 

 same work and frequently overlapping in functions. 



The Nature-Study Society has, however, in favour of its 

 creation the circumstance that it is composed of teachers 

 who are engaged in giving actual instruction in this 

 subject in schools, and the journal is to be largely devoted 

 to the publication of specimen lessons. Two such lessons 

 are in the part before us, one on " Leaves and their 

 Veining " by Mr. H. Brooker, of the Ewhurst National 

 School, and the other by Mr. A. E. Chandler, of Put- 

 tenham, on " Dodges of Nature." The first point that 

 cannot fail to strike the reader of these two lessons is 

 their extraordinary divergence in standard. The collect- 

 ing and classification of leaves according to their veining 

 is a lesson in pure observation. The "dodges" referred 

 to in Mr. Chandler's lesson are the contrivances for cross- 

 fertilisation in long and short-styled primroses and in 

 .Salvia, and the pupil is afterwards told to collect some 

 flowers of Arum, to study the inflorescence, and then to 

 work out for himself the mechanism of fertilisation by 

 the aid of hints given in the following form: — "What 

 can be the work of the little hairs that nearly close the 

 opening of some of the hoods ? Do you notice any 

 insects.' Did you ever think out the design of an eel- 

 trap or a lobster-pot?" It is obvious that these two 

 lessons must appeal to pupils of different ages and 

 acquirements. The new Society and its journal should 

 have a useful career if only by enabling teachers to 

 compare schemes, as in the two lessons noticed. Such 

 specimens bring out very clearly the necessity for graded 

 and connected series of lessons leading from simple 

 observation and description up to observation combined 

 with inductive reasoning. The introduction of nature 

 study into rural schools cannot but be productive of 

 good, and although, as the editor points out, it is not 

 primarily directed to keeping children on the land, it 

 may have this effect indirectly by leading children "to 

 see that a country life has its own interests and is not 

 merely stupid routine ; particularly we want the children 

 who do stay in the country to have laid a foundation of 

 thinking about rural pursuits which can be built upon 

 later." The Society will welcome as new members all 

 teachers who are conducting nature-study classes, the 

 only obligation being that the member shall be expected 

 to send a specimen lesson for publication. The Society 

 is worthy of support, and we commend it to the notice of 

 teachers who are already holding, or who desire to 

 conduct, classes in this subject, which is one that by 

 proper handling can be made really fascinating tO' 

 children of every degree of intelligence. 



