Phenological Observations in Canada. 73 



regular procession of natural phenomena each season. 

 First, it may help the teacher in doing some of the 

 ' Nature ' lesson work in the Course of Study ; secondly, 

 it may aid in procuring valuable information for the 

 locality and province. Two copies are provided for each 

 teacher who wishes to conduct such observations, one to 

 be attached to the school register, so as to be preserved as 

 the property of the section for reference from year to 

 year: the other to be sent in with the Return to the 

 Inspector, who will transmit it to the Superintendent for 

 examination, and compilation if desirable. 



" What is desired is to have recorded in these forms, the 

 dates of the first leafing, flowering and fruiting of plants 

 and trees; the Ji7'st appearance in the locality of birds 

 migrating north in spring or south in autumn, etc. While 

 the objects specified here are given so as to enable com- 

 parison to be made between the different sections of the 

 province, it is very desirable that all other local pheno- 

 mena of a similar kind be recorded. Each locality has a 

 flora, fauna, climate, etc., more or less distinctly its own ; 

 and the more common trees, shrubs, plants, crops, etc., are 

 those- which will be most valuable from a local point of 

 view in comparing the characters of a series of seasons. 



" Teachers will find it one of the most convenient means 

 for the stimulation of pupils in observing all natural phe- 

 nomena when going to and from the school, some of the 

 pupils radiating as far as two miles from the school room. 

 The ' nature study ' under these conditions would be 

 mainly undertaken at the most convenient time, thus not 

 encroaching on school time ; while on the other hand it 

 will tend to break up the monotony of school travel, fill 

 an idle and wearison)>e hour with interest, and be one of 

 the most valuable forms of educational discipline. The 

 eyes of a whole school daily passing over a whole school 

 district would let very little escape notice, especially if 

 the first observer of each annually recurring phenomenon 



