72 



NATURE-STUDY 



A large element in the life of a child is the companionship of 

 a dog, a cat, or some other pet. The care of pets and the play- 

 ing with them make a very practical form of nature-study. 

 The same is true of the treatment of farm animals. 



The wild animals are even more interesting than the more 

 familiar, though more important, domesticated animals. 

 Their very rareness and shyness make them interesting. 



The most mat- 

 ter-of-fact, the 

 most unimagina- 

 tive persons will 

 stop to look at a 

 deer, at a squir- 

 rel, an eagle, a 

 humming-bird, 

 a strange beetle, 

 or a beautiful 

 butterfly. Chil- 

 dren greatly en- 

 joy the study of 

 wild animal life. 

 What are they 



interested in? They want to know what tlie creatures do, 

 how they live, what they feed upon, what good or harm they 

 do. Let this be a guide in animal study. The structure 

 does not generally interest children as much as the activities 

 of the animals. Especially is this the case when structure 

 is studied simply in itself, without relation to its functions or 

 to the mode of life of the creature. 



And yet, if properly presented, this study of structure is as 

 essential and useful as the study of the habits. When we 



Fig. 7. Good Comrades. 



