Il6 NATURE STUDY LESSONS FOR PRIMARY GRADES 



whole mouse ? What parts should you think it might 

 better have left out? (The hair, teeth, and bones.) 

 Examine these little balls found at the foot of a tree 

 in which an owl had a nest. [The children find here 

 hair, teeth, bones, feathers, etc.] Where could these 

 have come from ? The owl, a few hours after eating 

 a mouse or a bird, throws up one of these balls. 

 Look in the owl's cage for the balls. 



Why do not the mice get out of the owl's way ? 

 (The owl makes almost no noise when flying, on 

 account of the soft feathers which line the wings 

 and cover the body.) Study the wings with reference 

 to their fitness for noiseless flight. 



Owls often know when a mouse is near, even 

 though the mouse be out of sight. How is that ? 

 It hears it. Where are its ears ? [The children will 

 call the tufts of feathers on the top of its head the 

 ears. If you have a stuffed specimen, let them 

 discover that there are no ears there. They will 

 find large ears, covered by feathers, just outside the 

 disk of feathers surrounding the eye. This is 

 the only bird that has an outer ear.] Notice how 

 the feathers are arranged just outside the ear. 

 How does this help its hearing? Why is it well 

 that the ears are covered with feathers ? 



