176 INTRODUCTION TO ZOOLOGY. 



There is nothing like making the acquaintance of an 

 animal at home ; but the wise teacher will always 

 have a supply of material on hand from which 

 he may draw when the exigencies of the occasion 

 demand it. 



Alcohol for laboratory use may be obtained from 

 any distillery in half-barrel or barrel quantities with- 

 out paying the internal revenue tax. Permission 

 must be obtained from the government through the 

 internal revenue collector for the district, and a bond 

 for double the amount of the tax must be filed with 

 him to insure the legitimate use of the alcohol. 



Each pupil should be provided with a lens, a pair 

 of forceps, a pair of scissors, and a sharp knife or 

 scalpel. These can be obtained for about one dollar. 

 It is most profitable for the school to furnish these 

 instruments. 



Each pupil should also have a dissecting dish, an 

 alcohol Clip, a pair of dissecting needles, a towel, and 

 a piece of soap. A candy tray which can be bought 

 for ten cents makes a very good dissecting dish. A 

 small museum jar with a tight fitting lid makes a 

 good alcohol cup, but a wide mouthed bottle with a 

 tight cork may be substituted. A screw capped oint- 

 ment bottle does very well. The dissecting needles 

 may be made by thrusting the eye end of a sewing 

 needle into the end of a pine stick, whittled into 

 the shape of a lead pencil. A notebook in which 

 the pupil records his observations and drawings is 

 indispensable. 



A small collection of illustrative material will be 

 found of great help. A collection of insects, showing 

 the most common forms in the immediate vicinity, 

 will be useful and capable of arousing great interest. 

 The insects should be killed in a cyanide bottle, 

 pinned with insect pins, and preserved in an insect 

 case. A cigar box with a layer of sheet cork tacked 



