THE WOMBAT. 1 3 



Phenologic^l Observations. 



Let us take for our first example the well-known fact 

 that one field will grow wheat or clover while another will 

 not ; or that one pasture will fatten sheep or cattle quickly, 

 while another will only do so but slowly. Such a knowledge 

 as this is generally termed " practical farming," which, after 

 all, simply means taking notice of such points and remember- 

 ing them. Therefore I venture to suggest at the outset that, 

 of all the attractions of rural life, probably none is more 

 interesting than the periodic phenomena associated with 

 plants and animals, and, to persons engaged in rural pursuits, 

 they form a source of much anxiety. The germination of 

 seeds, the blossoming, leafing and ripening of fruits and seeds, 

 the appearance of insects and their larvae, the migration, song, 

 and nesting of birds, the habits and instincts of animals are 

 all phenomena of this kind, and, being largely dependent on 

 seasonal and meteorological conditions, are correlated to and 

 dependent on one another; and, as a matter of fact, should be 

 studied together. The observation and, above all, the record- 

 ing of facts relating to the principal phases of the life history 

 of plants and insects are extremely useful to meteorologists, 

 medical men and others interested in sanitary questions and 

 health resorts ; a list of such observations, carefully collected 

 and preserved, would form a standard with which to compare 

 local variations — such observations to be extended, of course, 

 over a period of (say) twenty years. And to scientific natural- 

 ists, agriculturists, and horticulturists, it would give a means 

 of observing the relationship between organic and meteorologi- 

 cal phenomena, and their dependence on each other. 



During the last two decades the study of natural history 

 has altered much, both in methods of observation and in 

 character. It no longer consists of merely collecting, preser- 

 ving, classifying, and naming species of plants, insects or 

 animals ; it consists in observing the development, life history, 

 and periodical phenomena of such objects, with due regard to 

 the modification and the variation of species under natural 

 and artificial conditions ; and the relation they bear to each 

 other and to the pleasures and wants of mankind. Analyti- 

 cal methods of studying natural history are not so much 

 required now, and are fast giving way to synthetical methods ; 

 therefore instead ot pulling plants to pieces, dissecting birds 

 -or anatomising animals to ascertain their minute physical 

 differences — though I am not willing to admit that such 

 methods of observation are not necessary to the scientific 

 naturalist — attention is given to their relation to each other 

 and to the forces and agencies by which living organisms are 

 developed, built up, and preserved. 



