II 



which produced those forms, with the hope of learn- 

 ing the great general laws and principles of nature. 



Nature study is yet in its infancy. The laws in 

 biology or geology that can be considered as proven are 

 comparatively few, but a host of hitherto unsuspected 

 relations have been revealed, and these lend a new 

 interest to the whole study. One of the pleasantest 

 features of the new point of view is that the phases 

 of life that are to-day largely absorbing the interest 

 of the savant, are those that prove of most interest to 

 the tyro. The text books have been quick to seize 

 the opportunity, and the latest and best books in 

 zoology and botany to-day are almost entirely de- 

 voted to topics that formerly were briefly dismissed 

 in a chapter, often added as an appendix. The Mu- 

 seum has been slower in giving space to the newer 

 views of life and nature, partly from its conservative 

 character, and partly from the difficulty of repre- 

 senting relations involving action by the use of stuffed 

 skins of dead animals, or dried and pressed plants. 

 This Museum, because of the lack of stimulus in that it 

 was not used for illustrating class work has up to the 

 present year made no attempt to illustrate the ecology, 

 comparative morphology, history } or economics of 

 plants or animals, and only to a slight extent has it 

 illustrated their classification. The introduction of the 

 study of biology and geology in the College curricu- 



