38 The American Naturalist. 
the sensation of sound produced? What makes the hamm 
oyster of peculiar interest? Show how the dragon-fly comes 
into existence. What insects are called the quakers? What is 
the Sly Silurus? why so called? What superstition was held 
by sailors in regard to the petrel? What bird has at times been ~ 
converted by the natives into a lamp? Describe the song of 
bobolink. Describe the unicorn: To what use did the Indians 
the enamel of beavers’ teeth? How does the whale manage to 
live in the water? Give the significance of the term “ snake 
charmer.” What does the author think should be required o 
text-book: 
“ The following is taken from Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, 
Turdus migratorius, Robin, American Redbreast. Tail slig 
rounded ; above olive-gray, top and sides of head black, chin a 
throat Ton ”; and so on through a technical description which 
no thorough teacher would ever dream of demanding from a 
pupil. 
The incoming superintendent of public instruction in In 
is said to be a man of ideas. Certainly one of the first things 
should do is to use his position and his influence to put an end 
this state of affairs, and to see that in future specialists are 
ployed to select books,—specialists who are proof against the 
dulcet tones and the frequently more solid arguments of the 
lishing house. 
