Natural History in Colonisation. 143 
sciences, especially, as Physiology, Zoology, Geology, and Botany, 
into your district schools, and especially into your High Schools. 
The means of doing so are now ample. Books and diagrams, 
named specimens, and working models, may be purchased at ex- 
tremely moderate rates from educational publishers. What is 
called ‘ Object-teaching”—the teaching of science by means of 
actual specimens—is now common in our most elementary schools 
athome. This method of teaching has the immense advantage that 
facts are indelibly graven on the mind, without any appreciable 
effort of thought or memory, the observative more than the re- 
flective faculties being thus educated in a way most attractive and 
interesting to the pupil. 
Natural History Society. 
Much might be done mutually to diffuse a taste for natural 
history studies, by the establishment or formation of a Natural 
History Society. Meetings might be held periodically for the 
reading of papers relating to local natural history ; specimens of 
rocks and minerals, plants, insects, shells, &c., might be exhibited ; 
excursions might be planned; encouragement and assistance given 
by the more to the less experienced. Such societies are abundant 
at home, and are most serviceable, especially to youth. The 
*‘ Natural History Society of Dunedin,” or of Otago, might, in the 
first instance, be an offshoot from the “ Young Men’s Christian 
Association,” and would probably, ere long, have an independent 
existence, and a distinct sphere of usefulness. The establishment 
of a Natural History Museum, Botanic Garden, and University, 
and the introduction of science-teaching in schools, will probably, 
each and all of them, give an impetus to the formation of societies 
of this kind ; and this is an additional reason why no time should 
be lost in taking steps towards the carrying out these most de- 
sirable schemes. There is no lack of settlers with the requisite 
tastes and enthusiasm to form a solid nucleus, a good working 
committee ; nor is there wanting the readiness to become members 
of a Natural History Society, were it only established. But the 
great difficulty here, as in all the schemes I have propounded, is 
the start; and here is another instance, added to the many that 
can be cited, of the value of the presence of competent Naturalists 
among you,—men who have their whole time to devote to the pro- 
secution and promotion of Natural Science, whose interest it is 
pecuniarily to use their best efforts for its progress,—whose bias 
and tastes, whose habits and experience all tend in this direction, 
and who would be the soul and life of such a society—of any 
association, which might have for its object or aim the study or 
applications of Natural Science. 
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