CHAPTER IV 

 THE INTERRELATIONS OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS 



Problems: To study insects — their structure, development, food, 

 and homes. 



To study flowers — their structure and method of reproduction. 



To find out how insects and plants are adapted to aid each other; 

 how flowers are pollinated. 



To learn how seeds are dispersed, and the importance of seed dis- 

 persal. 



Laboratory Suggestions 



A field trip. Object : to collect common insects and study their gen- 

 eral characteristics ; to study the food and shelter relations of plants and in- 

 sects. The pollination of flowers should also be carefully studied so as to 

 give the pupil a general viewpoint as an introduction to the study of biology. 



Laboratory exercise. Examination of a simple insect, identification of parts, 

 drawing. Examination and identification of some orders of insects. 



Laboratory demonstration. Life history of monarch butterfly and some 

 other butterflies or moths. 



Laboratory exercise. Study of a simple flower : emphasis on the work of 

 the essential organs ; drawing. 



Laboratory exercise. Study of the mutual adaptations in a given insect and 

 a given flower, e.g. bumblebee and butter and eggs. 



Demonstration. Examples of insect pollination. 



Laboratory or field exercise. Study of seed dispersal. 



The Object of a Field Trip. — Many of us live in a city, where 

 the crowded streets, the closely packed apartments, and the city 

 playgrounds form our immediate environnient. Others of us live 

 in a small town or in the real country. To understand the nor- 

 mal environment of plants and animals we should go into the 

 country. Failing in this, an overgrown city lot or a park will 

 give us the environment as it touches some animals lower than 

 man. We must remember that in learning something of the 

 natural en-^dronment of other living creatures we may better 

 understand our own environment and our relation to it. 



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