II. Second Period: 1904-1914 



Introduction of Circulating Nature Study Col- 

 lections — Inauguration of Lectures for Pupils — 

 Establishment of Special Guide Service — Special 

 Provision for the Blind 



The need for further extension of the Museum's educational 

 work became imperative when in 1902 nature study was intro- 

 duced as a subject in the curriculum and an elaborate Syllabus 



_, , . was placed in the hands of the teachers. This 



Circulating .. , . . . . . 



_ bvllabus required the teacher to give instruction 



\ature Studv . M . . . j 



. in a great many subjects but made no provision 



for supplying the necessary material. The indi- 

 vidual teacher was supposed to get her material when and 

 where she could. In their urgent need many teachers appealed 

 to the Museum for assistance. The Director of the Museum 

 realized that here was an opportunity for the Museum to great- 

 ly extend its sphere of usefulness and, following his recommen- 

 dation, the Trustees authorized the preparation of a series of 

 collections for use in the schools. These collections were pre- 

 pared with the object in view of placing in the hands of the 

 teachers, so far as practicable, the actual specimens referred to 

 in the Syllabus of Nature Study issued by the Board of Educa- 

 tion. In many respects they were quite similar to the collec- 

 tions deposited in the schools in 1884 but the new collections 

 were sent out as loans and not as permanent deposits as was 

 done with the first collections. This feature alone has an im- 

 portant bearing on the success of the present system of circulat- 

 ing collections. Each collection is put up in a small cabinet 

 about the size of a suit case and is accompanied by a leaflet 

 giving simple facts on the structure, habits and characteristics of 

 the particular species in the collection. These notes are neces- 

 sarily brief and are intended chiefly as suggestions to the teachers. 

 A brief bibliography of the best books on the subjects is noted 

 and attention is called to the local collections of birds or other 

 animals in the Museum building. 



The method by which the teacher obtains the collections 

 has been made as simple as possible. The Museum furnishes 



