138 THE YOUNG 



smaU museum for practical every-day 

 use. It Aeed neither be large nop cost- 

 ly, and where there are several schools 

 under one control, as in the case of a 

 School Board in a large town, one 

 museum might be made to answer for 

 all the schools. Where the teacher was 

 not competent to undertake such a 

 matter, a competent man could always 

 be found who would undertake the 

 duty. In winter time lessons, illus- 

 trated by suitable diagrams and figures, 

 could be given at fixed intervals, and in 

 summer time he could conduct classes 

 for excursions into the country, where 

 the pupils would make the acquaintance 

 of much that they had previously only 

 heard of. These excursions would an- 

 swer two purposes, for while additional 

 instruction could be given on the spot 

 as each new fact came under notice, 

 the specimens observed could be brought 

 home and prepared for the museum. 

 The excursions themselves would prove 

 greatly attractive, and if only those were 

 allowed to go who appeared interested, 

 the numbers would not become too large, 

 and they would be encouraged to pay 

 attention to the subject. Lessons in 

 botany, entomology, &c., given out in 

 the fields would never be forgotten, 

 while the amount of knowledge thus 

 obtained whould be greater in amount 

 and really more practical than could be 

 got in any other way. Especially to 

 town children would such a plan be 

 beneficial, and many whose feeble con- 

 stitution needs fresh air and exercise 

 would gain new strength. 

 In this way the museum would not 



NATUEALIST. 



cost much beyond the requisite cases, 

 though it should also contain other 

 things that would not, perhaps, be so 

 easy for the little pupils to furnish, at 

 any rate, at first, There should be a 

 few stuffed birds, arranged in scientific 

 order, and the specimens selected so as 

 to show the more striking characteristics 

 by which they are distinguished. There 

 should be a collection of insects injurious 

 to crops, and it should be so arranged 

 and labelled that an examination of the 

 contents would give all necessary infor- 

 mation. A collection of plants would 

 be easily made, and should show which 

 were good for food or other use and 

 which were poisonous. Advanced classes 

 might be taken beyond the mere rudi- 

 ments of the science, and, probably, 

 many might be induced to take up 

 natural history as an attractive pursuit 

 for their leisure time. If what was 

 taught in the school-room thus en- 

 couraged some of them to follow it up, 

 they would be kept from many a temp- 

 tation that besets the path of the 

 idler. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



All commurdcatiODB to be sent to 3. E. Bobsok, 1G 

 Northgate, Hartlepool; or to 8. L. Mosley Beau- 

 mont Park, Huddersfield. 



Subscriptions for Vol. III. are now due 

 Weekly numbers or monthly parts, 6i. 

 with plain plates ; or 8s. with colourec 

 plates. The latter cannot be obtainec 

 through the booksellers, but any one cai 

 have their plates coloured on applicatioi 

 to the Editors. ! 



