THE YOUNG 



NATUEALTST. 



67 



Thus, while the mergence from the Trich- 

 optera to the Lepidoptera is gradual and 

 apparently natural, it is equally so from the 

 latter order to the Hymenoptera, which 

 begins with the sawflies — near relations of 

 the Lepidoptera in the larva state. 



(To he continued.) 



OUR WIVES AND FAMILIES. 



By S. L. Mosley. 



What an enjoyable life is that of a 

 Naturalist. How much pleasure he has 

 in the pursuit of the object in which he 

 delights. Many have become students of 

 nature only because the interest some 

 friend took in it, awakened in them also a 

 desire to know more of the secrets of nature, 

 and to share in the enjoyment they saw it 

 gave their friend. Yet how often it happens 

 that no member of the family circle takes 

 the slightest pleasure or interest in the pur- 

 suit which is the father's greatest delight. 

 The collection, amassed with so much care 

 and pains; valued as his most precious 

 treasure, is cared for no longer when he 

 passed away, by those who are left behind. 

 Perhaps it may be sold, its treasures 

 dispersed among other collections ; perhaps 

 if the money it would bring is not of much 

 consequence to the family, the collection is 

 preserved, only to meet a worse fate than 

 dispersion — by being left alone until the 

 mites have destroyed every specimen. 

 What naturalist has not met with cases of 

 this kind, and how few there are who have 

 the pleasure of seeing one or more members 

 of their own family following in the footsteps 

 of their parent. Where there are five or six 

 children it would be too much to expect 

 that every one of them should have the 

 same tastes, but surely in any family it is 

 possible so to train their minds that one or 

 more become naturalists. What father, in 



whose breast a love of nature is implanted, 

 would not rejoice that some of his children 

 should follow in his steps and share those 

 pursuits that have been to him a source of 

 pleasure without alloy. How is it that this 

 is so rarely the case ? Is the parent himself 

 not to blame for it in a great measure. In 

 the first place it must be remembered that 

 the training of the child devolves altogether 

 at first, and very much afterwards, on the 

 mother rather than on the father. Until 

 recently the education of females, especially 

 among the poorer classes, has been very 

 much neglected, and even now it is far from 

 what it should be. Natural history is 

 entirely ignored in our schools — to other 

 shortcomings reference need not be made 

 here. The girl of thirteen or fourteen or 

 fifteen leaves school in utter ignorance of 

 this subject. If she has to assist her 

 parents by undertaking work of some kind 

 — and occupation for girls is much more 

 varied now than it used to be — she will 

 generally have her nights to spend as she 

 will. If the nature of her employment has 

 taken her away from her parents' home, she 

 will need some pursuit to occupy her even- 

 ings. What is open for her ? The theatre 

 with all its meretricious attractions and 

 dangerous temptations; the dancing saloon, 

 which is infinitely worse, which is indeed 

 the most hateful of all places, and which 

 has been the means of leading many to ruin 

 and early death. What else is there ? If 

 she had imbibed some little taste for natural 

 history at home, how is she to follow it up 

 now that she is among strangers ? Are there 

 any societies — natural history societies — 

 that open their doors for her admission ? 

 Perhaps it is true that none close their doors 

 against her, but this is not enough. Her 

 presence should be sought for, and special 

 means adopted to induce her to enter. Her 

 membership would be an advantage in many 

 ways to such societies. The feminine mind, 

 being feminine, would bring in ideas and 



