56 THE YOUNG 
fever, they turn pale. When in repose, 
and resting on aquatic plants, they are of 
a dark greenish brown on the back, with 
two stripes of light green crossing near 
the middle ; the sides are of a light green, 
vanishing into a yellowish white on the 
belly. Their toes are provided with soft 
membranous discs, by which they can ad- 
here to any object, or climb a perpendic- 
ular surface. They are very delicate and 
easily killed. When collecting them, it is 
always best to place them in a separate 
vessel or compartment containing wet 
aquatic plants. They cannot live long in 
water, like other varieties of frogs, but 
are very easily drowned. I once had a 
tank containing over a hundred of these 
noisy little fellows, and it was very amus- 
ing to watch them, when piping, swell out 
their vocal organs to nearly the size of 
their bodies. Their favorite food w^as 
angle worms cut up fine, house flies, ants, 
and spiders. 
Hints on the Use of Philosophical and 
Chemical Apparatus. 
TT is, unfortunately, too true that moct 
of our schools are destitute of the 
means of illustrating the principles which 
are set forth in our ordinary text books on 
chemistry and natural philosophy. At 
the same time it is also true that in every 
section of our country there may be found, 
connected with the public schools, sets of 
apparatus which are never used, or, if 
they are brought out at all, it is merely on 
distant occasions, and more for the pur- 
l^ose of complying with the requirements 
of trustees, etc, than of using them for 
purposes of solid instruction. This state 
of things cannot long continue. The im- 
petus which has been given to the study 
of the physical sciences by the establish- 
ment of agricultural and industrial col- 
leges, must sooner or later affect the in- 
struction given in our public schools. 
Already, in this State, the privilege of free 
instruction at the Cornell University is 
held out to the students in our public 
schools as an inducement to a more dili- 
gent use of their opportunities; and, 
consequently, we may indulge a well- 
grounded hope that this fact will elevate 
SCIENTIST. 
the standard of education among us, as 
every boy will seek to place himself where 
he can receive the most thorough prepar- 
ation for the competitive examinations 
w^hich await him. 
Another powerful influence will proba- 
bly be found in the improvement which 
must sooner or later take place in our 
civil service. The cases are few in which 
success in the competitive examinations 
which must ere long be introduced 
amongst candidates for positions under 
government, will depend upon a know- 
ledge of Latin and Greek. Modern lan- 
guages, mathematics, and the physical 
sciences are the subjects to which atten- 
tion must be given if success is to be ob- 
tained, and this not only from the direct 
ufee to be made of these studies, but from 
the influence which they exert upon the 
mind. 
All these considerations must tend to 
impress upon the minds of teachers the 
necessity for thoroughly preparing them- 
selves to take a part in the great work 
which is approaching. As a slight con- 
tribution to this most desirable object, we 
propose to give a series of articles contain- 
ing hints on the use of philosophical ap- 
paratus, and the best methods of illus- 
trating the principles of natural philoso- 
phy. These two subjects are entirely 
distinct, though often confounded. A lec- 
ture or a recitation may be illustrated by 
a series of experiments, brilliant in the 
extreme, and faultless in the neatness, 
accuracy, and success with which they are 
performed, and yet fail from the fact that 
the illustrations are either unappropriate 
or badly arranged — the last cause of fail- 
ure being the more frequent of the two. 
Upon the importance of physical illus- 
trations in a course of scientific instruc- 
tion it is unnecessary to speak. All suc- 
cessful teachers in this department know 
that an experiment w^hich can be seen 
and heard will make an impression upon 
the minds of the pupils which cannot be 
equalled by any mere oral or written de- 
scription. Just think of explaining such 
a simple matter as a thermometer to a 
class that had never seen one, and then 
consider the ease with which it can be 
done by exhibiting the instrument to 
