MANUAL OF NATURE STUDY. 
19 
cussed in this grade. Also some butterflies have 
abortive two front legs, thus leaving but two pairs 
of real legs. 
3. Point, out the organs of the abdomen if any 
are to be seen; for example, the sting of the bee, 
the boring machine called ovipositors in female 
grasshoppers, cicada, etc., for making holes in 
which to deposit eggs. 
Most insects have nine segments in the abdo¬ 
men, one in head and three in the thorax. Have 
the children count to see if that statement is true. 
Here, again, it may be necessary to use the hand 
lens, with some insects. 
When studying the beetle, have the pupils observe 
that the outer pair of wings is hard and used as a 
covering for the delicate, gauzy wings and thus 
protects them from dirt and other rough things. 
It will also be observed that some insects have no 
wings. Ants cut off their own wings when they 
have no more use for them. 
Touch upon the uses of insects. Let the child¬ 
ren tell stories about ants and bees as to their way 
of working. Compare the wisdom and industry of 
these two insects with the idleness and wastefulness 
of grasshoppers and crickets. 
Observe the transformation of carterpillars. 
Make drawings on a large scale of each insect stud¬ 
ied. 
