CHAPTER VII.

PHENOMENA OF NATURE.

S this is one of the most difficult kinds of

composition for young children and young people, it should not be attempted until after some facility has been acquired by practice in simpler kinds of writing. Whatever is undertaken should be from personal observation. Many of the more ordinary natural occurrences, as thunder-storms, snow-storms, high winds and the like, may be made subjects of lessons, immediately after they take place. In the introductory conversation, obtain from the class the results of their observation and experience in the rain, or other storm. Ask questions concerning the appearance of trees, people, animals, houses, streets, roads, streams, and forests; about the direction of the wind, the temperature, the size of the drops, the sky and clouds, the distant hills or forests, the flower-gardens and fields.

Suggestion: Snow-storm ; storm at sea; earthquake; flood; land-slide; eclipse of the sun, of the moon; shower of meteors; foggy day; sprouting of grain, or other seed; changes

of caterpillar; growth of a tree, from an acorn ; freezing of a stream or pond.

Example 1.-Seed sprouting:

Tie tightly a round piece of coarse bobinet, or "wash blonde," over each of two or three plain glass goblets, allowing it to sag in the middle; fill the glasses with water until it just reaches the sagging net; lay in each, in the water on the net, two or three squash, pumpkin, pea, or any other easily-sprouting, large seeds, and set the glasses in a window, or on a table near one. Add more water as evaporation requires. Soak for a day or two large squash seeds enough for the whole class to have one apiece; show by means of these the seed-leaves, the little germ, and the place where the root will start out. Then tell them to watch the seeds in the glasses, on the net, so that they can tell what happens, when and in what order. If practicable, get drawings of each stage of the growth, and during the time have a little journal kept.

Example 2.-Nut sprouting:

Fill a clear jar with water two-thirds full; suspend an acorn, or other large nut (native) by a string over a stick, so that it touches the water. Set in the school-room where the children can see it.

Example 3.-Transformation of Caterpillar :

Take a branch of dill, parsley, parsnip, or car

rot, on which are banded green caterpillars; select the two largest of these; put the branch with the insects into a large, clean fruit or other jar, open at the top. Keep unwithered branches and leaves constantly in the jar, removing the caterpillars each time to the fresh branch and throwing out the old. When the insects stop feeding and begin to wander about, allow them to crawl into a clean jar in which are two or three dry sticks set slanting; tie over the mouth of the jar some coarse net, until they settle on the sticks; then take out and set up in a vase or bottle, so that the metamorphosis can be seen. The insects will remain quiet for a short time, then each will spin two threads (one posteriorly, and one around the forward part of the body, by means of which they strap themselves to the sticks), and again remain quiet for a little while. The beginning of the change from caterpillar to chrysalis will be indicated by paleness of the green skin, and a curious wriggling motion; the change will then take place in a few minutes.

The transformation from the chrysalis to the perfect form will occur in eleven days, in a sunny place; in fourteen, in the shade. Or, if the time of the first change be late in the summer, the third transformation may be delayed until the following spring, as the last brood of this species remains in the chrysalis state through the winter. Dark, spiny caterpillars found feeding on wil

low leaves will show similar changes. Put into a jar as above and feed on fresh willow-leaves. Some differences in the metamorphosis will be observed.

Feed two or three silk-worms in the schoolroom, if mulberry or osage orange leaves are to be had near.

NOTE. Let the objective point in this exercise be kept in sight by the teacher; namely, that the pupils are to learn how to record happenings in the actual order of their occurrence. Insist on accuracy.

MA

CHAPTER VIII.

LOCAL GEOGRAPHY.

APS of the surrounding country, farms, bays, islands, etc., within the school region, together with accounts of their productions, will make interesting work for most classes. Streams, springs, hills, and mountains, slope of land, watershed, quarries, forests, lakes, ponds (from the standpoint of their importance to the country), their relation to its climate and productiveness, their relative position, size, altitude, etc., are entertaining topics, easily made intelligible even to very young children, and tending, as do most natural history subjects, to cultivate the habit of observing.

With a weathercock, rain-gauge, thermometer and barometer, all or any one of these, interest in many natural phenomena is easily awakened, and various subjects usually considered in the study of Physical Geography are made somewhat familiar to young children, and the way is open to later and broader knowledge.

Pupils may be appointed weekly, in turn, to take charge of the instruments, and to keep at the same time an accurate record of their read