Chapter I: Preface

One of the most encouraging of recent educational movements is the increasing importance attached, both in this country and abroad, to what is called Nature-Study. It is evident that the instruction contemplated differs as widely, on the one hand, from the traditional object-lessons on polar bears and ironclads, as it differs from formal Biology on the other. This difference is abundantly shown, not only by the circulars and syllabuses issued by our own Board of Education, but by the publications of the leading educational authorities of Europe and America. The aim of Nature-Study, as thus laid down, is not primarily the acquisition of the facts of natural history: it is rather a training in methods of open-eyed, close, and accurate observation, especially of familiar animals and plants, which shall teach the student to _see_ what he looks at, and to _think about_ what he sees.

It is in a spirit of entire agreement with these views that this book has been written. No previous knowledge of Biology on the part of the reader is assumed, and technical terms have as far as possible been dispensed with. In drawing up the course, I have had in mind throughout the attitude of an intelligent youth of sixteen, and the work will be found to be well within the powers of such a student. Teachers will, however, find no difficulty in adapting the exercises to the needs of younger pupils.

Care has been taken to select, as types for study, animals and plants which are at the same time representative and easily obtainable,[1] and I have been further guided in the selection by the Board of Education Syllabuses of the King’s Scholarship Examination and Section I. of the Elementary Stage of General Biology, the subjects of which are included in the volume. The book has, however, a considerably wider scope than is indicated in these syllabuses, and will therefore, I hope, be found useful not only in schools and training-colleges, and to examination candidates, but also to members of field clubs and to students of natural history generally. It has been necessary to arrange the chapters with some attempt at logical sequence, but it is not supposed that this order will be adhered to in practice; by the aid of the monthly nature-calendar, together with numerous cross-references, it will be found easy to take up the work at any point.

The chapters are divided into sections, each of which consists of two parts: First, precise instructions for practical observations and experiments, designed to exercise the reasoning faculties of the students; and, second, a descriptive portion, in which the meaning and relation of the results obtained are discussed. At the end of each chapter is a number of additional exercises, either original or taken from past examination papers. Of the latter class, questions to which dates are affixed have been set by the Board of Education, while those marked “N.F.U.” are selected from National Froebel Union tests. In many cases, the exercises provide subjects for further observation and experiment, as well as for written description.

Much trouble has been taken in the selection of the illustrations, many of which have been expressly drawn or photographed for this book. Through the kindness of the publishers I have been able to include illustrations from Strasburger’s _Text-Book of Botany_, Parker and Haswell’s _Text-Book of Zoology_, _The Cambridge Natural History_, and other books; and Mr. Ernest Evans has courteously consented to the use of a number of figures from his _Botany for Beginners_. The following illustrations have been prepared from photographs supplied by Mr. J. C. Shenstone, F.L.S., Vice-President of the Essex Field Club: Figs. 27, 57, 65, 67 to 71, 74, 75, 80, 81, 83, 84, 85, 87, 89, 92, 94, 95, 102 to 110, 120, 136, 145, 149, 152 and 153; while Figs. 180, 196, 200, 201, 203, 205, and 211 are reproduced, by permission, from Pike’s _Woodland, Field, and Shore_ (Religious Tract Society).

Finally, I must acknowledge gratefully the continuous help which, at every stage in the preparation of the book, I have received from Professor R. A. Gregory and Mr. A. T. Simmons, B.Sc.—help as valuable as it was generous.

The issue of a new edition has provided the opportunity of adding a section on School Journeys, originally contributed by me as an article to _The School World_, and reprinted here by kind permission of the Editors of that journal. For the illustrative sketch-map (Fig. 237), and for Figs. 19, 21 and 138, I am indebted to my friend Mr. T. D. Tuton Hall.

E. STENHOUSE.

CONTENTS.

_PART I. PLANT LIFE._
CHAPTER PAGE
I. SEEDS AND THEIR EARLY STAGES OF GROWTH, 1
II. HOW A GREEN PLANT FEEDS, 26
III. THE FORMS AND DUTIES OF LEAVES, 37
IV. BUDS. THE HISTORY OF A TWIG, 55
V. HOW STEMS DO THEIR WORK, 67
VI. SOME COMMON FLOWERS, 88
VII. GRASSES, 125
VIII. COMMON FOREST TREES, 140
IX. FRUITS: HOW SEEDS ARE SCATTERED, 165
X. FERNS AND HORSETAILS, 183
XI. MOSSES, MUSHROOMS, AND MOULDS, 199

_PART II. ANIMAL LIFE._
XII. THE RABBIT: A TYPICAL MAMMAL, 211
XIII. HOW A RABBIT LIVES, 222
XIV. SOME OTHER MAMMALS, 246
XV. THE PIGEON: A TYPICAL BIRD, 265
XVI. THE DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION OF THE CHICK, 282
XVII. SOME FAMILIAR BRITISH BIRDS, 301
XVIII. FROGS AND TADPOLES, 332
XIX. THE HABITS AND LIFE-HISTORIES OF COMMON INSECTS, 349
XX. SOME CRUSTACEANS, MOLLUSCS, AND WORMS, 372
XXI. FIELD-WORK. THE SCHOOL JOURNEY, 388
MONTHLY NATURE CALENDAR, 400

_PART I._ PLANT LIFE