NELSONS O FIRST SCIENCE READER W^f^ V;*K3^# » i^_ ZFL-ftJNV ^ 1" jLi _ r N Chicago. Cornell IDlniveusit^ Xtbran? OF THE IRew H)ork State College of agriculture j?f r ..&:3a.4. iB.\u\\o 8806 Cornell University Library QH 48.N42 First science reader. 3 1924 003 430 695 The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://archive.org/details/cu31924003430695 FIRST SCIENCE READER BY L. MAE NELSON CHICAGO: A. Flanagan, Publisher. Copyright 1894 Br L. MAE NELSON. INTRODUCTION. I HE true teacher appreciates the place the study of Science holds in our public schools. Nature ap- peals to the impressive and responsive nature of the child. Nothing can better serve to unify our Primary work, than nature studies. The children in our progressive schools are fed, and well fed too, on much science work, in script. , There has been some hesitation in giving this script work, because of the failure to connect the sentences used in science with those found in readers. There has therefore been much demand for a Science reader. It is purposed that this plan will not only cover the long felt need of a simplified science reader, but will be an improvement over the disjointed selections, and non- systematic arrangement of other readers. Thought getting and thought expression are the aims in teaching reading. Learning to read has long been conceded to be something more than mastering the pronunciation and spelling of words. The lessons in this reader are arranged with reference to the seasons of the year. Such science studies as are apt to ill iv INTRODUCTION. - be "taken up" in certain seasons, are treated of in connec- tion with that season's stories. It is hoped that the teacher, into whose hands this book may fall, will not consider that the lessons need be given in consecutive order. The lessons are connected, but not so much so as to bar the child from reading the particular lesson he may find connected with the object he is studying. Hoping this book will be of much service and pleasure to both the teachers and the children, I am, Yours very cordially, L. MAE NELSON. ■* INDEX Page. Spring Time. 1 What Does April Say ? 3 Blackbirds. 5 The Pretty Raindrops. 7 The Birds in the Rain. 9 Home Building. 11 The Willow Twig. 13 The Seeds. 15 The Leaf. 17 The Bird in the Nest. 19 The Oak Leaf. 21 The Maple Leaf. 22 The Frog. 24 Fishing. - 26 Blackberries. 28 The Pine Twigs. 30 The Australian Pine. 81 The White Pine. 32 The Mouse. 33 The Beaver. - 35 The Rabbit. 39 The Rat. 41 The Squirrel. 42 The Kitten and the Mouse. 44 The Eskimo. - 46 The Eskimo's Igloo. - - 48 The Indian. - .... 49 vi INDEX. Page. The Cherry. 51 The Peach. - 52 The Cocoon. 55 The American Silk- worm. 57' The Orange. 59 The Tomato. 62 The Potato. 63 The Busy Bee. 64 The Eagle. 67 The Cow. 68 The Cat. - 71 The Grasshopper. 72 The Bird's Story. - 74 Who Cares for the Birds? 76 The Wind. - 79 September. 80 Autumn. 82 Thanksgiving. 83 The Snow. 85 What Ann Saw. 87 The Frost. 88 Mabel and Fred at Work. 89 The Story Jack Frost Told 90 Supplementary Science Reader. SUPPLEMENTARY SGIENGE READER. '—t>-<3-+-£:~.<>— SPEING TIME. I am glad spring is here. We are tired of the long, cold winter. I think the flowers are all glad that winter has gone, too. Kendall, do you think the trees know that spring is here? 2 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. The buds, that have been asleep so long, are waking up. The birds are coming back. They have been away all winter. The birds and the bright sunshine, will wake up the buds. Will the rain help the buds to open ? Oh yes, the rain will help them. We have some pretty twigs in the school-room. I have some twigs at home. We put the twigs in water. Look at the pussy-willows! They are ready to tell you some- thing. What do they say, Mabel? They seem to say they are glad to see the sunshine. They have been asleep in their little brown houses all winter. The houses are getting too small to hold them now. SPKING TIME. 3 The houses are the little brown buds, that are fastened to the stem. The pussies have lived in their little brown houses all winter. They are glad to come out now. Some pussies are pink and some are white. They soon grow so very large that the little brown house falls off the twig. Watch them grow! They get pret- tier every day. Soon they will turn to catkins. The yellow pollen dust will cover the soft fur. We all like to watch the pussy- willow grow. WHAT DOES APRIL SAY? April seems to be a sad month. The rain falls nearly every day. It is a very cloudy month. 4 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. We wish little April would laugh. It makes us unhappy to see so much crying. The pussy-willows look out of their little brown houses to see what is the matter. They have been in their houses all winter. Do they like the rain? What does the rain do for them? What does the rain do for the seeds? Yes, it helps them very much. BLACKBIEDS. It helps them to open the doors of their little houses. April is not sad. April is happy in helping the buds and seeds. BLACKBIEDS. It is spring time. Did you see the blackbirds? The blackbirds come back to see us in the spring time. They go to their home in the South during our cold winter. They come back to us in large flocks. You can hear their loud song. 6 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. They make their nests in low bushes and among the tufts of grass. In the fall they get together in large flocks and go down upon the farmer's corn fields. They are very fond of corn. Do you think the farmers like the blackbirds? No, the farmer does not like to have them eat his corn. They make their nests of grass, small "twigs and fine roots. What do you think you may find in the nests? You will find some pale blue eggs, spotted with dark brown. These birds are very pretty. They are shy and will not let you go very near them. THE PRETTY RAIN DROPS. THE PRETTY EAIN DROPS. The rain is falling very softly. I like to watch the rain fall. It drops down very slowly to-day. I do not like to see the rain come down fast. L do not like to have the wind blow while it rains. A nice soft rain-fall, like this, makes my plants feel happy. All of my flowers were very thirsty. 8 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. Do you like to watch them drink the water? The water soaks down into the ground. The roots take it in and send it up through my plants. All the little pipes are full of water. The leaves look very pretty and green. The soft rain has washed all the dust off the leaves. The flowers all look very happy. See them nod their little heads. They are not sleepy now. The rain-drops are whispering something to them. What do you think the rain-drops say? I think they say, "Wake up, pretty flowers!" _/ What do you think they say, Maud? I think they say, "Here is a drink for you." THE BIRDfs IN THE RAIN. 9 What do you think the flowers say? The flowers say, "Thank you, thank you, rain drops." Listen to the rain. THE BIRDS IN THE RAIN. > r, tv The little birds will get wet. Do you see them out in the rain? Will their feathers get wet? Do they like the rain? I do not know. Let us watch them. I hear a bird singing in the rain. 10 SUPPLEMENTAKY SCIENCE READER. Are birds always happy when they sing? I do not know. I think they are. Yes, the little birds seem to be happy. Are you always happy when you sing? No, I am not always happy when I sing. I like to sing. I think we ought to try and be as happy as the little birds. Sing, little bird, sing! It is a little blue-bird. Yes, he does not seem to care for the rain. I think he is trying to wake the flowers. The flowers have been asleep all winter. "Where has the blue-bird been all winter? Oh, he has been where it is warmer. HOME BUILDING. 11 The little blue-bird could not live here in the cold winter. He goes away during our cold winter, and comes back again when our spring comes. HOME BUILDING. I see one, two, three little birds. They have straws in their bills. What do you think they will do with the straws? 12 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. Oh ! I know ! They are making nests. Yes, they are building their homes. They are very happy while they work. Do you like to watch the birds build their nests ? They sing and work. One of the little birds is building his nest in the elm tree. I am glad we can watch him. I saw the bird take some thread to the tree. Will he use the thread? With what do the birds build their nests ? We will watch and see. I think the bird uses fine, dry grasses. Ann saw a bird take a leaf in its bill, and fly off with it. Fred says he knows the birds use horse hair in weaving their nests. Did you ever see the birds carry pieces of string in their bills ? THE WILLOW TWIG. 13 What do they do with the string? The string helps to make their nests strong. The little birds work hard. They make their nests strong and soft. THE WILLOW TWIG. < ^KS I have a willow twig. My twig has two layers of bark. The outer layer is darker than the inner layer. The outer layer is smooth and glossy. 14 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER The inner layer is tough and fibrous. The woody part of the twig is inside the bark. The center of the woody part is soft. The soft part is called pith. There are alternate buds on my twig. The buds are very small. Between the buds, on the bark, I see little red spots. Some buds, on the twig, are larger than others. Where are the largest buds? Let us open one of the buds and look at it. See the little leaves. How closely they are put together. The buds are opening. THE SEEDS. 15 The sunshine and rain will soon make the trees look pretty. I think the first green leaves are very pretty. We will watch the buds open. THE SEEDS. The birds are try- ing to wake the seeds and buds. They think the little buds have been asleep long enough. They have been asleep all winter. They will soon open their pretty eyes. The sun is helping to wake the buds, too. We will plant some seeds and watch them grow. 16 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE KEAJDER. What seeds shall we plant ? We will plant some beans, and some morning-glory seeds. What do yon think yon will see first? Will the seed's coat come off? Watch and see. When the little seed begins to wake up, he finds his coat is too small. The little coat breaks open. How does it open? Do you see the coat-button? What makes the little seed grow larger every day? What makes you grow larger every day? The food makes the little seed grow. Tell what the seed's food is. The little seed has many things to tell us. Can you tell what they are ? Let us watch them every day. THE LEAF. 17 THE LEAF. I see a leaf. The leaf is very pretty. The leai is yellow. Some leaves are red and some are yellow. I saw a pretty brown and yellow oak leaf. The maple leaves are very pretty. There are two parts to a leaf. The leaf has a stem and a blade. Some leaves have no stems. Did you ever see a leaf with no stem? 18 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. I have a lilac leaf. My leaf has a yery long stem. Do you see the stem of my leaf ? Pearl's leaf has a long stem, too. The elm leaf has a very short stem. The blade of my leaf is yellow. This is a pretty blade. See the pipes running through the leaves ! There is water in these little pipes. There is a pipe running through the stem to the blade of the leaf. The pipes are called veins. Do you see the veins ? There is a large vein in the middle of the leaf. There are other little veins running into it. This large vein is called the mid- vein. THE BIRD IN THE NEST. 19 Do you see the mid- vein ? We will find the mid- vein in other leaves. THE BIED IN THE NEST. • What kind of a bird is this ? We can almost hear him sing. See the pretty bird near him. He is singing to the bird in the nest. 20 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. The bird in the nest seems to like to hear him sing. Will the bird, that is in the nest, sing? We will watch the birds we see in nests, and see if they sing. Does this little bird stay in the nest all of the time ? The bird is on the eggs. Watch some little bird and see if it stays on the eggs all the time. The birds look very happy. How does the bird on the nest get its food? Soon there will be little birds in the nest. The old birds will fly away and get food for the little birds. Do you like to watch little birds ? Mabel likes to watch them learn to THE OAK LEAF. 21 When the little birds see the pretty flowers they will try to sing. THE OAK LEAP. The oak leaf is very pretty. This leaf has a darker green color than any other leaf. It is long and narrow. The edge of the leaf is broken. ' I like to draw the oak leaf. Do you like to draw leaves ? 22 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. The upper surface of the oak leaf is very glossy. The oak leaf has a mid-vein. There are many other veins run- ning into the mid-vein. If we break the oak leaf from the tree, the leaf will die. Why will it die ? It will die because it has no more water running through its veins. We can keep the leaves a little while after we take them from the tree by putting them in water, but they will not live long. THE MAPLE LEAF. This is a maple leaf. The maple leaf is very pretty. The maple leaf is not so long as the oak leaf. THE MAPLE LEAF. 23 The maple leaf is not broad like the geranium leaf. The edge of the geranium leaf is not so much broken. The maple leaf has a very pretty shape.. The stem is long and is of a light green color. The leaf blade is two shades of green It is a light green underneath and a dark green on the upper surface. The surface of the leaf is very smooth. 24 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. The upper surface is glossy. The leaf has many ribs or veins. What are they for ? The veins are full of moisture. Break one of them and see what is in it. There is one large vein running through the middle of the leaf. What is this vein called ? THE FROG. The color of the frog's body is een. The frog's body is broad and short. green THE FEOG. 25 The frog has two bright eyes. How many feet has the frog ? It is web-footed. It moves by swimming and hopping. People eat frog's legs. The frog breathes through its nose. The frog swallows the air. The frog eats bugs, flies and worms. Frogs live in the water most of the time. Can you make a noise like the frog? Do you like to hear the frogs sing? 26 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. FISHING. This little boy's name is Harry. Harry is a very good little boy. One day his mamma said he might go to the brook and catch some fish. Harry has a long fishing pole and some strong string. He uses the string for his fishing line. Do yon think he has a fish hook? Yes, I think he has a bright, new fish hook. Harry has a tin pail with him. What has he in the pail ? I think he has water in the pail. Archie thinks he has worms in the pail. FISHING. 27 Yes, he has worms in his pail. What are the worms for ? The worms are his bait. Harry will put some bait on his fish hook and then let it go down into the water. What will the fish do when they see the bait ? When the fish see the bait they will bite it. When the fish bites the bait it gets caught on the sharp hook. What will Harry do then? He will pull the fish line out of the water and take the fish off the fish hook. When Harry takes the fish off the fish hook he will put it on a string. Did you ever go fishing, Clara ? Oh yes, I had a good time. I did not catch one fish. How many fish do you think Harry caught ? 28 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. BLACKBERRIES. We are going to pick berries to-day. Oh ! Are you % Do let me go, too ! I have never been out where the berries grow, Frank. Oh! Mary, how funny! We -go every year when the berries are ripe. I will ask mamma if you may go with us. Maybe your mamma would like to go, too. Run quick, and ask her, Mary. Frank thought it very strange that Mary had never picked berries. BLACKBERRIES. 29 Mary has always lived in the city. This is her. first visit to the country. She is very happy and wants to see everything. She loves the country very much. Here she comes back, ready to go. Her mamma said she might go and help pick berries. You can see them in the picture. Mary is very much pleased with berry picking. She has her pail nearly full. Do •you like to pick berries ? What kind of berries do you think they are gathering % Yes, they are black-berries. They are nice, large black-berries. Do you like berries ? What kind of berries do you like best? 30 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. THE PINE TWIGS. I have a pine twig. The pine twig has a brown bark. Do you see the pine needles ? Yes, the pine needles are green. I think they are a very pretty green. We think the needles are very pretty. Mabel says they are "Fairies'" needles. Will the needles' sharp points hurt the Fairies? AUSTRALIAN PINE. 31 THE AUSTRALIAN PINE. The Australian Pine has two needle- leaves in a sheath. The needle -leaves are long, sharp and stiff. They are dark green, and glossy. Each needle-leaf has two faces. One face is plane, the other is curved. The plane faces grow facing each other in the sheath. 32 SUPPLEMENTAKY SCIENCE HEADER. The sheath is brown and rough. I think the sheath holds the leaves together and fastens them to the branch. THE WHITE PINE. The White Pine has five needles in a sheath. The needles are triangular. They have plane faces. They are dark green. They have sharp points. The bunches of needles look like tassels. THE MOUSE. 33 There is a little bud in the middle of each bunch. The needles are the leaves of the tree. THE MOUSE. What can a little mouse do ? A mouse can see. The mouse has two bright eyes. A mouse has two sharp ears. A mouse can hear very well. Its little ears stand up and it can hear the least sound. A mouse has four feet and a long, cylinder-like body. 34 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. The mouse can smell well, too. Its mouth seems very small. The mouse has teeth like the rat's and the beaver's. The four front teeth are long and sharp. They are used for gnawing. A mouse gnaws holes through wood to get what it wants. Did you ever hear a mouse gnaw- ing wood ? They make a very funny noise. Sometimes you may hear them gnaw- ing in the night. Did you ever see a hole that a mouse had gnawed ? A mouse is called a "G-nawer." The mouse belongs to the same family as the squirrel, beaver and rat. The little mouse is a very knowing animal. THE BEAVER. 35 THE BEATER. The beaver is a very timid animal. The beaver is about two or three feet long and one foot high. It is covered with brown hair. Its eyes and ears are small. Its nose is blunt.. The beaver has very strong, sharp 36 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. teeth. The teeth are like the teeth of the rat and squirrel. The four front teeth are very long and sharp. These teeth are called incisors. The back teeth are used for grinding their food. The beaver has a very queer tail. It is long and flat. It looks like the blade of an oar. The beaver uses his tail, as a mason uses his trowel. It looks somewhat like a trowel. There is no hair or fur on it. It is covered with scales. The beaver has four feet. The' hind feet of the beaver have thin skin between the toes. This shows us that he can swim. Beavers always build their houses near a stream of water. They make a dam across the stream. The dam is made of stones, branches THE BEAVER 37 of trees and clay. The beavers build their dams very neatly. They cut the trees down with their sharp teeth. When they get the branches of the trees and the stones where they want them, they plaster the dam with clay. Why do they plaster the dam? They plaster the dam so that the sticks and stones will stay where they place them. The water would wash the dam away if the sticks and stones were not firmly held. The beavers lay the clay on the dam with their broad, flat tails. They smooth the clay over the branches and stones with their tails. The beavers never live or work alone. They build many houses near to- 38 SUPPLEMENTAL SCIENCE READER. gether. They make a little "Beaver Town." The houses are built of mud, sticks and small branches of trees. . The houses are several feet high and very thick. There are two rooms in a beaver's house. One room is under the water. This is their store-room. The other room is above the water. The floor of the room above the water is cov- ered with soft moss. This is their living room. They put their food for the winter in their store-room. The bark from wood, which they gather, supplies their food. The beaver is a very busy little animal. THE RABBIT. 39 THE RABBIT. See the pretty rabbits. They are very white. What are their names ? Fred calls one Bunny and the other Dot. They are very tame. Fred calls them and they come to him. They have pretty pink eyes. They hold their ears straight up ? as if they were listening. They are very fond of clover. Do you know what rabbits like best? 40 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. Yes, they like cabbage leaves best. The rabbit belongs to the same family as the rat, beaver and squir- rel. You know what family that is ? The family of gnawers. The gnawers are sometimes called rodents. What kind of teeth have the rodents ? A rodent must have four sharp front teeth for gnawing What did you ever see a rabbit gnaw? Are the rabbit's fore legs and hind legs the same length ? Can you tell me why ? How does the rabbit move ? THE RAT. 41 THE EAT. 2El Ir: "V 1 The rat has a long, cylinder-like body. Its body is covered with coarse hair. The hair is gray or dark brown. The rat has a pointed head. The nose is sharp. The rat can smell well. The rat has two pointed ears. The rat's teeth are like the squir- rel's teeth. The four front teeth are long, sharp and pointed. They are used for gnawing. 42 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER What other animals gnaw? The four front teeth are called incisors. The teeth used for grinding the food are called molars. The molars are very strong. The rat has four short legs. There are claws on the feet. How many toes has a rat ? The rat has a long, scaly tail. What does the rat use its tail for ? The rat and the mouse are very much alike. THE SQUIRBEL. I see a squirrel. Does he not look pretty % The squirrel can climb a tree very quickly. It has long, sharp claws. THE SQUIKREL. 43 The squirrels are very busy now. They are gathering nuts. What will they do with the nuts ? They will store them for winter use. The squirrel is a very wise little animal. ^7/& - -*s£ir-s3^ Can you tell me to what family the squirrel belongs % Yes, it belongs to the rodent family. They have incisors and molars. What do they use their incisors for ? 44 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. What do they use their molars for ? The squirrel has a long, bushy tail. The squirrel is light brown in color. THE KITTEN AND THE MOUSE. See the kitten and the mouse. The mouse seems to think the kitten will catch it. Will the kitten catch the mouse '? No, the kitten is not trying to catch it. The mouse was in a shoe. THE KITTEN AND THE MOUSE. 45 It was an old, black shoe. The shoe had a hole in the toe. When the little mouse heard the kitten, it ran ont through the hole in the toe of the shoe. It is a very pretty kitten. See the ribbon around its neck ! The kitten is standing on its hind paws. It is looking into the shoe. The shoe has five buttons on it. The mouse has four paws. I see the mouse's four paws and two of the kitten's paws. Four paws and two paws are — paws. I am glad the kitten did not hurl the mouse. Do you think the mouse will go into the shoe again ? 46 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. THE ESKIMO. The Eskimos live in the far North. It is very cold where they live. It is so cold there trees cannot grow. There is snow on the ground all the time. We could not live there. The Eskimos do not feel the cold as we do. They are used to it. The Eskimos could not live here THE ESKIMO. 47 and dress as we do. It is too warm here for them. They wear clothing made from the skin of the seal and the bear. The Eskimos are not very tall. They have round faces and brown skin. Their eyes are small. The nose is broad and almost flat. Their hair is straight and black. The Eskimo babies are white. They grow brown as they get older. The Eskimos are very untidy. They never wash. They do not know the use of soap. They eat the meat of the seal and the bear. They like fat meat. Their candy is like our tallow. They eat with their fingers. 48 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. When they finish eating they rub their oily hands on their faces. They look very stupid. The Eskimos have no schools. They live very happily together. They are very kind to each other. We will learn more about them. THE ESKIMO'S IGLOO. This is the Eskimo's home. The Eskimo's home is called an igloo. THE INDIAN. 49 The igloo is made of snow and ice. It looks like a bee-hive. Some igloos have no windows. It has an opening near the ground. This opening is their door. The Eskimo crawls into his igloo. There is a shelf of ice inside the igloo. They sleep on this shelf. It is covered with the skins of the bear or seal. They eat from this shelf, too. It serves them as bed and table. The igloos are very small. THE INDIAN. The Indians are a copper colored people. They are usually large. The Indian has high cheek bones. 50 SOPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. The Indian has long, straight, black hair. The Indian has black eyes. The Indian women are called squaws. The children are called papooses. The Indians are very fond of hunting. They are fond of fishing, too. THE CHERRY. 51 Did you eyer see an Indian ? The Indian is kind and good when he is well treated. Mr. Longfellow wrote a pretty story about the Indian. Do you know the story of "Hia- watha" ? THE CHEEEY. ^ oS&Ufl George is in the tree. It is a cherry tree. Do you see the cherries? Nat and May are on the ground. What is Nat doing ? 55J SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. He is eating the cherries he has gathered. May is waiting for George to drop some cherries down to her. What do you think she will do when she gets them ? The cherries are very ripe. They are large cherries, too. Cherries are a very pretty fruit. The cherry has a long stem. The cherry is almost a sphere. It is a stone fruit. We will read more about it sometime. THE PEACH. The peach is ovoid. The peach has one dimple and one point. The peach has a stem. The peach is red and yellow. THE PEACH. 53 It is covered with a fine, soft fuzz. The fuzz looks like fine hair. What is the fuzz for ? Does the fuzz keep the peach warm ? The fuzz covers the pretty skin. The skin is very thin. The peach has two creases. The creases run from the dimple to the point. The peach has a curved surface. The skin covers the pulp. The pulp is soft and juicy. The juice is very sweet. The pulp is good to eat. 54 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. Do you like the pulp ? There are little fibers running through the pulp. The fibers look like fine white threads. The pulp is yellow- There is a stone in the pulp. The peach is a stone fruit. The cherry is a stone fruit. The plum is a stone fruit. There are other stone fruits. The stone fruit has its seed, in a stone, in the pulp. Can you name other stone fruits ? The stone is the little house the seed lives in. The peach stone has a point and a dimple. THE COCOON. 55 The point is very sharp. The surface of the peach stone is very rough. What is the stone .good for % It holds the little seed. All stone fruits are called drupes. THE COCOON. I see a box. Do you see the pretty box ? Yes, my red hat is in the black box. The box has a surface. The box has four corners on each side. 56 SUPPLEMENTAEY SCIENCE EEADER. We will call the sides of the box faces. How many faces has the box ? The box has six faces. How many faces has the cube ? The cube has six faces, too. Have you a box with six sides or faces ? The black box is larger than my box. Ethel put some leaves in the box. She put willow leaves in the box. The willow leaves are long and green. Harold put something in the box, too. What did he put in the box ? Do you see the American silk- worm? Harold put the American silk- worm in the box. AMERICAN SILK-WORM, 57 " The American silk-worm likes wil- low leaves. AMERICAN SILK-WORM. I see an American silk- worm. The silk-worm is green. The silk-worm likes willow leaves. Mabel found the silk- worm on the willow tree. The willow tree grows near Mabel's home. Mabel brought the silk- worm to school. 58 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. W e put the silk- worm in a box and gave it some willow leaves to eat. The silk-worm likes willow leaves best. It will not eat lilac leaves. Bid you watch the silk- worm eat ? The silk- worm has a head. I saw the silk-worm's eyes. Can the silk- worm see ? Yes, Clarence thinks the silk-worm can see. Martha, have you an American silk- worm ? Yes, I am watching it spin its cocoon. The silk-worm makes a large cocoon. THE OKANGE. 59 THE OKANGE. I see an orange. Do you see the orange, Nellie ? Yes, I see the large orange. The orange is spherical. The orange can roll. The orange is orange color. Ann, do you see the large orange ? Yes, the orange is on the table. Mabel brought the orange to school. The orange has a curved surface. 60 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. The orange skin is very thick. Do you see the little holes in the skin? Yes, there is oil in those little holes. John made the oil burn. The inside of the orange skin is white. Some orange skins are thicker than others. Orange skin is not good to eat. The pulp of the orange is good to eat. I like the pulp. The pulp of the orange is spherical, too. The pulp has a curved surface. There are creases on the outside of the pulp. The pulp is juicy and sweet. The pulp is very soft. There are fibers in the pulp. THE ORANGE. 61 The fibers look like thread. The little fibers are white. The pulp is yellow. The pulp is divided into seg- ments. The segments look like the new moon. Each segment has one curved and two plain surfaces. The seeds are inside the segment. The seeds are very small. The seeds are white. How many seeds did you find in your orange, Ned? I found nine seeds in my orange. Mary found seven seeds in hers. The seeds are not good to eat. They taste very bitter. What shall we do with the seeds ? We will plant them, and see what they will do. 62 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE HEADER. What do you think will happen to them, Harold? We will watch and see. THE TOMATO. I see a tomato. *. Have you a tomato ? Yes, I have a red tomato. The tomato has a curved surface. The surface of the tomato is very smooth. The tomato has two dimples. The stem dimple is larger than the blossom dimple. THE POTATO. 63 Where are the creases ? The creases run from one dimple to the other. The tomato skin is very thin. We can see the light through it. The skin is translucent because we can see light ofly through it. The tomato skin is thin, smooth, red and translucent. THE POTATO. I have a potato. The potato has brown skin. It is an old potato. The skin is very thin. 6i SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE HEADER. The potato has a curved surface. The potato has eyes. Can the potato see ? No, the potato can not see. Do you see the pulp ? The pulp is white. The pulp is good to eat. It is hard and juicy. When the potato is cooked the pulp is soft. The potato grows under the ground. THE BUSY BEE. The bees are very busy workers. They seem to work all the time. Do you think the bee ever rests ? He is always working in the day time. Do all of the bees work? THE BUSY BEE. 65 We will watch them and find out. The bee's home is called a hive. The bees live in their hives all. winter. When the spring comes we can hear the bees buzz. Are you afraid of the bee % A bee will not hurt you if you let it alone. If you try to hurt the bee it may sting you. Let us be kind to the bee. 66 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. What is a bee good for ? A. bee makes honey. Do you like honey? How does the bee make honey ? They find the sweet honey in the pretty flowers. Do all the flowers have honey in them? No, but the bee knows which have honey and which have not. They put their heads into the flow- ers and draw the honey out. Have you seen them gather honey ? When they get a load of honey they take it home to their hives. They gather the honey for food. We take the honey from the bee- hive. THE EAGLE. THE EAGLE, 67 The eagle is a large, strong bird. It has very large wings. The eagle flies very high. It builds its nest in the highest trees, or on the tops of the highest mountains. The eagle's claws are very strong. The eagle has been known to carry away rabbits in its claws. " 68 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. The eagle has a very strong beak. I never saw a bird with a stronger beak. The eagle eats flesh. It tears rab- bits and other small animals to pieces to feed the little eagles. Would yon like to have an eagle ? JSTo, I think it would be very un- happy if it were kept in a cage. THE COW. See Fannie at the fence. Fannie has come to see her Aunt Maggie. She has always lived in the city. Aunt Maggie lives in the country. Fannie likes to visit her Aunt Maggie. She sees very strange things in the country. THE COW. 69 She likes to play out in the grass. One day she picked a big. bunch of daisies for Aunt Maggie. Aunt Maggie likes daisies and she likes to have little Fannie with her. What do you see on the other side of the fence ? I see a cow. Yes, this is a picture of Aunt Maggie's cow. Do you think Fannie ever saw a cow before ? 70 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER No, I do not think she did. See how she looks at it. Do you think she is afraid of it ? Yes, I think she is. She likes to look at the cow. If the cow comes too near her I think she will run. The cow has two horns. The horns are sharp Will the cow hurt anything with its horns ? What are the horns for % Do you see the cows eyes ? The cow has very pretty eyes. The cow looks very good and kind. Tell something about the cow. Are the cow's ears like the rab- bit's ears ? The cow moves its mouth all the time. THE CAT. 71 Do you know why it moves its mouth all the time ? Find out more about the cow. What name shall we give this cow? THE CAT. The cat is a very common animal. Have you ever looked at a cat carefully ? Do you know why the cat has such soft paws ? 72 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE EEADER. The cat can walk and run very softly. How many toes has the cat on its front feet? Do you know how many it has on its hind feet ? Some cats seem to know a great many things. Cats can hear, smell and see very well. ■m THE GKASSHOPPER. The grasshopper lives in the grass. The grasshopper hops and flies. What are grasshoppers good for ? The grasshopper has two pairs of wings. The outside wings are thicker than the inside wings. What are the wings used for ? THE GRASSHOPPER. 73 The grasshopper has three parts to its body. The head, thorax and abdomen are the parts of the body. The head is tri-angular in shape. Can you find the grasshopper's mouth ? Look at its lips. Tell something about them. Did you watch the grasshopper eat? 74 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. The grasshopper has two large compound eyes. There is a small eye under each compound eye. Do you see another eye? .Yes, there is one small eye in the middle of its face. How many eyes has the grass- hopper ? The grasshopper can see very well. Let us be kind to the grasshopper. THE BIED'S STOKY. See these two little birds ! What bright eyes they have. They are talking to each other. Do you know what they are saying ? If we could understand bird's lan- guage we might know. I think they THE BIRD'S STORY. 75 are two young birds. They have not been out of their nests many times. I think they are tired and want to go home. Edith and Sadie watched them for a long time. At last Edith said, "I wonder if they can fly?" "Why yes," said Sadie, "don't you see their wings ? " Edith thinks they are not strong enough to fly far. 76 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. They are resting now and soon they will fly back to their nest. By and by they will be big, strong birds. Next time they fly away I think they will not go so far from the nest. WHO CAKES FOR THE BIEDS? God cares for the birds. Yes, in the summer time the birds ,can gather food very easily. The birds eat fruits and small in- sects. In the winter time some birds go where it is warmer. Some birds are with us all winter. Where do they get their food in the winter time ? WHO CAEES FOR THE BIRDS. 11 Grod makes good little girls and boys think of the birds. Did you ever think of the birds, in the winter, and put food out on the snow for them? Would the birds live if somebody did not put food out on the snow for them? 78 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. You can teach the birds that live near yon, to watch for food. If you put food in the same place every morning, the birds will come there for it. Here is a picture of a- kind little boy. He is sharing his food with the birds. What kind of a bird is this a pic- ture of? It is not afraid of the boy. The birds know when little boys and girls are kind to them. Let us think of the birds when the snow is on the ground. We must think of them at other times, too. THE WIND. 79 THE WIND. The wind talks very loudly this ^morning. I do not like to hear it make so much noise. Where does the wind come from? I have never seen it. I have looked and looked, but I can not find it. I can see what it does. 80 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. The wind blew my hat off; it rolled away, but I could not see the wind. The wind made John's kite fly. Paper and leaves move in the way that the wind blows. It is strange we can not see the wind when it makes so much noise. SEPTEMBER. We are glad to come back to school. SEPTEMBER. 81 Do you see the picture of our new school house ? We are proud of our school house. We will try to do our very best in every way this year. What can we say of the month of September ? May has a bunch of golden-rod. Grandpa is picking his peaches. The bees are gathering honey. They are getting ready for winter. How brown the grass is. The maple-leaves have put on their red dresses. The snow-birds are coming to spend the winter. Dick found a caterpillar under the oak tree. We put him in a box and fed him with oak-leaves. SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. Pumpkins are ripe. Hear the tree frogs call for rain. AUTUMN. It is Autumn now. The wheat is getting ripe. All fruit that is not ripe is ripening now. Do you like the Autumn % May thinks it is a sad time. Why, do you know? THANKSGIVING. 83 It is sad to see the leaves fall oil the trees and to see the grass turn yellow. Yes, but the leaves are very pretty , now. Listen to the wind. It is talking to the leaves. They are going to play with the wind. When they get tired playing they will go to sleep. The snow will come soon to cover them and keep them warm. THANKSGIVING. This is Thanksgiving time. The birds are thanking Grod, too. The little birds are always thankful. They seem to be happy at all times. Hear them sing! It seems that 84 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. all that music could not be made by birds. Each bird tries to do his best. How pretty the little birds are ! They help to make this world happier. We will miss them when they go away this winter. Where do they go? They go where it is warmer. We must treat them well while they are here, so THE SNOW. 85 they will come back again. What can we do to help them? We can give them food every day. What kind of food shall we give them? Watch the little birds and they will tell you. Try them with crumbs. Feed them every morning. THE SNOW. Oh! See the snow! Where did the snow come from ? 86 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. It is all over the ground. I think the snow fell from the sky, Mary Oh, Yes! See the clouds! The clouds look like white sheep. The snow is whiter than sheep's wool, Ned. Yes, but when the snow is up in the sky it looks whiter than it does here. Can you think of anything as white as the snow % The snow is very white and soft. I call my kitty &£& Snow-white, • be- cause her fur is so soft and white. . Her fur is not as white as snow. WHAT ANN SAW. 87 WHAT AM SAW. Charlie is very kind to his sister Ann. He takes her to school every morning and waits for her at night. In the winter time he lets her ride on his sled. Ann fell from the sled one morn- ing, when Charlie was running. She did not get hurt. When Charlie saw that she had fallen he went to help her on the sled again. Ann's black shawl was covered with snow. Ann said, "Do look, Charlie, see the pretty stars ! Did you ever put a snow flake on something black and look at it ? Try it some day." 88 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. THE FROST. Did yon see what Jack Frost did last night? Come and look at the window. Oh ! See the funny things ! I see a tree. One, two, three, four, five trees. See the fence! It will fall down. I see a Fairy. The Fairy is near a little lake. MABEjl AND FEED AT WORK. 89 How did Jack Frost make the pictures, Mamma? May I watch him work to-night ? Yes, you may watch Jack Frost work to-day. He works all day during cold weather. MABEL AND FEED AT WORK. What are you doing children? We are helping Jack Frost. 90 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. Mamma said we might help him. How are you helping him? Don't you see ? Fred made a fire and put some water on the stove in this tea-kettle. When the water boils we will let the steam, that comes from the tea- kettle, go on the window pane. What makes the steam come from the tea-kettle? When the steam gets on the glass Jack Frost makes pictures with it. Does Jack Frost make pictures in the summer time ? THE STORY JACK FROST TOLD. Mamma, see what'we have done! Why, Mabel, what is this ? Fred and I have been helping Jack Frost. THE STORY JACK FROST TOLD. 91 How did you help him ? We made the fire that boiled the water, that made the steam, that Jack Frost worked with. Well, that sounds like a story I once heard. What story, Mamma ? Do tell us a story. 92 SUPPLEMENTARY SCIENCE READER. The story you made me think of was, "The House That Jack Built." Who? Jack Frost? * Please tell us a story of Jack Frost. Well let us look at the window and s-ee what he is doing. He is telling you a story, him- self. He talks very softly. You must watch and think while he talks. Many little Fairies are talking to us, if we but watch and listen. Jack Frost says, "It is colder out here than where you are. Jack Frost likes the cold. See the pretty story he is painting! I see an Indian's wigwam and two Indians. See the trees ! There is a road. I see a little lake, too. THE STORY JACK FROST TOLD. 93 I think that the Indians have been fishing. I wish that all the littleboys and girls would look for Jack Frost's stories. 4V 1 ^W^[ mt4%f/ ;r IP m