Shells and Sea-Life #272469

IT is well for young people to get acquainted with the crea tures which are living all around them. Birds and bees and squirrels are near neighbors to a great many of us, and they will prove good neighbors or bad neighbors, to a large degree, in accordance with our treatment of them. The same is true of many creatures that are not so well known as birds and bees. It may be necessary, at times, to restrict their numbers, and always to define the limits which they must not pass; and yet, how many people in this world live on bad terms with their neighbors, both brute and human, because they do not take the trouble to become acquainted with their good qualities. A warm, generous heart is a source of pleasure which can not be overestimated; and a narrow, cruel Spirit is a source of untold grief, not only to its possessor, but also to those with whom he comes in contact. The true teacher has a great mission. It is not merely to impart knowledge; far higher than that, it is to develop life, — life that is pure, truthful, honest, loving, and happy. For such a great work the teacher needs all possible aids. We seldom love that of which we have but slight knowledge. It is the aim of this book to assist the teacher in developing the interest of the pupils in a class of animals which is not so commonly studied or so well known as some other classes. If the interest can be awakened, good results are pretty sure to follow.