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. [Pg viii] [Pg ix] 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 [Pg x] 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 [Pg 1] PART I. PLANT LIFE CHAPTER I. SEEDS AND THEIR EARLY STAGES OF GROWTH. 1. THE STRUCTURE OF SEEDS WITH TWO COTYLEDONS. 1. Preparation of the seeds.—Obtain several seeds of the broad bean, pea, mustard, yellow lupine, vegetable marrow, and sycamore; soak them in cold or slightly warm water until they are soft enough to be cut through easily with a sharp knife. The time necessary will vary with different seeds according to the size of the seeds, and with the temperature of the water. The beans should be left in the water for a few days. When the seeds are soft enough, examine one or two of each, and in the meantime put about six of each (except the mustard) in damp sawdust in a warm place. Put the mustard seeds on damp flannel in a saucer.