to those on the pansy may be based upon the following
plants of the garden or field: dandelion, aster, buttercup, nasturtium,
goldenrod. The teacher in preparing the lesson should read a description
of the plant from a Nature Study book and should also study the plant
itself until he is familiar with all the phases of its life.

OBSERVATION EXERCISES ON THE DANDELION

The exercises given below are suggestive for out of school observation
work, but must not be too long. By way of preparation for an exercise of
this kind, the interest of the pupils in the dandelion must first be
aroused.

FIRST EXERCISE

The teacher places the pupils at the school windows from which
dandelions are visible and asks them to name any flower that they can
see. A short conversation about the brightness of the flower follows.

The pupils are next instructed to:

1. Find dandelions late in the evening, and find out how they prepare to
go to sleep and how they are tucked in for the night.

2. Find where the leaves of the dandelion are, and bring a leaf to
school next morning, and also observe how the leaves are grouped or
placed.

_To the teacher._--Dandelion flowers close up in the evening; the green
leaves beneath the head wrap closely around the flowers to form a snug
covering. The leaves have margins with teeth shaped like those of a
lion, and from this the plant gets its name, for the name is the French
_dent de lion_, which is pronounced very much like the word dandelion.
The use of the leaf cluster as a system of rain-spouts for guiding the
rain toward the root should be noted.

SECOND EXERCISE

1. Why is the dandelion easy to find?

2. What makes it easy to find even in long grass?

3. What insect friends visit the dandelion?

4. Find out just how these visitors act during their visits, and find
whether they carry anything to or away from the flowers.

_To the teacher._--The bright yellow colour of the dandelion attracts
attention. When it grows in long grass, the flower stalk grows long, so
that the flower surmounts its obstructions and climbs up to the
sunshine. The flowers are visited by ants, bees, and wasps, and these
may be seen burrowing into the flowers in search of honey. If their
bodies and legs be touched, the yellow pollen of the flowers will be
found sticking to them.

THIRD EXERCISE

1. Look for flower heads that do not open to the sun. Do not disturb
them, but watch them for a few days and find out what