base lessons for Form I.

DOMESTIC ANIMALS

Domestic animals not only furnish suitable subjects for observation
work, but also afford good opportunities for developing that sympathetic
interest in animal life which will cause the pupils to more nearly
appreciate the useful animals and to treat them more humanely.

THE HORSE

I

~Introduction.~--By means of a conversation with the pupils, find out what
they know about the horse and lead them to think about his proper
treatment.

~Lesson.~--The matter and method are suggested by the following:

What are the different things for which horses are useful?

What kinds of horses are most useful for hauling heavy loads?

Why are they most useful?

What kinds are the most useful for general farm work? Why are they the
most useful?

What kinds are the most useful for driving?

Are there any other animals that would be as useful as the horse for all
these things?

What causes some horses to be lean and weary while others are fat and
brisk?

What kinds of stables should horses have as to warmth, dryness, and
fresh air?

Why is it cruel to put a frosty bit into a horse's mouth?

When a horse is warm from driving on a cold day, how should he be
protected if hitched out-of-doors?

Why, when he is warm from driving, should the blanket not be put on
until he has been in the stable for a little while?

Correlate with reading from _Black Beauty_.

II

~Preparation.~--I want you to find out some more things about the horse,
but you will understand these things better if you remember that long
ago all horses were wild, just as some horses are wild on the prairies
to-day, and that the habits learned by wild horses remain in our tame
horses.

The teacher should read to the class parts of "The Pacing
Mustang" from Ernest Thompson-Seton's _Wild Animals I Have
Known_, or "Kaweah's Run" from _Neighbours with Claws and
Hoofs_. This will give the pupils a motive for making the
required observations.

~Observations.~--Compare the length of the legs of the horse with his
height.

Of what use were these long legs to the wild horses?

What causes horses to "shy"? Of what use was this habit to wild horses?

In how many directions can a horse move his ears? Of what use was this
to wild horses?

When horses in a field are alarmed, do they rush together or keep apart,
and where are the young foals found at this time? Of what use were these
ha