the water out.
The sensitive tip of the bill by which the duck can feel the food.

The feathers, their warmth, and compactness for shedding water. The oil
spread over them during the preening is useful as a protection against
water.

The bill, feet, and feathers should be compared with those of the hen
and goose, and reasons for the similarities and differences should be
discussed.

The uses that people make of ducks and their feathers and eggs; the
gathering of eider-down.

For desk work, make drawings of the duck when swimming, flying, and
standing.

CHAPTER V

FORM I

SPRING

GARDEN WORK

The pupils in Form I cannot be expected to do heavy work, such as
spading plots or making paths. In some cases the larger boys will
undertake to line out the walks and do the spading or digging. Sometimes
it may be best to engage a man to do the spading. In any case the boys
and girls should do the measuring and marking out of the plots. If
stable manure is used in fertilizing the plots, it must be well rotted
and then carefully spaded into the plots. The rest of the work should be
done by the pupils themselves under the direction of the teacher. This
work will include the levelling of the plots with hoes and rakes, and
the trimming of the edges to the exact size of the plots, as determined
by a string drawn taut about the four corner pickets. If the pupils in
this Form have individual plots, each pupil will mark out his drills,
put in the seeds, and cover them. The teacher may give demonstrations in
connection with the work but should not do the work for the pupils.

The teacher must use his own judgment as to what seeds to allow the
pupils to plant. One variety of vegetable and one of flowers is
sufficient for Form I pupils, and it is desirable that large seeds be
chosen for them and such as are pretty sure to grow under ordinary
circumstances. Beans, beets, radishes, or lettuces are suitable as
vegetables, and nasturtiums, balsams, or four-o'clocks as flowers.
These seeds should be planted at least an inch apart in the drill and
the drills, twelve to fifteen inches apart. Large seeds may have an inch
of soil over them and smaller seeds much less. Unless the soil is very
dry, watering should not be allowed, and in any case it is better to
water the plot thoroughly the day before planting the seed instead of
after, as is commonly done. The pupils must not allow a crust to form
over the plot either before the