on a sunny window sill. Compare progress here with that of the shoots outside the window on the trees.

Notice the texture and covering of the tiny leaves as they first appear. A red coloring matter in the epidermis defends the delicate cells of many leaves from the scorching rays of the sun until the protective layer thickens sufficiently to serve this purpose. How limp baby leaves hang down at first! It is to avoid the perpendicular rays of the sun during the hours of their helplessness. A thick coat of fuzz on some serves the same purpose.

Note how many days or hours elapse between the leaf's first appearance, and the casting off of this coat of fuzz; or the assuming of the erect position. How soon after opening does the white flannel leaf of the quaking aspen become shiny and green and stiff? How long does it take the maple to absorb its red pigment, and let the green chlorophyl show itself through the leaf wall? How early in its life does a beech leaf spread to a flat surface its plaited leaf-blade, and cast off those fringes of overlapping hairs that give it that beautiful silvery film when we first see it. This velvety covering of black oak leaves gives the whole tree top in May a glamour of fairyland-a veil of rosy moonlight makes the tree an enchanting sight for a day or two-while the leaves are passing through this period of infancy.

The procession of tree flowers is at its height in May. Oak trees hang full of tassels out of which the wind shakes the pollen a golden dust that sifts on the extended tips of the acorn flowers borne at the bases of new leaves on the same twigs. These are solitary or in pairs as a rule, and small; but anyone who really looks for them can find them without difficulty. See if you can.

Do you find the half-grown acorns on the older-last year's twigs? These are to be found on oak trees of the biennial group, which may be known by the pointed lobes of their leaves. Annual-fruited oaks have rounded lobes on their leaves. No half-grown acorns are found on the latter in spring, for each autumn a crop is ripened and falls off.

Some trees are still asleep even as late as the middle of May. With orchards lost under the snow of bloom, ash and catalpa trees begin to wake and hickories and locusts cast off their lingering bud scales. They usually make up for lost time. Make a close study of the unfolding of the buds of a shagbark hickory this month. You wonder why I get off of the subject of tree flowers to dwell on the details of "vernation?" Trust me for this once. Make the acquaintance of trees in bloom, but remember that the leafy twigs now unfolding before you hold in their myriad palms the destiny of the tree. Flowerbearing is a transient affair. Any failure this year may be repaired a year later. The life of the tree depends on its leafy twigs. Study how these twigs unfold. Behold the exquisite beauty of them! Keep track of the growth and welfare and the dangers that beset a few growing shoots. It is worth

while.

GRASS ENOUGH FOR ALL

Charles Dana Gibson, the artist, was on a visit to the cottage of a friend at Dark Harbor this summer. The cottage was built on the top of a hill, and from it was got a superb view downward over grasslands and gray rocks, and thence out across the broad, silvery bay.

"Whenever I have a spacious view like this," said Mr. Gibson, "I think of a little slum urchin whom I accompanied on his first visit to the country.

"It was years ago. A newspaper was sending the children of the poor to the country for a week. I went with one of the bands in order to make sketches.

"When the train drew up, I helped out a pale, slender lad of about six years. I lifted him into the waiting farm wagon and we jogged off through beautiful rolling pastures — miles on miles of green velvet.

"The little fellow was much excited by the scene. "My!' he exclaimed, 'they must need a lot of cops here.' ""Why so?' said I.

""There's so much grass to keep off of,' replied the child." Imagine to yourselves, country boys and girls, and city boys and girls whose parents can send you to the country, what a

This is one of the months when the children's eyes are open to nature on every side. Everything is attractive, and new life is visible everywhere. Last lesson we tried some birds, and now we will try a nest or two, then some flowers, fishes, etc.

First of all make a few curving strokes with the side of the chalk, accenting as usual with the end necessary to form the outline, as at a, then strokes like b for the eggs. Draw the eggs in the elliptical space left in drawing. See c. Now with the point of the chalk and charcoal add the details as shown in the next drawing, d.

In drawing the second nest try the strokes at e, accenting as before, with the end of the chalk to produce the outline. The details here, as in the first sketch, are now added with the point of the chalk or charcoal.

In drawing the tulips, such strokes as those at a and b in the lower part of the page are necessary. Here again use half or two-thirds of a stick of chalk; accent first with the left end, then reverse the accent as suggested at a. Add to these a few short strokes of the same character for the other petals of the flower. For the leaf try stroke b, then reverse the stroke for the right side of the leaf. Many of the large simple flowers are drawn with these same strokes.

The fishes are very simple to draw, hardly more than the two strokes like that shown at a, being necessary. These same strokes used as at b, will give the foreshortened fish. Add short touches with the side of the chalk for the fins. Teachers have used such an illustration as this in teaching number, reading, nature and various other lessons to little children.

One teacher said, "Let's go fishing." She then drew a number of fishes, wrote a word of the reading lesson under each, then suggested that the children see how many fishes they could catch, in other words, see how many words in the lesson they could read. When all the words had been read the drawing had been erased, as all the fishes were caught.

NOTE-In many localities it is difficult for the teacher to obtain a fish, a bird, or an animal of any sort for the drawing, and these sketches may be used as suggestions for units in the work in design. The children may sketch first from the teacher's drawing, then from memory, then arrange these units in their designs.