HINTS FOR INSTRUCTION DURING A WALK.

The Instructor will find means of giving many interesting lessons during a walk. The faculties of his pupils may be exercised in a lively manner, upon the objects around him. The varied appearances of the clouds, of light and shade in the landscape; the meadow and the field; springs and rivers ;-gradations in the animal creation-the labours of the bee-the migration of birds-trees and flowers, all the objects we behold-may be the subjects of improving conversation; bodily exercise, animating recreation may be combined with intellectual instruction. In the spangle of the dew-drop beneath our feet, we have an exhibition of the refraction of light, producing the same appearance of seven-fold colour as in the rainbow, and the prism.

Children may be taught to observe form by comparing the appearances of various stones and pebbles; by means of the diversified leaves of plants; by the curves and inclinations of branches of trees, the outline of hills and mountains. They should be led to notice the lengthened shadows of the evening, all the appearances of nature as they successively present themselves. They may be taught the difference between the appearances of form, and its reality; the former presenting to the eye natural per

spective. Let the pupils first be taught to observe the elements of form in different objects of creation; the point and the line appear every where, in multiplied combinations; the perpendicular line may be exhibited to them in the stem of the fir-tree; the slanting in different branches; the horizontal line in a sheet of water, or in the level of the plain; the curved line in the concave of the sky, and arch of the rainbow. They may be shewn the combinations of these regular forms, and the variations from them, in the directions of the branches of trees: the appearance of the branches interlacing each other will present to them a pleasing picture. A wood affords excellent opportunity for varied instruction; the visible qualities, the time of growth, the names, the uses of the different trees may be the subjects of many conversations. A comparison of the qualities, &c. of the trees may afterwards be made—in examining their different leaves we shall be often struck with admiration, and the time will appear too short for the field which is opened to us.

Lessons on Number might also be given in an interesting manner; children may be led to notice the many trees, the many branches on each tree, the many twigs on each branch, at each step, the numbers being multiplied several times-that the leaves are still more numerous. The mind is thus gradually opened to the con

ception of number, and this is of considerable advantage, both in an intellectual and moral point of view. The faculties become enlarged, and are prepared to take more extensive views of the immensity of God, as manifested in His works. If, for instance, we tell the child, that the earth is so many millions of miles from the sun, will it not have a more just idea of the wonderful fact, from its mind having been previously opened to some view of number? And will it not, from this conception, be led to see more of the wisdom and power of God?

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Neither let us despise the means of instruction as trifling; surely nothing that God has made is to be accounted too small for man to notice; and even in the mode of exercising our intellectual powers, is it not happy to be simple and humble as little children? We may also be allowed to repeat, that the faculty, when once awakened, may be applied to any object, from the simplest to the highest.-Children may often be exercised in number by means of plants. Take, for instance, one of those called umbelliferous; let them count the number of umbels on the plant; then the number of spokes in each of the umbels; next the number of the umbellules; the number of little spokes in each of the umbellules, &c; the pupil may thus, in an easy and amusing manner, be exercised not only in addition, but in subtraction and multiplication, and occasionally in division. His powers of attention and observation will be use

fully called forth; and in the course of his examination he will delight in discovering many minute wonders of the Creator's hand. We will take, as the subject of a lesson, the common plant, called Daucus Carota (wild carrot.*) How many principal stems are there? How many stalks?

How many stalks on this stem? How many on that? Add the numbers.

Take the smaller number from the greater.

There are 2 stems and 12 stalks. Let us begin with the lowest stalk on the right-hand stem: what is this with relation to the whole number of stalks?-[the 12th part.]

Count how many smaller stalks proceed from it.

Retain the number in your mind, or mark on the ground the figures by which we denote it. And on all these little stalks taken together, how many leaves?

Put down the number 50.

On the first stalk how many?-Take 10 from 50, how many remain? On the second how many? Take this number from 40, how many remain? &c.

Now see if you can count all the sub-divisions, in all the leaves on this stalk, taking the leaves separately, and writing down the numbers :then add the numbers together.

Is it difficult to you to count them? Why?

• In order to enter fully into the lesson, it will be necessary to procure a specimen of the plant.

What is required in order to count them?Must you not be very attentive ?-On one of the twelve principal stalks then, which we said were affixed to the two stems of the plant, there are nine smaller stalks; on these smaller stalks taken collectively, 50 leaves; and in these 50 leaves at least 200 sub-divisions.

Add the above numbers together-subtract.

We will now take the next principal stalk on this stem.

How many small stalks are there?-How many leaves?

Count the sub-divisions of one of the seven leaves-of another-of another:-add together these numbers.

Add together the subdivisions of all the leaves :-now tell me how many threes there are in the subdivisions of the first leaf-of these two leaves taken together:-how many fives, &c:-how many threes in the subdivisions of all the leaves? How many fives, &c?

We might proceed thus, through all the principal stalks, smaller stalks, leaves, and divisions of leaves; but what we have done will be sufficient to give some idea of the divisions, and multiplied sub-divisions of the plant.

At another time the umbels of the plant, may be taken for an exercise in multiplication.