Author: Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club

Publisher: Forgotten Books

Published: 2016-12-23

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 9781334749568

Excerpt from The Ottawa Naturalist, 1915-1916, Vol. 29 The introduction of nature study in our schools and the general interest that has been awakened in allied subjects of late years has not, to date, entirely fulfilled the results expected of it. In fact, reliable observers of ornithological phenomena, both in Canada and the United States, are, perhaps, fewer to-day both numerically and in proportion to population than they were a generation ago. An elementary introduction to nature in our schools has failed to awaken any serious interest in natural problems. General and elevating interest in nature may be more widespread to - day but no ornithologist of marked ability has found his or her avocation or has been developed through these means. Whether this has been the fault of methods pursued, or causes more deep seated, the writer cannot tell Certainly if, a generation or so ago, when the opportunities for learning even the rudiments of natural history were few and difficult to obtain, naturalists were developed at all, we should expect that to-day when the subjects are taught in every public school and the introduction to the study is almost forced upon large num bers of people, the percentage of serious and enthusiastic workers would be greater. These are the facts, the causes of the ap parent failure must be left to pedagogs to argue over. Does it not seem that Canada has reached that stage in its development where it can take its rightful position in the world as well along ornithological as in other lines? For many years the Geological Survey of Canada has de voted what attention its limited staff could spare from its numerous other activities towards gathering Dominion ornitho logical data and there have been a few private investigators that have been observing and noting with commendable industry. With the broadening out of the work of the Geological Survey and its Museum, great impetus should be given to bird work in Canada. Museums are also being started or rejuvenated in the various provinces and the time seems ripe for a general wakening of interests in zoological subjects To call attention to our shortcomings in data and workers it seems advisable to outline a few fruitful fields of endeavour that can be worked by various individuals whose tastes incline in that direction. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.