The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-12-07
ENCOURAGE BOYS TO COLLECT
BUGS AND LIZARDS SAYS SMITH

That is, the naturalist must first show
himself capable of helping himself be-
fore expecting help from others. In do
ing this Mr.. Smith wastes no time or
material on the undeserving. But not
withstanding this strict rule, more
probably on account of it, the interest
in nature study is spreading rapidly
in the state. Already the university
museum has sent out to more than 20
high schools and agricultural schools
sets of specimens from its own dupli-
Gates to supplement the collections
made by the students. And more appli-
tcations for help are pending. Curator
Smith is giving this matter his per-
sonal attention and he frequently
writes letters to the boys and girls
who are showing interest in the work.
The letter below, written recently to
the students of the Tuskegee city
school, tells in Mr. Smiths own way
how he started the great club of young
naturalists in Pittsburg and also what
he hopes to do in conjunction with the
boys and girls of Alabama.
Letter to School Children
University Ala, November %, 1913.
'To the Pupils of the Tuskegee City
School:
'My Dear Young Friends-Professor
Thompson has written so much about
you that I can claim the privilege of
acquaintance. Some time next spring |
hope to visit Tuskegee. Meanwhile as
we are sworn friends and fellow work
ers 1t will be pleasant to have a little
| correspondence. I will begin it by tell
ing a story
Seventeen years. ago I was curator
or the Carnegie museum at Pittsburg.
Most of the work was done in large
room where the collections were stored
and in summer I used to keep the door
1 aTs Ffr
come in, but they were very quiet and
polite and liked to have them there
"One boy, Robert, seemed especially in
terested He would watch me by the hour
as arranged insects or sorted shells and
| fossils; now and then he asked questions
which I was glad to answer One day
| he brought a beetle which he had picked
up nearby. 1t was a very common kind
and I was going to throw it way, but
! the boys eager face made me hesitate
Then an idea struck me. It was a mere
chance thought but was to have bigger
! consequences than either of us could
| imagine.
Robert I said, why don't you start
a collection of beetles?'
''The boys eyes snapped. I'd like tc
| first rate he said. I've got a collection
of postage stamps now, and it's a peach
| Butt I don't know how to make a col
! lection of beetles. I could find them al
| right but | wouldn't know how to pre-
| serve them, nor name the different kinds
nor anything
How to Kill Insects
Why. that's easy enough an
swered. and I showed him how to kill
| the insect quickly in poison bottle; we
put a pin through it-entomologists gen.
orally mount their specimens on pins
and 1 instructed Robert how to arrange
the legs and antennae properly. Then ]
took from my bookshelves a treatise on
the classification of beetles. I was a lit
tie afraid that such dry scientific book
might scare the boy; but not a bit of
it. We worked over the pages for half
an hour and I showed him how to find
the family and then the, genus of his
specimen; We got the specific name by
comparing a named specimen in the mu-
scum collection. Robert and We're learn
ing something. He was learning that nat
uralists never read such works, any more