The first question one of the boys asked was, “What is a mammal?” It was explained to the children that a mammal is an animal with a hairy covering, who breathes with lungs, and has warm or quick circulating blood. They have little ones, which when born are not in the form of eggs, like the frogs or birds, but have the same shape as their parents, though smaller and weaker. The mother mammal nurses these little ones with milk secreted from glands, called mammary glands. And that is why they are called “mammals.”

Their instincts are highly developed, and they are considered the highest animals.

Many instances were shown them of the meaning of instinct, as that of the mother bird turning over her eggs every day. In fact, from the first the word was explained in every stage to enable them to know the difference between instinct and reason later on.

There was no one creature taken up this time, but all together, and some pictures were shown them of lower tribes of man, and it was 41decided that man must be classed with the mammals, for he is partly covered with hair, gives birth to young in his own shape, and feeds the young from mammary glands. They were told that there is a mammal, the spiny ant eater, covered with hair, which, however, lays eggs like the birds in nests. They were told about the kangaroo and opossum, who give birth to their little ones very early, and carry them in a pouch until they are able to help themselves. As soon as the little opossum is born, Mother Opossum picks him up in her mouth and places him in her pouch, where he sucks away at the milk which is secreted there, until he is strong and able to get food for himself—which is about the same length of time that other mammals carry their young before giving birth to them.

They were told of the bats and the flying squirrels. They were told that Bobby’s cat must be given a new clean box, or bed; that she must not be handled roughly or chased, because she was going to have little kittens. To the utter astonishment of Bobby’s mother there was a chorus of, “How do you know?” and she realized that she might have omitted a most important piece of information.

They were again reminded of the birds and the undeveloped eggs coming from the ovary of mother bird, which at a certain time become 42ripe for fertilization; of how the father bird at a certain time feels he has developed (since the fertilizing principle within him has developed) so that in coming in contact with the undeveloped egg within the mother’s body, these are quickened into life. The same process goes on with the mammals, but as the instinct becomes more developed as they go higher in the scale of life breeding becomes more complex.

They were told that where in birds the whole egg, shell and all passes out of the mother’s body into the nest, with the mammal the shell becomes a thin skin, which envelops the little one, but remains within the mother’s body until it is grown enough and strong enough to live on the milk from the mother. While it is within the mother’s body it is fed from the blood of the mother, and all the food she eats helps to make the little ones within her strong.

It is of great assistance for a mother to have some knowledge of the processes of assimilation so that the children will learn how the food products in the blood, instead of supplying the mother, go to the child to build up bone, muscle, nerves and tissues.

They were told that as the mammal grows and develops within the body of the mother her shape becomes changed—becomes larger in the region where the new life lies, and that is how 43one could tell that Mrs. Pussy Cat was going to have a family.

It was dwelt upon at great length that it was necessary to know this, because every mother needs protection from worry, excitement, cruelty, overwork, starvation at such a period; that she needed kindness, rest, good food, sunshine, in order that she give the little ones strength and health.

They were told that in smaller animals many more eggs develop at a time and are fertilized but in the larger animals such as cows, horses, elephants, etc., only one egg develops and one animal is born. In man, too, this is true. One egg develops at a time, and if it is fertilized it remains in its little nest (o............