Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 06.djvu/455

NATURE STUDY 385 NAUPLIA the conditions in which they are placed survive, propagate, and spread, while the leas fitted die out and disappear; this process being combined with the preser- vation by their descendants of useful variations arising in animals or plants. NATURE STUDY, a course in the elementary schools designed to give the child some acquaintance with the world of nature, centering attention chiefly on trees, birds, and flowers. A study of na- ture has been for a considerable time part of the curriculum of elementary schools, but recently the influence of Horace Mann and his emphasis on "ob- ject study" has largely changed the methods of instruction. Instead of being taught in the formal class-room method, it is now conducted in such a way that the children come in direct contact with natural animals and objects. For this reason the course is most successfully conducted by schools situated in the country or in suburban districts. Walks are taken by the class in company with the teacher to find the birds and flowers appropriate to the season, and the stu- dents are taught first to recognize the varied types of animal and floral life. Frequently the children have in their possession picture books of the various birds with their haunts and characteris- tics given. A very successful method is to encourage rivalry among the stu- dents in being the first to discover cer- tain birds when theyf appear in the spring of the year. As the main ob- jective of the course is to encourage de- light and arouse interest in the natural world, any intensive study of a particu- lar species is out of place. The course is not designed to be an introduction to bio- logy. One very useful product of nature study properly taught has been the dis- appearance of vandalism among the children. The robbing of birds' nests, the destruction of wild flowers and the pestering of wild animal life, considered formerly to be one of the essential ear- marks of a boy, have ceased to exist and have given place to an intelligent enjoy- ment of outdoor life on the part of chil- dren. Civic pride and the cultivation of private flower gardens are also among the valuable by-products obtained from the study. The subject of elementary geography has been largely influenced by the methods .offered in nature study. The student now begins his work by a study by first-hand observation of the trees, rocks, and bodies of water surrounding his home. Maps are drawn of the lo- cality and are tested for accuracy by fre- quent observation trips. Textbooks cov- ering this new type of study are but re- cent appearances, the older type of book being quite valueless. The most widely used books are those by Thornton W. Bui'gess and the Bird and Flower Guides, written by Chester A. Reed. Another useful book and guide is Neil M. Ladd's "How to Make Friends with Birds." NATURE WORSHIP, a generic term to denote a stage of religious thought m which the powers of nature are personi- fied and worshipped. It found its high- est and most beautiful expression in the mythology of ancient Greece. NAUCRATIS, an ancient city of Egypt, in the Nile delta, near the mod- ern village of Nebireh; 47 miles S. E. of Alexandria; existed in the 7th century B. c. It was the only city in Egypt at which the Greeks were allowed to trade; was celebrated for its artistic pottery; and was a center for the worship of Aph- rodite. The site was discovered by Flinders Petrie in 1884, and excavated by him in that and the following year. NAUGATUCK, a town and borough of Connecticut in New Haven co. It is 5 miles S. of Waterbury and on the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad. The city is an important industrial center and has manufactures of india- rubber goods, underwear, iron and cop- per goods, and paper boxes. It contains the Whittemore Memorial Library and the Whittemore Memorial Bridge. It has a handsome high school and other public institutions. Pop. (1910) 12,722; (1920) 15,051. NAUGATUCK RIVER, a river of Connecticut, rises in Litchfield county, runs S. through New Haven county, and enters the Housatonic river at Derby. It is nearly 65 miles long. The chief city on its bank is Waterbury. NAUMBURG (noum'borc), a quaint old town of Prussian Saxony, on the Saale, 30 miles S. W. of Leipsic. Of its six churches, the triple-towered cathedral (1207-1242) is a noble Romanesque and Gothic structure. Prior to the World War the manufactures included ivory carvings, combs, hosiery, toys, wine, etc. The seat of a bishopric (1059-1564), Naumburg suffered much in the Thirty Years' War; in 1814 it came to Prussia. Pop. about 27,500. NAUPLIA, a small fortified town and seaport with an excellent roadstead in the Morea, Greece, at the N. extremity of the Gulf of Argos or Nauplia, 25 miles S. of Corinth. It has naval yards and ordnance works. At an early period it was the port and arsenal of Argos. In