Page:Anna Chapin--Half a dozen boys.djvu/239

Rh “If you are going to do anything about it, my boys,” said she, “you would much better  start in the right way at the very first, so we  can have a really good collection; and then we  can try to have a full one, of all the insects in  the region. If you must collect, this is better than the barbarous, cruel habit so many boys  have of stealing birds’ eggs, too often nest and  all. The eggs themselves won’t teach you anything about the birds; while from these, you can get some idea of the life and habits of these  little creatures.”

“Just look at this one!” exclaimed Ted, pouncing on one of the two perfect specimens,  a pale green lunar moth. “Oh, dear! There goes one of his wings. What are these fellows so brittle for?”

“That is another thing. You mustn’t handle these specimens or they will break. Now, let us see what we can find out about them.”

And the next hour was spent in a pleasant talk about the form and habits of these tiny  creatures, a talk that the boys never forgot, for  it taught them, for the first time, the great plan  of creation, that develops in each living creature