How?

Although this book is ostensibly a “boy’s book,”many things which it contains are equally useful to girls;and have been tried by the latter with entirely satisfactoryresults. In fact, it was to afford amusement andoccupation, on rainy Saturdays and during the longvacation, to the children of both sexes in my own family,that the book was first written; and it was only an afterthoughtwhich led me to give it to the public.

Everything it contains has been deduced from my ownexperience or that of some trustworthy friend. While ithas been my aim to meet the wants of children of allages and in every condition of life, I have studiouslyavoided every subject which might be a source of anxietyto the most careful parent.

It is with the hope that this little work may fulfill itsmission in other families where it may be received, ashappily as it has done in mine, that I send it on its way.

• Æolian harp, the, 68
• Air, earth, or the sea?, 244
• Alum, crystals, methods of coloring, 25
• Amusing experiment with tooth-picks, 17
• Animated fire, 26
• Annealing (repoussé), 180
• Antiques and horribles, 230
• Aquarium, the, 186;
  • the author’s freshwater aquarium, 189;
  • trouble of keeping a gold fish globe, 190;
  • plants for fresh-water aquarium, ib.;
  • artificial aeration, 191;
  • salt-water aquarium, 191;
  • preparing rock-work for, 192;
  • minnows, 191;
  • sticklebacks, 195;
  • nest of stickleback, 197;
  • hermit crabs, 198;
  • snails, 199;
  • medusæ, sea-anemones, 200;
  • serpulæ, 203
• ...