hings here won't do it; so suppose you read up about
them, so that when anybody asks questions you can answer them, and
understand the matter. I used to like these things myself, and should
enjoy hearing about them now, for I've forgotten all I once knew. It
wasn't much, was it, Jo? Here's Dan now, full of stories about birds,
and bugs, and so on; let him take care of the museum, and once a week
the rest of you take turns to read a composition, or tell about some
animal, mineral, or vegetable. We should all like that, and I think it
would put considerable useful knowledge into our heads. What do you say,
Professor?"

"I like it much, and will give the lads all the help I can. But they
will need books to read up these new subjects, and we have not many,
I fear," began Mr. Bhaer, looking much pleased, planning many fine
lectures on geology, which he liked. "We should have a library for the
special purpose."

"Is that a useful sort of book, Dan?" asked Mr. Laurie, pointing to the
volume that lay open by the cabinet.

"Oh, yes! it tells all I want to know about insects. I had it here to
see how to fix the butterflies right. I covered it, so it is not hurt;"
and Dan caught it up, fearing the lender might think him careless.

"Give it here a minute;" and, pulling out his pencil, Mr. Laurie wrote
Dan's name in it, saying, as he set the book up on one of the corner
shelves, where nothing stood but a stuffed bird without a tail, "There,
that is the beginning of the museum library. I'll hunt up some more
books, and Demi shall keep them in order. Where are those jolly little
books we used to read, Jo? 'Insect Architecture' or some such name, all
about ants having battles, and bees having queens, and crickets eating
holes in our clothes and stealing milk, and larks of that sort."

"In the garret at home. I'll have them sent out, and we will plunge into
Natural History with a will," said Mrs. Jo, ready for any thing.

"Won't it be hard to write about such things?" asked Nat, who hated
compositions.

"At first, perhaps; but you will soon like it. If you think that hard,
how would you like to have this subject given to you, as it was to a
girl of thirteen: A conversation between Themistocles, Aristides, and
Pericles on the proposed appropriation of funds of the confederacy of
Delos for the ornamentation of Athens?" said Mrs. Jo.

The boys groaned at the mere sound of the long names, and the gentlemen
laughed at the absurdity