The Wren and her Nest
LESSON XIII.
THE LITTLE WREN.
1. One of the prettiest birds that fly about our doors in summer is the friendly little wren. It makes its home near the house, and its glad song can be heard throughout the whole day.
2. One kind of wren builds its nest under the eaves, as shown in the picture; but the common house-wren builds in almost any hole it can find in a shed or stable.
3. They have been known to choose an old boot left standing in a corner, an old hat hanging against the wall, and one time a workman, taking down a coat which he had left for two or three days, found a wren's nest in the sleeve.
4. The wren flies low, and but a little way at a time. Its legs, like most of the singing birds, are small and weak, and it does not walk, but when on the ground it goes forward by little hops.
5. It flies with a little tremor of its wings, but without any motion of its body or tail. While its mate is sitting, the father wren will flutter slowly through the air, singing all the time.
6. The mother wren lays from six to ten eggs, and hatches them out in ten days. The young birds are naked of feathers, and seem to have only mouths, which open for something to eat.
7. The old birds are busy in bringing the young ones worms and insects, until they are old enough to fly. In this way a single pair of wrens will destroy many hundred insects every day.
8. The wren quarrels with other birds if they try to build nests too near it. It will often take the nest of the martin or bluebird when the owner is away, and hold on to it.
9. At one time a wren was seen to go into the nest which a pair of martins had just finished. When the martins came back, it beat them off. The martins kept watch, and, when the wren was out, they went back into their box, and built up a strong door, so the wren could not get in.
10. For two days the wren tried to force its way in; but the martins held on, and went without food during that time. At last the wren gave up, and built a nest elsewhere, leaving the martins in quiet possession of their own nest.
LESSON XIV.
THE SINGING THRUSH.
1. The thrush is one of our best singing birds. It does not come near the house, like the wren, but it builds its nest in thickets and quiet places, where it is not liable to be disturbed.
2. It lives on berries and insects. It is a shy bird; but in the edge of the wood its song may be heard often during the day, becoming more frequent toward evening.
3. The mother bird lays from four to six eggs, and both father and mother sit on the eggs and take care or the young.
4. The thrush is double the size of the wren, and nearly all the kinds are brown in color, some having their wings tipped with red or yellow.
5. The brown thrush, or brown thrasher as it is sometimes called, is bold and strong, and when a cat or fox comes prowling about near its nest it flies at him so savagely that he is glad to get out of the way.
6. It is not afraid of hawks, and it has a special spite against snakes that come around to rob its nest. When it sees a snake, it flies at him with great rage, and kills him or drives him off.
7. The hermit thrush lives in the dark, thick woods, and many people think its song, which is heard in the evening twilight, is sweeter than that of any other bird.
LESSON XV.
ROBIN-REDBREAST.
1.
"O Robin, Robin-Redbreast, O Robin, Robin dear!
O Robin sings so sweetly in the falling of the year!"
So says the old song, but Robin sings just as sweetly all the summer long.
2. The robin is better known than most birds. It comes earliest in the spring, and goes away late in the fall. It builds its nest near houses, and every day flies about the garden and yard, picking up such crumbs as may be thrown to it. It is the special favorite of children.
3. It is three times as large as the wren. Its color is a dark olive-gray above, with a red breast. Its head and throat are streaked with black and white.
4. It has a pleasant, home-like little song, and its notes vary with the weather, being much more joyous on bright, warm days.
5. The English robin is about half the size of ours, but has the same gray coat, and a somewhat redder breast.
6. It lives about yards and gardens, and wakes people up in the morning with its charming little song. It does not like to have other birds, or cats, come too near its nest; and when they do, it flies at them with great rage.
7. When the robin has once built its nest it is not easily driven away. Once, a wagon loaded for a journey was left standing a few days in a yard. Under the canvas covering of this wagon a pair of robins built their nest.
8. After the wagoner started, he found the nest, with the young just hatched. The old birds went along, taking turns in brooding the young ones and in flying about for worms.
9. The wagon went a hundred miles and back, and, by the time it came back to the place of starting, the young birds were pretty well grown. You may be sure that the wagoner did not let any one disturb the birds on the route.
10. One spring a pair of thrushes were seen about the garden of a country house. One of them seemed ill, and could hardly get about. It would hop a little way, and then stop, too tired to go farther.
11. Her mate took good care of her. He got her into a safe place in a tree, brought her worms and insects, and cheered her with his music.
12. In the course of three or four days she got better; and one day, when he came with her dinner, she flew a little way to meet him, and in a short time they went off together, each singing a joyous song.
LESSON XVI.
THE BLACKBIRD AND THE CAT.
1. The English blackbird is about the size of our robin. It is a cousin to the thrush, and sings a sweet little song.
2. It builds its nest in trees and hedges near houses, and all day long you can hear its song as it goes about busy in taking care of its family.
3. One spring, a couple of blackbirds built their nest on a tree that stood by the garden fence, near a cottage. All went well with them until the eggs were hatched, and four little birds filled the nest.
4. But the old cat had been on the watch, and had found out where the nest was. One morning, while the mother bird was out after worms, the cat thought it a good time to make her breakfast on young birds. So she climbed to the top of the fence, and crept along on its narrow edge until she came almost in reach of the nest.
5. But Mr. Blackbird, who had been watching her for some time, with a loud cry of rage now made a dash at her and hit her square in the face.
6. The cat tried to strike him with her claw; but she had to hold on to the fence to keep from falling, and so could not spring upon him.
7. After hitting her several times, the bird lit upon her back, and struck her with his wings, and pecked her with all his might.
8. The cat tried to turn and get at him, but lost her hold and rolled off the fence. But the bird kept flying at her until she ran away. Then he perched on a rail and sang a joyous song.
9. The next day the cat came creeping along again toward the nest; but the blackbird was ready for her, and gave her another good drubbing until she again fell off the fence and ran away.
10. Afterward, the bird took to hunting the cat every time she came about, until he finally drove her entirely out of the garden.
LESSON XVII.
HOW CANARIES LIVE AND SING.
1. Canary-birds were first found in a warm region, and they can not live out-of-doors in our country. They have lived so long in cages, and been taken care of, that now they have lost the power to get their own living, and, if turned out, would soon starve to death.
2. The canary is one of the sweetest of all the bird singers, and it is so pretty in its ways, and so clean, that it is more often made a pet than any other bird. It has a sweet song of its own, but it is easily taught to sing a great many new notes. The songs of the canary, as we hear them, are very different from its song when wild.
3. A canary will often become so tame that it will fly about the room, come when called, perch on its mistress's finger, and eat out of her mouth.
4. The canary lays from four to six eggs, and hatches them in about two weeks. Both father and mother bird take care of the young.
5. In a large cage with two parts, two finches were in one end and two canaries in the other. The finches hatched out their eggs, but did not feed their young ones enough. The father canary, hearing their hungry cries, forced himself between the bars into their part of the cage, and fed them. This he did every day, till the finches were shamed into feeding the little ones themselves.
LESSON XVIII.
A SONG OF SUMMER.
A cuckoo sat on a tree and sang,
"Summer is coming, coming";
And a bee crept out from the hive and began
Lazily humming, humming.
The frogs, from out the rushes and reeds,
Into the water went splashing;
And the dragon-fly, with his body of green,
Through the flags went flashing, flashing.
The dormouse put out her head and said,
"Really the sun shines brighter";
But the butterfly answered, "Not yet, not yet,"
And folded his wings up tighter.
But the thrush and the blackbird began to sing
Ever sweeter and sweeter,
And the grasshopper chirped, and hopped, and skipped
Ever fleeter and fleeter.
The gnats and the chafers began to buzz;
And the swallows began to chatter:
"We have come from abroad with the summer at last.
How lazy you are! what's the matter?"
Then the dormouse said, "Summer's really here,
Since the swallows are homeward coming";
And the butterfly spread out his wings, and the bee
Went louder and louder humming.
And suddenly brighter the sun shone out,
And the clouds away went sailing,
And the sheep nibbled peacefully at the grass,
And the cow looked over the paling.
Yes, summer had come, and the cuckoo sang
His song through woodland and hollow:
"The summer is come; if you don't believe me,
You have only to ask the swallow."
LESSON XIX.
HOW PARROTS LOOK AND TALK.
1. Next to the canary, the parrot is the pet bird of the house-hold. It is kept for its bright colors, its curious ways, and its power to talk.
2. The parrot is about the size of the dove. In color, those that we see most often are green or gray. Some parrots are of a bright red, and others are gay with bright green, red, and yellow.
3. The parrot has a thick, strong, and hooked bill. It is so strong that it can take hold of the branch of a tree and hold itself up, and with it it can crack the hardest nuts.
4. It came from a warm region, and must have a warm room in winter, or it will die. It lives on nuts and seeds, but when kept in the house it will sometimes eat meat.
5. The parrot learns to love its master and those that take care of it; but it is often cross to strangers, and will give them a terrible bite with its hooked bill if they come too near.
6. Like other birds, the parrot has four toes on each foot; but two of these are in front and two behind. The toes are very strong, and with them it can grasp things as we do with our hands.
7. With these toes it climbs easily, reaching up first one foot and then the other, and sometimes taking hold with its bill. When eating, it holds its food in its claw, biting off pieces to suit it.
8. When wild, the voice of the parrot is a loud, unpleasant scream, and it does not forget this scream in its new home. But it also learns to talk, and it may be taught to say many words as plainly as boys or girls speak.
9. Parrots can whistle, and some have been taught to sing. They need good care, which they repay by their pleasant ways and curious tricks. Some of the parrot kind are called paroquets, and some are called cockatoos.
10. This curious story is told of a parrot: One day, Sarah, a little girl of eight years, had been reading about secret writing with lemon-juice.
11. Not having any lemon, she thought she would try vinegar. So, after dinner, she took a cruet, and was just pouring the vinegar into a spoon, when her parrot sang out, "I'll tell mother! Turn it out! Turn it out!"
12. The child, thinking the parrot would really tell her mother, threw down the cruet and the spoon, and ran away to the nursery as fast as her legs could carry her.
LESSON XX.
STORIES ABOUT PARROTS.
Paroquets
1. A green parrot, kept in a family for a long time, became so tame that she had the free run of the house. When hungry, Polly would call out, "Look! cook! I want potato!"
2. She was very fond of potatoes, and if anything else was put in her pan she would throw it out, and scream at the top of her voice, "Won't have it! Turn it out!"
3. The children in the house were all girls, and Polly for some reason had taken a great dislike to boys. One day some boys came on a visit, and, as boys do, made a great noise. This was too much for Polly, who screamed out, "Sarah! Sarah! here's a hullaballoo!"
Cockatoo
4. Polly was very fond of the mistress of the house, and was always on the lookout for her at the breakfast-table.
5. If she did not come down before the meal was begun, Polly would say, in the most piteous tone, "Where's dear mother? Is not dear mother well?"
6. Another parrot had learned to sing "Buy a Broom" just like a child. If she made a mistake, she would cry out, "O la!" burst out laughing, and begin again on another key.
7. This parrot laughed in such a hearty way that for your life you could not help joining with her, and then she would cry out, "Don't make me laugh! I shall die! I shall die!"
8. Next she will cry; and if you say, "Poor Poll, what is the matter?" she says, "So bad! so bad! Got a bad cold!" After crying some time, she grows more quiet, makes a noise like drawing a long breath, and says, "Better now," and then begins to laugh.
9. If any one vexes her, she begins to cry; if pleased, she laughs. If she hears any one cough or sneeze, she says, "What a bad cold!"
10. Here is a story which a boy tells of a parrot: "Poll was a great friend of mine, and had been in the house ever since I could remember.
11. "Offy was a pug-dog, so fat that a little way off he looked like a muff to which some one had tied a tail. I hated Offy, for he was always barking at me, and I think he knew I was afraid of him. Poll hated Offy, too, and with good reason.
12. "The pug was always sneaking round, and stealing the cake which Poll had laid aside for her supper. Poll missed her cake and was furious, but the dog licked his chops and laughed.
13. "One day Poll hid herself on the top of the cupboard and watched. Offy came as usual to steal her cake, when she pounced on his back and gave him such a drubbing that he never stole any more from her."
Birds of Prey
LESSON XXI.
BIRDS OF PREY.
1. Sometimes we see a bird come sweeping down into the farm-yard and seize a chicken and fly away with it, and sometimes we see the same bird pounce down upon a robin, a wren, or a dove, and carry it off.
2. This robber is the hawk. Another robber, larger and stronger than the hawk, is the eagle, which we see on the opposite page. Let us look at them.
3. They are covered with mottled black and white feathers, which make them look gray. In some kinds of hawks, the breast is nearly white.
4. They have very strong wings, and can fly far and fast without being tired. The beak is short, strong, and pointed, and hooked at the end. It is made so that it can easily tear flesh from the bones of animals.
5. The claws, or talons, are strong, sharp, and hooked, and the leg above is short and strong.
6. The hawk preys upon chickens, the smaller birds, squirrels, and other small animals. The eagle will carry off hens, turkeys, rabbits, lambs, and the like. They have been known to carry off a baby.
7. The hawk and the eagle seize their prey, not with their beaks, but with their talons. They drive their long, sharp nails into the flesh, and the chicken or rabbit is dead in a few minutes.
8. They carry their prey to their nests, and there they hold it in their talons, and, with their beaks, tear off the flesh, which they eat, and feed to their young.
9. Both the hawk and the eagle have sharp eyes, and they can see a long distance. If we should see an eagle in a cage, we would find that its eyes are bright and a deep yellow in color; but they look wild and cruel, and we do not like to go very near it.
10. The fish-hawk preys upon fish. He sails slowly over the water until his sharp eyes see a fish, and then he dives down so straight and swift that he rarely misses.
11. Sometimes, when he comes up from the water, an old eagle that has been on the watch pounces upon him. The hawk tries to get away, but the eagle soon overtakes him.
12. With an angry scream the hawk drops the fish, and the eagle swoops downward so quickly that he catches the fish before it reaches the water. With his prey in his talons, he then soars away to his nest in the tree-tops, or high up among the rocks on the mountain-side.
LESSON XXII.
LONG LEGS WITH FEATHERS.
1. We have here the picture of a heron, a very curious bird. It has long legs, a large body, a long neck, and a long pointed bill.
2. Its toes are long and pointed, and when spread out they cover a large space. It can turn its neck and bill so that sometimes it looks as if it would wring its own neck off.
3. The heron lives on frogs and fish. With its long legs it can wade out in the shallow water, and its toes spread out so it does not sink in the mud.
4. When ready for breakfast, it wades in where the water is half-leg deep. Then it stands so still that the fish, the frogs, and the water-rats will swim all about its legs.
5. All at once, as quick as a flash, down plunges the beak, and up comes a frog from the water, and down it goes, whole, into the long throat. Another comes along, and goes the same way.
6. When it has had enough, it steps ashore, cleans its feathers with its long bill, and goes to sleep standing on one leg. Its middle toe has a double nail, and with this it scratches off the down that sticks to its bill after cleaning its feathers.
7. The heron flies high in the air. When flying, its legs extend out straight behind, and its neck curls over and rests on its back.
8. The stork is another bird with long legs that wades in the water and eats frogs and fish. In Holland, the stork is so tame that it lives in the farm-yard, and often builds its nest on the house-tops.
LESSON XXIII.
BO-PEEP AND THE ROOK.
Little Bo-peep sat down on a heap
Of hay—she was tired with running;
When up came a rook, who at her did look,
And nodded his head and looked cunning.
Little Bo-peep said, "Why do you keep
So near to me every day, sir?
With your very sharp beak, pray what do you seek,
For you always seem just in my way, sir?"
"Little Bo-peep, it is your sheep,
Not you, that I come to see, ma'am;
Their wool is so soft, that I want it oft
In my nest for my young ones and me, ma'am."
Said little Bo-peep, "The wool you may sweep
From the hedges and many a thorn, sir;
But don't make your attacks upon my sheep's backs,
For I will not have their wool torn, sir."
The rook he cawed, and he hummed and hawed,
And muttered, "What matter, what matter?"
Bo-peep she said, "Go—I have said no, no;
So it's useless for you to chatter."
"There's a merry brown thrush sitting up in the tree;
He's singing to me! He's singing to me!"
"And what does he say, little girl, little boy?"
"'Oh, the world's running over with joy!
Don't you hear? Don't you see?
Hush! Look! In my tree
I'm as happy as happy can be.'"
LESSON XXIV.
THE MOUSE AND ITS WAYS.
1. Here are some of our near neighbors, little fellows in fur, who are so very friendly that they visit us by night and by day, and seem as much at home in our house as we are.
2. When, in the night, we hear tiny feet as they patter over the floor, or scamper across the pillow, or we find in the morning that the loaf for breakfast has been gnawed and spoiled, we are not apt to feel friendly toward the mouse.
3. But, as he stands here by the trap, let us take a good look at him. We find that he has a coat of fine fur, which he always keeps clean, and a long tail that has no hair. He has whiskers like the cat; sharp claws, so that he can run up the side of a house, or climb anything that is a little rough; and eyes that can see in the night.
4. He has large ears, so that he can hear the faintest sound; and short legs, so that he can creep into the smallest hole.
5. His nose is pointed, and his under jaw is shorter than the upper one. In front, on each jaw, he has two sharp teeth, shaped like the edge of a chisel, and these he uses to gnaw with.
6. These teeth are growing all the while; and if he does not gnaw something hard nearly every day, so as to wear them off, they will soon become so long that he can not use them.
LESSON XXV.
STORIES ABOUT MICE.
When the cat's away
The mice will play.
1. Mice increase so fast that, if we did not have some way to destroy them, they would soon overrun the house, so that we could not live in it.
2. They have their homes in the hollow walls, and can go about from one part of the house to the other without being seen; and when they smell food they gnaw a hole through the wall to get at it.
3. They are playful little animals, and may easily be tamed. When a mouse comes into the room where people live, it is ready to run away at once if anything moves.
4. But if all are still, it will scamper about the floor, and look over and smell everything in the room. The next day it will come back, and finally it will play about the room as if no one were there.
5. The mice that run about the house have gray coats; but some mice are white, with pink eyes, and these are often tamed and kept as pets.
6. A lady once tamed a common gray mouse, so that it would eat out of her hand. She also had a while mouse in a cage.
7. The gray mouse was very angry when he saw the lady pet the white mouse; and one day he some way got into the cage, and when the lady came back into the room, she found the white mouse was dead.
8. Music sometimes seems to have a strange effect upon a mouse. At one time, when a man was playing upon his violin, a mouse came out of his hole and danced about the floor. He seemed almost frantic with delight, and kept time to the music for several minutes. At last he stopped, fell over on the floor, and they found he was dead.
LESSON XXVI.
WHITE-PAW STARTS TO SEE THE WORLD.
1. White-paw was a young mouse that lived with his mother. Their home was in a barn, behind some sacks of corn, and a very nice home it was.
2. When a sunbeam flashed in upon them at midday, "That was the sun," said Mrs. Mouse. When a ray of the moon stole quietly in, "That is the moon," said the simple-minded creature, and thought she was very wise to know so much.
3. But little White-paw was not so contented as his mother. As he frisked and played in his one ray of sunshine or one gleam of moonlight, he had queer little fancies.
4. One morning, while at breakfast on some kernels of corn and sweet apples which his mother had brought home, he asked:
5. "Mother, what is the world?"
6. "A great, terrible place!" was the answer, and Mrs. Mouse looked very grave indeed.
7. "How do you know, mother? Have you ever been there?" asked the youngster.
8. "No, child; but your father was lost in the great world, my son," and Mrs. Mouse's voice had a little shake in it.
9. "Ah!" said the son, "that was for want of knowing better."
10. "Knowing better! Why, he was the wisest mouse alive!" said the faithful Mrs. Mouse.
11. "I could not have been alive then," thought White-paw to himself. Then he said aloud, "Mother, I have made up my mind to go and see the world; so good-by!"
12. His mother wept. She tried to have him stay at home and be content—but all in vain; so she gave him a great hug, and he was off.
LESSON XXVII.
WHAT THE MICE SAW IN THE FARM-YARD.
1. He had not gone many steps when he met Mr. Gaffer Graybeard, a wise old mouse, and a great friend to the family.
2. "Well, where are you off to, Mr. Pertnose?" he asked, as the young traveler was whisking by. "I'm off to see the world," was the answer.
3. "Then good-by, for I never expect to see you again; but take an old mouse's advice, and beware of mouse-traps." "What are mouse-traps?" asked White-paw. "You will know when you see them," was the answer.
4. White-paw went on his way, and just outside he met another young mouse who had also started to see the world, and the two went on together.
5. "Oh, how big the world is!" said White-paw, as they went into the farm-yard, and began to look about them.
6. "And what queer creatures live in the world!" said the other, as the cocks crowed, the hens clucked, the chickens peeped, the cow lowed, the sheep bleated, the pigs grunted, and the old house-dog barked.
7. "If we are to find out about the world, we must ask questions," said White-paw.
8. So the two friends went about, stopping every now and then to admire or wonder at the new things they saw every moment.
9. Soon they came across a friendly-looking pig. "Please, sir," asked the wee simple things, "are you a mouse?"
10. The pig looked down to them through his "specs" as he heard the question in the tiny little squeaking voice, and he grunted a little as he replied:
11. "Yes, if you like to call me so," and the two friends went on.
12. In a little while they came up where the old cow was feeding; and White-paw, taking off his hat, said, "Please, are you a mouse?"
13. The old cow was too busy to answer such questions, but she shook her head in such a way that the travelers were glad to get off safe.
14. "There are great friendly mice, and great unfriendly mice, in the world!" said White-paw, as they went on their way.
15. Next they met a motherly old hen, who was busy in scratching up food for her chickens; and White-paw asked, "Please, ma'am, are you a mouse?" "We don't mind what folks call us," said the old hen, giving them a friendly wink.
16. As they went on they learned a great many things about the world; but as yet White-paw had not heard one word about a mouse-trap.
17. Having gone around the farm-yard, White-paw and his friend went through the gate toward the house. Here they met the dog, and asked the same question that they had asked before.
18. But the dog barked and snapped so that they could not ma ke him hear, and they ran away in terror.
LESSON XXVIII.
WHAT WHITE-PAW SAW IN THE KITCHEN.
1. In their haste the two friends bolted into the kitchen of the farm-house, where an old tabby-cat lay dozing before the fire. But when they came in she arose to meet them.
2. "What a polite fat mouse!" thought White-paw. "Please, ma'am—" But pussy's eyes were fixed upon him with a horrid glare, and he could not go on.
3. Alas! his poor little friend! There was a cry and a crunching of bones, and White-paw just escaped through a hole into the pantry.
4. When he had in part got over his fright, he smelled toasted cheese—something he had heard of but never tasted. He sniffed about, and soon saw it in a little round hole.
5. By this time he was very hungry, and he reached out for the dainty morsel; but there was a sudden click, and he turned back—but too late! His tail and one of his legs were caught by the cruel teeth of a trap.
6. He pulled with all his might, but could not get away. He heard a little squeak, and an old mouse came limping up with only three legs.
7. "Pull hard, my son; better lose a leg and tail than your life. See! I was caught like you. How came you here?" he asked.
8. "I came to see the world, and 'tis a terrible place!" As White-paw spoke, he pulled himself free, but left one paw and the point of his tail in the trap.
9. The two hopped off together, and, after some friendly advice from the old mouse, White-paw limped away to his home, and soon found himself by his mother's side, where he could have his wounds dressed, and rest in peace.
LESSON XXIX.
WHITE-PAW'S ACCOUNT OF THE GREAT WORLD.
1. "My dear son, what is the world like?" asked Mrs. Mouse, after she had hugged White-paw, and set his supper before him.
2. "Oh, it's a grand place! There are great black mice, and great white ones, and great spotted ones, and great friendly mice with long noses, and great uncivil mice with horns.
3. "Then there are queer mice with only two legs, and some terrible mice that make a great noise." At this moment, Gaffer Graybeard came in, and White-paw said, "Sir, I've learned what a mouse-trap is." "Ah! then," said the sage, "you've not seen the world in vain."
THREE BLIND MICE.
Three blind mice! Three blind mice!
See how they run! See how they run!
They all ran after the farmer's wife;
She cut off their tails with a carving-knife.
Did you ever see such a thing in your life
As three blind mice?
LESSON XXX.
THE DEATH OF POOR PUSS.
"Here lies poor Puss!"—
"Who saw her die?" asked Grandmother Mouse,
Just peeping forth from her hole of a house.
"I," said Tommy Titmouse, "I saw her die;
I think she was choked while eating a fly."
"Who'll dig her grave?" asked Granny again;
In her voice, strange to say, there was no tone of pain.
"The honest old dormouse, out in the wood,
He'd dig a good grave, if any one could."
"Who'll be the bearers?" The grandchildren all
Were ready at once, at sound of the call.
"We'll carry Puss, since she can't carry us,
And bury her deep, without any fuss."
One seized her fore paw, another her tail,
Another her ear, to make sure not to fail.
Then off they all ran, for Puss winked her eye,
And sprang to her feet, as the mice squeaked "Good-by."
LESSON XXXI.
FIELD-MICE.
1. Some kinds of mice live in the fields and woods, and never come into the house. The tiny little harvest-mouse has its home in the grain or thick grass, and feeds upon grain and insects.
2. It makes a nest of grass neatly woven together, and places it on the stalks, about a foot from the ground, where it is out of the way of the wet.
3. The nest is round, and about the size of a large orange. When the mother mouse goes away, she closes up the door of her nest, so no one can see her little ones.
4. The harvest-mouse runs up the corn and grass stalks easily. In climbing, it holds on by its tail as well as by its claws. The way it comes down from its nest is very curious. It twists its tail about the stalk and slides down.
5. Another of the field-mice is the dormouse, that lives in the woods. It has a bushy tail, and makes its nest in hollow trees. It lives upon nuts and fruit. As cold weather comes on, it rolls itself up in a ball, and sleeps until spring.
6. Once a dormouse was caught and kept in a cage, when it became quite tame, and a great pet with the children. One day it got out of its cage, and the children hunted all over the house, but could not find it, and gave it up as lost.
7. The next day, as they sat down to dinner, a cold meat-pie was put upon the table. When it was cut open, there was the dormouse in the middle, curled up, and fast asleep.
8. The deer-mouse lives mostly in the fields, but it also makes its home in barns and houses. Its back and sides are of a slate color, but the under part of its body, and its legs and feet, are white. It is sometimes called the white-footed mouse, or wood-mouse. It builds a round nest in trees, that looks like a bird's nest, and it lives upon grain, seeds, and nuts.
9. This mouse seems fond of music, and once in a while one sings. Its song is very sweet, somewhat like that of a canary, but not so loud. Mr. Lockwood's singing mouse would keep up its wonderful little song ten minutes without stopping.
LESSON XXXII.
HOW THE RAT LOOKS AND LIVES.
1. The rat looks like a very large mouse. It has the same kind of chisel-teeth, sharp claws, and long tail, and it lives very much in the same way as a mouse.
2. It eats all kinds of food, and will live where most other animals would starve. Its teeth are strong, and it can gnaw its way into the hardest nuts, or through thick boards.
3. The claws of the rat are sharp, so that it can run up the side of a house, or up any steep place where its claws will take hold. When at the bottom of a barrel, or kettle of iron, brass, or tin, it can not climb out.
4. The hind feet of the rat are made in a curious way: they can turn round so that the claws point back. This enables a rat, when it runs down the side of a house, to turn its feet around and hold on, while it goes down head foremost.
5. The tail of the rat is made up of rings, and is covered with scales and very short hair. The rat uses it like a hand to hold himself up and to take hold of things.
6. Rats live in houses and barns, or wherever they can get enough to eat. In cities, they get into drains, and eat up many things which would be harmful if left to decay.
7. They are great pests in the house, running about in the walls, gnawing through the ceilings, and destroying food and clothing.
8. When rats get into a barn, they are very destructive. They eat up grain, and kill young chickens; and they often come in droves, when the pigs are fed, to share the food.
9. Rats increase very fast. Each mother rat produces fifty young ones in a year; and if we did not take great pains to destroy them, they would drive us out of our homes.
LESSON XXXIII.
STORIES ABOUT THE RAT.
1. Rats are very fond of eggs; but they do not like to be disturbed while eating, and so they contrive to carry the eggs to their nests, where they can enjoy their feast in safety.
2. In carrying off eggs, several rats will often go together. A rat will curl his tail around an egg, and roll it along. Coming to a staircase, they will hand the egg one to another so carefully as not to break it.
3. A lady once watched the rats, which were at work at her egg-basket. One rat lay down on his back, and took an egg in his arms. The other rats then seized him by the head, and dragged him off, egg and all.
4. Rats can easily be tamed, and even a dog can scarcely love its master better than a rat does when it is treated kindly. Mr. Wood tells this story of some tame rats:
5. "Some young friends of mine have a couple of rats which they have tamed. One, quite white, with pink eyes, is called 'Snow,' and the other, which is white, with a brown head and breast, is named 'Brownie.'
6. "The rats know their names as well as any dog could do, and answer to them quite as readily.
7. "They are not kept shut up in a cage, but are as free to run about the house as if they were dogs or cats.
8. "They have been taught a great number of pretty tricks. They play with their young master and mistress, and run about with them in the garden.
9. "They sit on the table at meal-times, and take anything that is offered to them, holding the food in their fore paws and nibbling it; but never stealing from the plates.
10. "They are very fond of butter, and they will allow themselves to be hung up by the hind feet and lick a piece of butter from a plate, or a finger.
11. "Sometimes these rats play a funny game. They are placed on the hat-stand in the hall, or put into a hat and left there until their owners go up-stairs.
12. "They wait until they are called, when they scramble down to the floor, gallop across the hall and up the stairs as fast as they can go.
13. "They then hunt until they find their master, climb to his shoulder, and search every pocket for a piece of bread and butter, which they know is there for them.
14. "They are very clean in their ways, and they are always washing their faces and brushing their mouths and fur with their paws, just as cats do.
15. "It is very amusing to see them search the pockets of those they know: diving into them, sniffing at every portion, and climbing out in search of another.
16. "They will not come at the call of a stranger, nor play any of their tricks with him; but they will allow themselves to be stroked and patted, and they never try to bite."
LESSON XXXIV.
ABOUT RABBITS.
1. We here come to the rabbit, one of our innocent and harmless friends that is a great pet with children. It is very timid and easily scared, but when treated kindly it becomes tame.
2. The rabbit is about the size of a cat, and has a short tail. The wild gray rabbit is not so large as the tame rabbit which we have about the house.
3. The rabbit has sharp gnawing-teeth like the rat and mouse, and it gets its food and eats it in the same way.
4. It eats the leaves and stalks of plants, and is very fond of cabbage, lettuce, and the tender leaves of beets and turnips. It sometimes does much damage by gnawing the bark of young fruit-trees.
5. It has whiskers like the cat, so that it can crawl into holes without making a noise.
6. Its fore feet are armed with strong, blunt claws. It can not climb, but it is able to dig holes in the earth.
7. Our wild rabbit lives in the grass, or in holes which it finds in stumps and hollow trees, and among stones; but the English rabbit digs a hole in the soft ground for its home.
8. The holes that the rabbits dig are called burrows; and where a great many rabbits have burrows close together, the place where they live is called a warren.
9. The burrows have two or more doors, so that if a weasel or some other enemy goes in at one door, the rabbit runs out at the other. In a warren, many burrows open into one another, forming quite a village under ground.
10. The rabbits choose a sandy place for a warren, near a bank, where they can dig easily, and where the water will run off. In these homes they sleep most of the time during the day, and come out by night to feed on such plants as they can find. When wild, the dew gives them drink enough; but when fed with dry grain food, they need water.
LESSON XXXV.
MORE ABOUT RABBITS.
1. The rabbit has large ears, and can hear the slightest sound. When feeding or listening, the ears stand up or lean forward; but when running, the ears lie back on its neck.
2. When the rabbit hears any sound to alarm it, it never stops to see what is the matter, but scuds away to its hole, plunges in, and waits there until it thinks the danger has passed away.
3. Then it comes to the mouth of the burrow, and puts out its long ears. If it does not hear anything, it raises its head a little more, and peeps out. Then, if it does not see anything out of the way, it comes out again and begins to feed.
4. Rabbits increase so fast that if they were not kept down they would soon eat up all the plants of our gardens and fields. So a great many animals and birds feed upon them, and a great many are killed for their meat and fur.
5. When first born, the little rabbits are blind, like puppies and kittens, and their bodies are naked. The mother rabbit makes a warm nest for them of dried leaves, and she lines it with fur from her own body.
6. In about ten or twelve days the little rabbits are able to see, and in a few weeks more they are quite able to take care of themselves.
7. The rabbits that we have for pets are of various colors, but mostly white or black, or part white and part black. They do not dig into the earth as the wild ones do, but they love to have their homes in snug little places, like holes.
8. The hind legs of the rabbit are longer than its fore ones, and, instead of walking, it hops along. When it runs, it springs forward with great leaps, and gets over the ground very fast.
9. Pet rabbits that have large ears sell most readily. One of the rabbits, in the picture, looks very curious with one long ear lopped down over his eye, and the other standing up straight.
10. When they live out in the woods and fields, rabbits have many cruel foes. One of the worst of these is the owl, who, prowling about in the dark, springs upon the poor rabbit, and breaks its neck with one fierce stroke of its sharp bill.
11. As a rabbit can not defend itself by fighting, it has long ears to detect danger, and swift feet to get away from an enemy. When alarmed, away it goes, with a hop, skip, and jump, and like a flash passes out of sight.
LESSON XXXVI.
HOW THE HARE LIVES.
1. The hare looks very much like a large rabbit. It has the same kind of teeth, and eats the same kind of food. Its legs are longer than those of the rabbit, and it runs in the same way, only faster.
2. It does not burrow in the ground nor crawl into holes, but it makes its home in tufts of long grass. As it lies in the same place for a long time, it makes a little hollow, which is called its form.
3. It has larger ears than the rabbit, and seems always listening. It is very timid, and, when it hears any strange sound, away it goes like the wind, running with long leaps.
4. When at rest in its form, it folds its legs under its body, lays its ears back flat on its neck; and, as it is of the color of dried grass, a person may pass by within a few feet of it and not see it.
5. Its upper lip is divided in the middle, as is also that of the rabbit. It sometimes will fight, and then it hits hard blows with its fore feet, and strikes so fast that its blows sound like the roll of a drum.
6. When the snow falls, the hare sits in its form, and is covered up. But its fur keeps it warm, and the heat of its body melts the snow next to its skin, so that it sits in a kind of snow-cave, the snow keeping off the cold wind.
7. When dogs chase a hare, it runs very fast until the dogs are close to it, when it stops suddenly. This it can do, as it runs by leaping with its long hind legs.
8. The dogs can not stop so quickly, and run past. The hare then starts off in another direction, or doubles, as we say, and so gains upon the dog. In this way it often escapes, and then it goes back to its form.
9. The hare is sometimes tamed, and it soon learns to know its friends; but it is a troublesome pet, as it gnaws the legs of the chairs and tables, and destroys the trees in the yard by gnawing off the bark near the roots.
ALICE'S BUNNY.
Would you hear about my bunny,
All his little ways so funny?
First of all, then, you must know,
He has coat as white as snow,
Staring eyes of pink so pale,
And a tiny, dumpy tail.
Once, he had a pretty mate,
But she met a cruel fate.
Now quite by himself he stays,
And contented spends his days.
He runs about the nursery floor,
The chairs and table clambers o'er,
And nestles down upon my lap
Beside the cat, to take a nap;
And once, when I was in disgrace,
He licked the tear-drops from my face.
Now, don't you think my little bunny
Must be kind as well as funny?
LESSON XXXVII.
SOMETHING ABOUT SQUIRRELS.
1. Here comes the squirrel—the little fellow that frisks and gambols so prettily over trees and hedges, and that chatters to us as we take a walk in the woods or fields. He is afraid to let us touch him; but he will let us come quite near, as he knows he can easily get away.
2. As we see him scampering along on the fences or trees, the first thing that we notice is his long bushy tail, which he coils up over his back.
3. But we will find one in a cage, and then we will take a closer look. We find that he has chisel-teeth, like the rat and rabbit, and then we know that Mr. Squirrel eats something that he must gnaw.
4. His toes are not strong, like those of the rat or rabbit, but they are long and slender, and we know that he does not dig holes in the ground. The nails are not strong enough to catch prey, but are long, thin, sharp, and bent at their tips.
5. Then we find that the squirrel can turn all his toes around so that the nails point backward, and we see that he is made for running up and down trees, where he has his home.
6. Now we see what he does with his sharp cutting-teeth. He lives upon nuts, and his teeth are for gnawing through the hard shell, to get at the kernel inside.
7. The ears of the squirrel are of moderate size. The rabbit and hare live upon the ground, and, if they did not have large ears and sharp hearing, they would be killed by dogs and other enemies. But the squirrel has his home in trees, out of reach of animals that can not climb; so it does not need such sharp hearing to save itself.
8. When in his home in the trees, the squirrel feels safe; so he curls his tail over his body and head to keep warm, and goes to sleep.
LESSON XXXVIII.
MORE ABOUT SQUIRRELS.
1. As the squirrel is made to climb trees and live on nuts, he builds his nest there, and makes the tree his home. He finds some hollow place in the tree, or he builds where some large limb branches off, so that his nest can not well be seen from below.
2. His nest is made of dried leaves and bits of moss. His summer home is high up on the tree, where he has plenty at air; but his winter nest is as snug in some hole as he can make it.
3. In the fall, the squirrel gathers nuts and corn, and stores them up near his winter nest. Then, when cold weather comes on, he crawls into his bed of leaves, curls up, and goes to sleep.
4. Now and then, in the winter, he wakes, crawls to his store and has a dinner, and then goes to sleep again. When the warm days of spring come on, he wakes up fully, and is ready for his summer's work and play.
5. When the squirrel eats a nut, he takes it in his paws, sits up straight, with his tail curled over his back, and nips off the shell in little bites, turning it about as easily as we could with our hands.
6. The squirrels that we see most often are the little chattering red squirrel, and the gray squirrel, which is about twice as large. In the West and South, a large squirrel, that is partly red and partly gray, is called a fox-squirrel. All these squirrels have fine little rounded ears, and large eyes, so placed that they can look all around.
7. The English squirrel is most like our red squirrel. It is of the same color, but a little larger, and has pointed ears, with a long tuft of hair standing up from the top.
8. The teeth of the squirrel grow, and he wears them off by gnawing nuts. If, when not in his winter's sleep, he should stop gnawing something hard for a week or two, his teeth would become so long that he could not use them again.
LESSON XXXIX.
THE FLYING SQUIRREL.
1. Here we have the most curious squirrel of all—one that can fly or sail through the air. It is about the size of the common red squirrel, and nearly of the same color, but lighter upon the lower part of its body.
2. It has a loose skin on each side, running from its fore legs to its hind ones. When it is at rest, or when it walks and runs, this skin hangs like a ruffle. But when Mr. Squirrel wants to go fast, or on a long journey, he scampers to the top of a tree and spreads out his legs, drawing the loose skin tight like a sail.
3. He then gives a leap, and away he sails into the air, striking near the foot of another tree a long distance away. He runs up to the top of this tree, and away he goes again, so fast that nothing can catch him.
4. As he sails through the air, he falls toward the ground; but he can carry his legs and tail in such a way that, just before he strikes, he shoots upward a little way, and lands on a tree, some distance above the ground.
5. The flying squirrel is covered with soft, fine fur, but the covering of the flying-sail is finer than that of any other part. It has large eyes, for seeing in the night. It sleeps most of the day, and comes out after sunset in search of food.
6. A squirrel makes a pretty pet, and sometimes it becomes so tame that it runs about like a dog. A squirrel was once found in its nest before its eyes were opened, and brought to the house.
7. It became very tame, and, after it grew up, it would watch its master when he went out, and get into his pocket, where it would stay and peep out to the people it met.
8. When they came to a country place, the squirrel would leap out, run along the road, climb to the tops of the trees, nibble the leaves and bark, and then scamper after his master, and nestle down into his pocket again.
THE OWL.
An owl sat in a hollow tree,
And cried the whole day through:
"I can not see; the sun blinds me.
Ah, what am I to do?"
When night was dark, the owl looked out,
And thought he'd leave his house:
For "light," said he, "has come to me—
I'll go and catch a mouse."
The mouse he caught, and then he cried:
"What next am I to do?
The woods shall ring, I'll sit and sing,
Too-whit, too-whit, too-whoo!"
LESSON XL.
BO-PEEP AND THE SQUIRREL.
Little Bo-peep said to her sheep,
"In the wood there is tender grass growing;
And as you're so good, you shall dine in the wood,
By the brook that is quietly flowing."
Then a squirrel hard by looked down with a sigh,
And said, "Oh, please go away, ma'am!
The acorns are mine, and the nuts too, so fine;
And in the woods always I play, ma'am."
Then little Bo-peep at the squirrel did peep:
"No harm we are going to do, sir;
My sheep are not thieves, and, under the leaves
Of the wood, there is room for us too, sir.
"But I wish to be just: so here's a soft crust
Of white bread of my mother's own baking;
And I'll give you a slice, which you'll find very nice,
If you'll join us in our merry-making."
If you saw a goat
Buttoned in a coat;
If you saw a rat
Dressed up in a hat;
If you saw a lamb
Take a slice of ham;
If you saw a bear
Combing out its hair;
If you saw an ox
Opening a box;
If you saw a pig
Eat a nice new fig;
If you saw a mouse
Throwing down a house;
If you saw a stag
Picking up a rag;
If you saw a cow
Make a pretty bow;
If you saw a fly
Take its slate and cry—
You would surely say,
"What peculiar play!"
Or would surely sing,
"What a funny thing!"
LESSON XLI.
HOW THE MOLE LOOKS.
1. Here we have the mole—a very curious animal. It is about the size of a rat, and is covered with a dark brown coat of fine fur. The fur does not lie back, as on the cat, but stands out straight from the body.
2. The legs of the mole are short, and are so formed that it can not stand upon them and raise its body from the ground.
3. The fore legs are large and strong, and each paw has five toes, armed with strong nails. When its toes are together, its fore paw is like a spade; and when they are spread apart, it is like a fork.
4. It has small ears, which are out of sight in the fur; and something like eyes, also deep in the fur, so that it can not see, or at most it can only tell when it is light and when it is dark.
5. Its nose is pointed, and its teeth are all sharp, like those of the cat, but are so small that they look like the points of white needles.
6. What does this little blind animal, that can only creep along, do? how can he get a living? and how does it get away from enemies?
7. We see that all its limbs are so small and set so close to its body that it can easily creep through small holes. Its hair stands out, so that it can crawl both ways.
8. It has no eyes, because it lives in the dark, and does not need to see to get its food.
9. Its nose is pointed and keen, so that it gets its food by scent instead of sight. By scent, too, it can tell when danger is nigh.
10. Its fur is fine and close, so that it is able to live in very damp places, and the wet does not get through to the skin.
11. Its ears and eyes are deep down in the fur, so that, in crawling through a hole, no dirt or dust can get into them.
12. Its teeth are not chisel-shaped, for gnawing, but are sharp and pointed, like the teeth of animals that live on flesh; but they are so small that they would break in trying to eat the bones of even a mouse.
LESSON XLII.
HOW THE MOLE WORKS AND LIVES.
1. As the mole is not made for the sunlight, it must live below ground. With its strong fore paws it digs into the earth, and it can dig so fast that anywhere in the grass it will get out of sight in about a minute.
2. When it is above ground and it scents any danger, it does not run or climb, but it digs; and, when once under ground, it can keep out of the way of almost any enemy.
3. As it digs forward, it pushes the dirt backward, and it will go a long way in a little while. Its hind legs drag behind, and, as they have little to do, they are weak.
4. It digs along in the dark when its keen little nose scents a worm or a grub; this it pushes into its mouth with its paw, and eats in an instant.
5. The meat which it finds below ground has no bones; so its small teeth are all that it needs to chew with. In some safe place, nearly always at the foot of a tree, the mole throws up a little mound of dirt, and in the middle of it builds its nest of dried grass.
6. Then it makes tunnels all around, not any one leading straight up to the nest. In the picture we see the mole's nest and the tunnels leading to it. The mole drinks a great deal, and in its tunnels it digs wells where it can go down and find water.
7. In the summer it keeps near the top of the ground; but in winter it digs down deeper, to find grubs, and because it is warmer.
8. In digging under ground, the mole destroys the roots of grass and plants, and does some damage; but it does much more good, by destroying the grubs which live on the roots of plants.
LESSON XLIII.
ABOUT THE PORCUPINE.
1. We find in the woods a curious animal called a hedgehog, but which is really a porcupine. The hedgehog is found in Europe, and lives upon insects; the porcupine lives in quite a different way.
2. The porcupine is a little larger than the rabbit. It has short legs, sharp claws, and a short, broad tail. Like the rabbit, it has chisel-teeth for gnawing.
3. It climbs easily; but it moves slowly, both in walking and climbing. Its food is mostly the inside bark of trees. It climbs a tree, and seldom leaves until it has stripped off most of the bark.
4. As it can not run, it has a curious way of defending itself. Besides a coat of warm, soft fur, its back and sides are covered thick with sharp-pointed quills, from two to three inches long.
5. When the porcupine is feeding or going about, these quills lie back flat, like hair; but when there is any danger, they stand out straight. Upon the approach of an enemy, it folds up its paws, curls its head under its fore legs, and shows itself a bundle of sharp quills.
6. Should a dog or hungry wolf then snap at it, the quills get into his mouth, and stick there. Each quill has barbs like a fish-hook, and many an animal has died from the quills working into its flesh after having tried to bite a porcupine.
7. The porcupine can also throw up its back or strike a heavy blow with its tail, driving the quills into the flesh of its enemies.
8. The quills easily break off at their blunt end, and they grow like the hair; so the porcupine has a plenty for use at all times.
9. When men hunt the porcupine, they take care not to get a blow from the tail, and then they watch their chance, and strike the animal on the nose with a club, which kills it at once.
10. The porcupine builds its nest in hollow trees. In the winter it sleeps most of the time, only coming out once in a while to get something to eat.
LESSON XLIV.
ABOUT THE WOODCHUCK.
1. The woodchuck is about twice the size of the common rabbit. Its body is thick, and it has short legs, armed with long, naked nails.
2. It has small, round ears, and a short, bushy tail. It has a thick coat of coarse fur, long whiskers, like a cat, and chisel-teeth for gnawing. It lives upon fruit and the leaves of plants, and is very fond of red clover.
3. When walking, its hind legs do not stand up like those of a cat or dog; but the leg up to the first joint comes down flat upon the ground.
4. With its strong claws it digs a hole in the ground for a home. It chooses a soft place in a bank, where, at first, it can dig up, so that it will not be disturbed by water. Its home has several entrances, so that, if pursued, it can escape by running in or out. In one of its driest rooms it makes its nest of dried grass; and here it stays in stormy weather, only coming out on pleasant days.
5. Woodchucks are very timid, and, when they come out to feed, one sits up and keeps watch. Should it spy any danger, it gives a kind of whistle, and away they all scud to their holes.
6. When winter comes, the woodchuck rolls himself up in his nest and goes to sleep until spring. He is very fat when he takes to his bed in the fall, but is lean when he comes out ready for his next summer's work.
7. The prairie-dog, found upon the plains in the West, is very much like a small woodchuck. In a prairie-dog town there are hundreds of holes close together. When we go to look at them, we see a little head at every door-way, which dives out of sight as we come near. Owls and rattle-snakes live in the same holes with the prairie-dogs.
LESSON XLV.
MRS. BRINDLE'S COWSLIP FEAST.
A cow lived in a pleasant field,
Where cowslips bloomed in spring.
Said she, "I think a cowslip feast
Would be a pleasant thing."
So Mrs. Brindle sent a calf
Around the farm, to say
That she should give a cowslip feast
At four o'clock that day.
At four o'clock she sat in state
Beside the flowing brook;
The cowslips, with their golden heads,
Did most inviting look.
The brindle calf in apron stood
To ope the five-barred gate;
And then his mother said that he
Upon the guests must wait.
The company at length drew near:
First Mrs. Blossom came,
And Mrs. Dun, and Mr. Bull,
Who seemed to-day quite tame.
Red, spotted, white, a goodly band
Of cows and calves came nigh;
And Mr. Donkey said that he
Would cowslips like to try.
And Mrs. Mare came with her foal,
And Mr. Horse came too,
And several sheep with frisky lambs,
In woolen dresses new.
Then Mrs. Brindle bade her guests
The cowslips sweet to eat;
And if they wished to drink, she said,
The brook was clear and sweet.
They ate and drank, and chatted too;
And, when they went away,
Said, "Thank you for your cowslip feast,
Dear brindle cow, to-day."
I thought the sparrow's note from heaven,
Singing at dawn on the elder bough;
I brought him home; in his nest, at even,
He sings the song, but it pleases not now:
For I did not bring home the river and sky—
He sang to my ear; they sang to my eye.
LESSON XLVI.
THE FROG AND ITS HOME.
1. Here is a strange-looking creature—the frog. At first sight we would say that it is entirely unlike all the animals we have studied; but let us look a little closer.
2. We see that, like all the others, this little friend of ours has a body with a head, four limbs, two eyes, two ears, a nose, and a mouth.
3. But how curious it is in form! Its body is short and round; its head is set on to its body without any neck; and its limbs are placed on its sides, so that it can not stand, but only squat.
4. It has large staring eyes, that can look about on all sides; and when it opens its mouth its whole head seems to split apart.
5. It has webbed feet, and can swim well in the water. It has no teeth, but lives upon grubs and flies and other insects.
Frog's Head, showing tongue.
6. When a fly comes within reach, the frog does not jump at it, but just darts out its long tongue, covered with slime, so quickly that the fly is caught before it has time to stir.
7. It lives both upon land and in the water. When in the water, it can open and shut its webbed feet like a fan, and so can swim rapidly.
8. When upon the land, it can not walk or run, but it gets along by hops. It sits on its hind feet, and suddenly straightens out its hind legs, and away it goes in a great leap.
9. When the cold weather comes, the frog crawls into some hole, or under the bank near the water, and goes to sleep for the winter.
10. The cold does not kill him, and, when the warm spring days come, he wakes up and comes out ready for the work which he is to do.
LESSON XLVII.
FROM TADPOLE TO FROG.
1. In the spring of the year the frog lays its eggs in the water. These eggs are small and round, but soon swell out to the size of a large pea. Each egg has in it a black speck, not much larger than a pin's head.
2. This speck grows, and in the course of a few days out comes a tadpole about half an inch long. Now, a tadpole has a round head, with a flat tail on one side, but no body.
3. The tadpole can swim with its tail, like a fish. On each side of the head is a small tuft of soft pink threads. These are gills, through which it can breathe the air which is in the water.
4. Then the body grows, and in a short time two little legs come out right where the tail joins the body. In a few days more two other legs come out just back of the eyes, and then we have a tadpole with four legs.
5. But now another change takes place. Lungs for breathing air begin to grow inside, and the gills become smaller. For a time the tadpole breathes partly in the water, with his gills, and partly in the air, with his lungs.
6. Next the gills dry up, and then it comes to the top of the water to breathe; and it looks very much like a frog, except that it has a tail.
7. At last the tail shrinks away, and the tadpole has become a perfect frog. In hot weather all these changes take place in a few weeks; but when it is cold, they take a longer time.
8. The frog, when full grown, can live on the land or in the water. It can stay under water some time, but must come to the top to breathe.
LESSON XLVIII.
MORE ABOUT FROGS.
1. Each Mrs. Frog lays about one thousand eggs, and if they all hatched and grew, every swampy country would soon be overrun with frogs.
2. But fish, birds, and serpents eat them in such numbers that they only about hold their own year by year. Some kinds of frogs are also found to be good food for men, and are caught for that purpose.
3. Frogs are lively and noisy in the first warm days of spring and summer. The little peeping frogs keep up their shrill music all night and day, and with it we hear the deep voice of the bull-frog, like a bass-drum heard at a distance.
4. The bull-frog is the largest of the frog kind. It eats worms, insects, and snails, and sometimes it even eats its own tadpoles.
5. In summer, we hear among the trees a shrill kind of whirring sound, which is kept up for a long time without any pause. This is the song of the tree-frog, sometimes called the tree-toad.
6. This is a very small frog. It is born in the water, like other frogs; but when it comes out in the spring, it climbs into the trees and lives there.
7. Its feet spread out into broad, flat toes, from the bottom of which comes out a sticky fluid. By means of these toes, which partly act as suckers, the frog can crawl along on the under side of branches without falling.
8. The color of the tree-frog is so much like that of the wood it clings to that it can not be seen unless we look very closely for it.
LESSON XLIX.
THE FRIENDLY TOAD.
1. The toad, which we find in our gardens and yards slowly crawling about, or making short hops, is a cousin of the frog, and is made very much like him.
2. The frog has a smooth skin; but the skin of the toad is thick, and is covered with warts. It has a larger mouth than the frog, and, on the whole, it can not be called handsome.
3. The toad, like the frog, is usually born in the water, and is at first a tadpole. When it loses its gills and tail, it comes out of the water and lives upon the land, until it goes into the water again in the spring to lay its eggs.
4. Sometimes the toad can not reach the water at the proper time, and then the tadpole changes to a perfect toad soon after it is hatched.
5. The toad feeds on insects, and is very useful about the garden, as it picks off the grubs and beetles that destroy the fruit and flowers.
6. It eats only living insects, and it never chases its prey. It will sit motionless until a fly or other insect comes within reach, and then it darts out its tongue so rapidly that the little victim can not escape.
7. It swallows its food whole. When it seizes a worm, it crams fold after fold into its mouth with its fore feet, and, when all is in, it gives one great gulp, and the worm disappears down the wide throat. The toad sleeps in some hole, or out-of-the-way place, during the day; but it comes out about sunset and searches for food all night.
8. Every few months the toad gets a new coat. Its old skin gets hard and dry, and cracks open on the back, showing a new skin under it. Then the toad pulls his head out, and pushes the old skin off his body and legs. When he has got it all off, he rolls it up into a ball and swallows it.
9. Toads live thirty or forty years, and often become quite tame. They will come at a call, and they seem to enjoy a gentle scratching. When held by the legs, they will catch the flies brought within their reach as readily as when at liberty.
LESSON L.
THE SNAIL AND ITS HOUSE.
1. In summer, when walking out in country places, we often find pretty little snail-shells. Some of these are empty, and some have a live snail within.
2. The shell is the snail's house. It is a queer house, as it grows on him, as hair grows on a cat; and he carries it about on his back when he walks.
3. The snail lives upon plants. In the day he finds some safe place under a stone, or in a hole, draws himself into his house, and goes to sleep. In the night he comes out and feeds.
4. When we catch a snail, and wish to look at him, we find that he has gone into his house, where we can not see him.
5. To make him come out, put a plate in warm water until it is about as warm as the hand. Then dip the shell into the water, and put it on the warm, wet plate.
6. Then the snail will come out. First, he will put his head out. Then from the front part of his head he win put out four soft horns, two long ones and two short ones.
7. His eyes are in the ends of his long horns. When the horns are out, if you watch close, you will see the eyes move up to the tips.
8. Next comes the body, which is soft, long, and flat. The shell is on the back, nearer the tail than to the head. It has a spiral twist, as is shown in the picture.
9. The snail's body, where it touches the ground when he moves, is called the foot. When he moves, the head reaches forward first and takes a firm hold, then the other parts come forward in turn, the tail last.
10. The snail can not crawl over a dry place; so, when he moves, a thick fluid comes out of his foot, moistening the surface as he passes along.
11. As he must be saving of this fluid, in dry weather he stays at home most of the time, and comes out only when it is wet enough to crawl about.
12. When the cold weather comes, the snail crawls away to some quiet place, usually under a log or a stone, draws himself into his house, makes a door to keep out the cold, and goes to sleep until spring.
LESSON LI.
THE FLY AND ITS WAYS.
1. Here is one of our friends that we know very well—the common house-fly. It is here drawn large on purpose, so that we can better see how it is made.
2. The fly is an insect. Its body is divided into three parts; and it has three pairs of legs. Upon its head are two large eyes, each of which is made up of about two thousand small eyes. When we look through a glass that makes things look large, we can see and count these little eyes of the fly.
3. Its feet are made in such a way that they will stick wherever it places them, so that it can crawl up the walls of the house, or on the ceiling, with its back down.
4. The fly's wings are light and thin, and made up of fine network. It has no jaws or teeth; and, instead of lips, it has a tube, or trunk, through which it sucks up its food, as we can suck milk through a straw.
5. When a fly lights on a lump of sugar, it puts out its trunk, and lets fall a drop of fluid, which is clear like water. This moistens the sugar, and then the fly sucks it up.
A Fly's Leg,
magnified.
6. The fly keeps himself very clean. After each meal it brushes its head, first on one side, and then on the other, with its first pair of legs. Then it will rub the two legs together to get off the dirt.
7. The fly lays its eggs in the kind of food its young can eat. In a short time a little white grub hatches out, which does nothing but eat until it is of full size.
8. Then its skin becomes hard, and shrinks. It lies still, and does not eat anything for several days; but, inside its hard shell, wings are growing, and by-and-by the shell cracks open, and a full-grown fly comes out.
9. The blue-bottle fly has but two wings, while the common house-fly has four. This fly lays its eggs wherever it can find putrid meat, and the grubs which hatch out eat it all up, and so save us from evil odors and from breathing foul air.
LESSON LII.
THE ANIMALS' BALL.
"'We'll dance all night,'
Cried the ants with delight."
"We'll dance all night,"
Cried the ants, with delight.
"Pray tell me why?"
Inquired a fly.
"Because it's nice,"
Explained the mice.
"Oh, very well!"
Laughed the gazelle.
"Yes; but where?"
Demanded a hare.
"Somewhere near,"
Suggested the deer.
"Why not here?"
Crowed chanticleer.
"Yes, this will do,"
Said the kangaroo.
"'Don't step on my tail!'
Pleaded the whale."
"Let's be smart!"
Remarked the hart.
"Fetch our gloves,"
Cried the doves.
"And my glass,"
Brayed the ass.
"Where's my brooch?"
Howled the roach.
"Curl my back hair,"
Ordered the mare.
"Don't step on my tail!"
Pleaded the whale.
"Please take care!"
Begged the hare.
"Oh, my cravat!"
Screamed a gnat.
"I've lost my wig,"
Sobbed the pig.
"Give me a chain!"
Cried the crane.
"My shirt's too narrow,"
Complained a sparrow.
"What will you do?"
Sighed the kangaroo.
"None fine as I,"
Remarked the fly.
"'I'll play the horn,'
Said the unicorn."
"Who will play
For us to-day?"
"I'll play the horn,"
Said the unicorn.
"Who will pipe?"
Asked the snipe.
"Why, I!"
Said a fly.
"And I'll play the harp,"
Added the carp.
"We are all ready now,"
Spoke out the cow.
"Then form a row,"
Said the buffalo.
"And now we'll dance,"
Again said the ants.
Then danced the cuckoo
With the kangaroo,
The cat with the rat,
The cow with the sow,
The dog with the hog,
The snail with the whale,
The wren with the hen,
The bear with the hare,
"The cow with the sow."
The lark with the shark,
The ram with the lamb,
The fox and the mare
Made the last pair.
"Now we will feast,"
Remarked a beast.
"Take an ice!"
Begged the mice.
"Do drink this wine,"
Invited the swine.
"Not just now,"
Objected the sow.
"Let's have some beer,"
Said the deer.
"But I prefer cider,"
Whispered a spider.
"You must not think
So much about drink,"
Said the cow
With a bow.
"It's a bad habit,"
Shouted the rabbit.
At last the fly,
With a tear in his eye,
Gave his arm to the lark
And went off in the dark.
Away in a trice
Scampered the mice.
"The rat donned his hat."
Then the skate
Said, "'Tis late."
"I must go now,"
Remarked the sow.
"It is too soon,"
Growled a baboon.
"Not a bit, not a bit,"
Chirped a little tom-tit.
And all the rest
Agreed it was best,
To say good-by,
And homeward hie.
So the cow
Made her bow,
The rat donned his hat,
The whale fetched her veil;
"Now, all farewell,"
Sighed the gazelle.
Farewell, echoed all
At the animals' ball.
JAMES JOHONNOT'S EDUCATIONAL WORKS.
The Sentence and Word Book; a Guide to Writing, Spelling, and Composition by the Word and Sentence Methods. 12mo. Cloth.
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