WOOD.
| min´-er-al | gummed | tools | beech |
| cop´-per | climbed | dead | birch |
| zinc | knees | thought | wil´-low |
| chalk | eve´-nings | oak | build´-ing |
1. The little mineral box was made, and Harry and Dora put in the lumps of lead, iron, copper, tin, zinc, chalk, and slate. Father wrote the names on tiny slips of paper and gummed them on.
2. Then he said that he was going to make Dora a doll's house. On hearing this, Dora first jumped about for joy, and then climbed up on her father's knees to kiss and hug him.
3. The doll's house was not made all at once. It had to be done bit by bit in the evenings after father had come home from work and had his tea.
4. Dora and Harry always helped him, or stood by and talked, played with bits of wood, and turned over the tools in the box.
5. They said that saw-dust should be called wood-dust; and they found out that wood was called tree when it was alive, and tree was called wood when it was dead. They thought this very funny.
6. They also learned that there were as many kinds of wood as there were trees.
'Some wood is hard,' said their father, 'some is half-hard, and some is soft.'
'Soft wood!' cried Dora.
7. 'Well, not soft like butter! But softer than oak, beech, birch, and elm'——
'The trunk of an oak-tree is lying where the rabbits live,' said Harry, in a great hurry. 'We often play on it. I know that it is hard. What sort of wood are you making the doll's house of?'
8. 'Soft wood. It is a bit of pine. So is the box that holds the minerals. I should find it hard work to cut oak.
'Now, there is one kind of wood so soft that you can bend it. It is called willow, and baskets are made of it.
'But oak was once used in building the great strong ships.'
COAL.
PART 1.
| win´-dow | coal | won´-der-ing | stretch´-ing |
| shov´-el | tum´-bled | earth | en´-gine |
| spade | con-tent´ | cage | doz´-en |
1. 'Here comes the coal,' said Harry, looking out of the window. 'Mother, may we help Jim to get it in? I can have the big shovel, and Dora the little one. I should like to see the cart upset! What fun it will be!'
2. Crash came the coal on the ground. Then the coal-man drew his horse and cart away, and set to work with a spade to fill the little coal-place.
3. The dog jumped, and got in every one's way. He wanted to help, too, but did not know how. Dora tumbled over the heap and bumped her head, so she thought she would be content with watching Jim and Harry. But Harry was soon tired, and Jim was left to go on alone.
4. 'Where does coal come from, Jim?' he asked.
'Out of the ground, my lad.'
'Does it? Do you dig for it?'
'I don't. But I know somebody who does.'
5. 'If I were to dig for it, should I find any, Jim?'
'Not you! Why, you have to go down ever such a long way before you can even begin to dig.'
6. 'How do you get down?'
'You go down in a thing they call a cage. You can't walk down, you know. It is like going down a deep pit. They call it a mine.'
7. 'Oh, I have heard of coal-mines!'
Dora was taking up one little lump of coal after another, and wondering why it was so shiny if it had really come out of the earth.
8. Harry went on. 'How do they let the cage down? Have you ever been down?'
Coal-miners going down to work.
'I have been down once,' said Jim, stopping in his work and stretching himself. 'This is the way. There is an engine at the top of the shaft'——
'What is the shaft?'
9. 'The pit I told you about. The engine is fixed there and it lets down the cage and pulls it up again. Half-a-dozen men or so can go in it at a time.'
'It must be very strong.'
10. 'Yes, it is, and it has strong chains to hold it. It goes up and down all day long, bringing up the coal.'
COAL.
PART 2.
| re´-al-ly | knife | pic´-tures | thou´-sands |
| eas´-i-ly | be-tween´ | an´-i-mal | piec´-es |
| slic´-es | met´-al | whole | to-geth´-er |
| straight | fetched | for´-ests | puz´-zles |
1. Next day the children asked their mother to tell them what coal really was. Harry did not think it was a stone, because he had broken two or three lumps with a hammer. He found that it broke much more easily than stone.
2. Besides, it did not fly all into sharp bits, but came off in slices; and he saw that it had straight lines along it. When he poked his knife in between these lines, he could take off a slice of coal at once!
3. Dora did not think it was a metal, because she had learnt that iron would melt in a fire and flow like water. 'Coal does not melt,' she said, 'every one knows that!'
4. She took a small lump out of the coal-box, and Harry did the same. Mother then fetched some pictures, and one or two other things, and the talk began.
5. 'It is no wonder that you can't guess what coal is! It does not look at all like what it was at first. It was not always in the ground; it used to live on the top and get the air and sunshine.'
6. 'It must have been alive,' said Harry. 'Was it an animal?'
'No.'
'Then it was a plant!' cried Dora.
7. 'Well, it is all that is left of many plants and trees, whole forests of plants and trees, that grew long, long ago.'
'Before you were born, mother?'
8. 'Yes, long before that! It was hundreds and thousands of years ago. It was so far back that the trees were not like the trees we have now. Many of them were big ferns. Think of a fern grown up to be a tree! And many were great horse-tails. You know what a horse-tail is?'
9. 'Oh yes,' said Dora, 'we find them in the ditch down the lane. It is such fun pulling them to pieces and putting them together again—like puzzles!'
Horse-tail.
10. 'Those trees must have been very strange,' said Harry. 'They would not be nice to climb. But there were no boys in those days, so it did not matter.'
FIRE.
| min´-er-al | walk´-ing | Lon´-don | blaze |
| coal | laugh´-ing | smoke | beast |
| fen´-der | grate | al-read´-y | cage |
| prop´-er | cru´-el | flame | pic´-tures |
1. 'Don't you think,' said Harry, 'that a bit of coal would be a good thing for our mineral box?'
2. 'I do,' said his father. 'Get a little lump, and put it in. And, by the way, we want more coal on the fire. I must get some.'
3. 'How nice a fire is on a cold day!' said Dora, sitting down on the fender, to be as near to it as she could.
'Very nice,' said her mother, 'in its proper place—in the grate.'
4. 'Ah, we should not like it to come walking about the room!' said Harry, laughing. 'There would soon be no room'——
'And no house!' said Dora, shaking her head. 'And then what should we do?'
5. Father came back with the coal, and put some into the grate, saying:
'Fire is a good servant but a bad master. If it gets its own way it is a cruel thing. It would burn a town down. It once burned big London.'
6. Harry was looking at one of the lumps that had been put on the fire. Smoke was coming out of it already. A flame burst out in front, and soon the whole lump was in a blaze.
7. 'It seems such a pity that it should all be burned up,' said Harry, 'when it took so long to make.'
'That is the way of fire,' said father, 'it eats up everything, and when it has nothing more to feed on it comes to an end—it goes out, we say.'
8. 'We don't want it to go out, and so we keep on feeding it,' said mother. 'It is like a wild beast in a cage.'
'Now look at the coal!' said father.
9. By this time the lumps were red and very hot. The children went down on their knees to look for pictures in the fire. They soon saw what looked like men and dogs, rocks, hills, and trees, and at last a great cat with red-hot eyes and a very curly tail.
OBJECT LESSONS.
THE CAT.
1. The cat lives in and about our homes; so we call it a domestic animal.
2. It belongs to the same tribe of animals as the lion and tiger. They are savage—puss is tame. Like them, it is a beast of prey—that is, it catches and eats other animals. They cannot hear it coming with its soft, padded feet.
3. The cat leaps upon its prey. It sticks its strong, sharp claws into a mouse, and soon kills it with its sharp teeth.
4. Puss is covered with fur; she has five claws on each fore-paw, and four on each hind one. She draws them into little sheaths when not angry.
5. With its rough tongue the cat can lap up milk, and also clean its fur. It likes to be clean. It opens its eyes wider in the dark, and can see to run about at night. On each side of its head are long whiskers, with which it feels its way.
Write and learn:
| Cats have— | Cats like— | Cats are— |
| Padded feet. | Milk. | Domestic. |
| Sharp claws and teeth. | Meat. | Tame. |
| Rough tongues. | Mice and rats. | Useful. |
| Good sight at night. | Birds and fish. | Cleanly. |
THE DOG.
1. The dog is larger and more active than the cat. It is also of more use to man, for it guards the house, minds the sheep, and will not allow any one to harm its master.
2. There are many kinds of dogs. All are of some use—from the large Newfoundland dog to the little fox-terrier.
3. Dogs are like cats in some things. They have padded feet and strong claws. But their claws are blunt. They cannot draw them into sheaths as puss does; so they make more noise in walking.
4. The dog is also a beast of prey. But it is not so fierce as the wolf or the fox, which belong to the same tribe of animals. It likes meat and bones, but will also eat bread and vegetables. Its teeth are very strong and sharp.
5. Most dogs have keen scent, pointed noses, and quick sight.
Write and learn:
| Dogs have— | Dogs— | Dogs are— |
| Blunt claws. | Bark. | Useful. |
| Sharp, strong teeth. | Watch. | Faithful. |
| Keen scent. | Jump. | Friendly. |
| Quick sight. | Hunt. | Wise. |
BUTTERCUPS.
1. Buttercups grow wild. They are of a golden yellow colour. Each flower has five yellow leaves growing out from the middle of five smaller green ones.
2. The flowers are something like a cup in shape, with a little tuft of grass-like threads standing in each one. In the green ball in the middle there are tiny seeds from which other buttercups will grow if they fall into the ground.
3. Buttercups come in spring. They grow on taller stems than daisies. They have no nice scent such as violets or roses have.
Write and learn:
| Buttercups— | Buttercups have— | Buttercups are— |
| Grow wild. | Five yellow leaves. | Pretty and shiny. |
| Come in spring. | Five green ones. | Eaten by cattle. |
WHEAT.
1. Wheat is a plant of the grass kind, but grows higher than common grass. It is grown from seed, which is grains of wheat kept until hard and dry.
2. Ruts are made in the soil by a plough, and into these the seed is cast. Then the soil is covered over them by a harrow, drawn by a horse.
3. Rain and warm sunshine help the grains to grow. They grow into tall, jointed stems, and soon the ears of wheat appear. They are green at first, but the sun ripens them and turns them yellow.
4. Then the wheat is cut, and the new grains are threshed out from the husks which are called chaff. The tall stems make straw. The grains are ground into flour by the miller. We use flour for making bread, cakes, and puddings.
Write and learn:
| Wheat is— | Wheat has— | Wheat makes— |
| A grass plant. | A tall stem. | Flour. |
| Grown from seed. | Graceful leaves. | Foods. |
| Green at first. | An ear. | Chaff. |
| Yellow when ripe. | Grains. | Straw. |
SLATE.
1. Slate is a kind of stone. Rocks, and even mountains, are sometimes made of slate. The great hole made in the rocks by getting it out, is called a quarry. It is got out in very large blocks. Sometimes gunpowder is used to crack the rocks before the blocks can be got out.
2. Slate is very hard and brittle. It is used for many purposes. Houses are roofed with slates. Sometimes it is used for pavements. It can be made so smooth that we use it for writing upon. Slate-pencil is made from soft slate-stone.
Write and learn:
| Slate is— | Slate is found in— | Slate is useful for— |
| A kind of stone. | Cumberland. | Roofing houses. |
| Very hard. | Wales. | Making pavements. |
| Brittle. | Cornwall and Devon. | Writing upon. |
CHALK.
1. Like slate, chalk comes out of the hills. It is white and soft. It is used for many purposes. The farmer puts it on the fields sometimes, to make the soil better. It holds water and keeps the soil moist.
2. We get lime and whiting from chalk. We use it in these forms for making our ceilings and walls clean. It is used, too, for writing on the blackboard. Chalk is found in many parts of England. Kent and Hampshire have most. Chalk-pits are often seen in the hills.
3. Chalk is formed of thousands of tiny shells.
Write and learn:
| Chalk is— | Chalk is found in— | Chalk makes— |
| White. | Hampshire. | Lime. |
| Soft. | Kent. | Whiting. |
| Crumbly. | Isle of Wight. | Chalk-pencils. |
THE MOUSE.
1. The mouse is a very small animal, with pointed nose and long tail. It has large bright eyes, large ears, strong sharp teeth, and is very timid.
2. The mouse gnaws through the walls and floors of our houses with its sharp, strong teeth. It makes a little nest in a hole. It comes out when all is quiet to look for crumbs, or anything left about that it can eat. It gets into the pantry sometimes.
3. Some mice live in fields and woods. The tiny harvest-mouse makes its nest on a wheat-stalk. It often does great harm to the wheat.
4. But for puss there would soon be so many mice that we should not know what to do.
Write and learn:
| Mice have— | Mice like— | Mice are— |
| Long tails. | Bread. | Very small. |
| Sharp teeth. | Meat. | Very timid. |
| Large ears. | Cheese. | Very quick. |
| Bright eyes. | Milk. | Very quiet. |
THE RABBIT.
1. The rabbit is about the size of the cat, and is covered with short fur. It burrows a hole in the ground and makes a nest there for its young.
2. Rabbits have long ears and large eyes. They can hear a very slight sound, and can see behind as well as before them.
3. Their hind-legs are longer than their fore-legs; so they do not run, but leap.
4. Rabbits like to live where there is plenty of furze, which they eat for food. They do much mischief in corn-fields by eating the young corn. They also eat the bark off young trees, and so spoil them.
Write and learn:
| Rabbits have— | Rabbits eat— | Rabbits— |
| Long ears. | Grass. | Burrow. |
| Large eyes. | Roots. | Make nests for their young. |
| Long hind-legs. | Leaves. | Leap. |
| Warm fur. | Bark. | Play. |
IVY.
1. Ivy is an evergreen, climbing plant. It grows on old walls, houses, and churches, and sometimes on trees.
2. There are several kinds of ivy. The leaves of each kind are of a different shape. All ivy leaves are very pretty.
3. The leaves have little marks called veins, crossing them in all ways. These veins are full of sap, or moisture, which the roots of the plant suck up from the earth.
4. Some ivy flowers, and bears berries.
Write and learn:
| Ivy is— | Ivy has— | Ivy grows— |
| An evergreen. | Different forms of leaf. | On old buildings. |
| A climber. | Many veins. | Sometimes round trees. |
A TREE.
1. There are many kinds of trees. The oak, elm, and beech are very common.
2. Trees have roots, trunks, branches, leaves, and often flowers and fruit. The brown covering of the trunk is called bark. This keeps the tree warm and dry.
3. Their leaves fall off in autumn, except those of evergreens like the holly and the laurel.
4. Trees are both beautiful and useful. They provide us with timber and firewood, and give shade and shelter to our houses and gardens.
Write and learn:
| Trees have— | Trees— | Trees give us— |
| Roots. | Shed leaves. | Timber. |
| Branches. | Live long. | Fruits. |
| Leaves. | Shade and shelter. |
BRICKS.
1. Bricks are made of clay. The clay is very damp and heavy when it is dug out of the ground.
2. It is put into moulds to make bricks, and slowly baked in a kiln. Then the bricks are dry and not so heavy as the clay was. They are porous.
3. Most bricks are of oblong shape. This is the shape used for building houses, schools, walls. Sometimes they are made into very pretty shapes, are glazed and used for floors and other things.
Write and learn:
| Bricks are— | Bricks are— | Bricks are used— |
| Made of clay. | Not so heavy as stone. | For building. |
| Shaped in moulds. | Hard. | For ornament. |
| Baked in a kiln. | Oblong. |
THE DONKEY.
1. The donkey is a useful animal when well treated. It is cheaper to buy and to keep than a pony.
2. The donkey has hoofs like the horse, and wears shoes. It is very patient and gentle, and can do with coarse food.
3. The donkey's coat is rough, and its mane short. It has a black stripe down its back and across its shoulders. Its head and ears are very long.
4. The donkey can climb high rugged paths better than the horse. It can also carry heavy loads up hill, because it is strong and sure-footed.
Write and learn:
| The donkey has— | The donkey is— | The donkey likes— |
| Hoofed feet. | Strong. | Hay. |
| Long ears. | Sure-footed. | Grass. |
| A shaggy coat. | Gentle. | Thistles. |
| A short mane. | Patient. | Carrots. |
SHEEP.
1. Sheep live mostly in the fields. They often climb very high hills. Their feet are not like the donkey's; they are cloven, like the cow's.
2. Their legs are so slender that their bodies seem almost too large for them. The thick wool which grows upon them makes them look large.
3. Sheep eat grass. They tear it off, as the cow does. They cannot bite, since they have no front teeth in the upper jaw.
4. They are very timid, gentle creatures. They do not like to be alone. They live in flocks. They make a great noise when bleating.
5. Sheep are very useful. Their flesh gives us mutton; their wool makes clothing; their skin makes leather.
Write and Learn:
| Sheep have— | Sheep are— | Sheep give us— |
| Cloven hoofs. | Gentle. | Food. |
| Slender legs. | Timid. | Clothing. |
| Thick wool. | Climbers. | Leather. |
TURNIPS.
1. Turnips are grown both in fields and gardens. The tops are green. The turnip is almost round; but it tapers towards the bottom. Most of the turnip grows under ground; but we can see part of it above ground when nearly ripe.
2. Turnips are good for food. Sheep and cattle are fond of them. Animals eat them raw. We boil them. Raw turnips are not good for us. Pigs will eat the rinds which we peel off.
3. Turnips are white or yellow, sweet, juicy, wholesome.
Write and learn:
| Turnips are— | Turnips have— | Turnips are eaten— |
| White or yellow. | Roots. | By man. |
| Sweet. | Green tops. | By animals. |
| Wholesome. | Thick rinds. | Mostly in winter. |
GREEN PEAS.
1. The pea is a climbing plant. We put tall sticks in the garden for the peas to climb. They grow from seeds which are dried peas.
2. As they grow, tendrils shoot out and take hold of the sticks. Pretty green leaves grow too. Then come the dainty white flowers.
3. When the flowers wither, they leave little green pods. Inside the pods are little green peas. Peas and pods grow larger each day until ripe.
4. Peas are very good for food. Pigs like the husks.
Write and learn:
| Peas have— | Peas— | Peas grow— |
| Roots. | Climb. | In gardens. |
| Tendrils. | Grow from seed. | In fields. |
| Flowers. | Hold by tendrils. | In summer. |
IRON AND METAL.
1. Metals are made from ores which are dug out of the earth. These ores are found in many parts of the world. Iron is the most common, as well as the most useful metal.
2. Many things we use are made of it. The steel of which our knives, tools, and other things are made, is made from iron. Iron is largely used for making bridges, railings, fire-grates, hammers.
3. Lead, copper, tin, and zinc are metals also. So are silver and gold.
4. Men must dig deep down into the earth to find them. The holes and passages which they make are called mines.
5. All metals are heavy. All will melt in great heat, and all can be hammered out into thin sheets or drawn out into wire.
Write and learn:
| Metals are— | Metals can be— | The common metals are— |
| Heavy. | Melted. | Iron. |
| Useful. | Hammered out. | Lead. |
| Plentiful. | Polished. | Tin and copper. |
NEEDLES.
1. Needles are made of steel wire. In a needle-factory there are hundreds of coils of wire. Some of the wire is thick enough for darning-needles; some very thin for making sewing-needles.
2. The wire is cut by a machine. The needles are pointed on a grindstone. The eyes are punched by another machine. Then the needles are filed to make them smooth.
3. To make them hard, the needles are made white-hot, and put into cold water until quite cool. They are then cleaned and polished.
4. They must be very dry before put into packets, or they will rust.
5. Many boys and girls, as well as men and women, work in needle-factories.
Write and learn:
| Needles are— | Needles have— | Needles are used— |
| Smooth. | Eyes. | For sewing. |
| Bright. | Shanks. | For darning. |
| Pointed. | Points. | For other work. |
THE KNIFE.
1. A knife is most useful for cutting. The blade is made of steel; the handle of ivory, bone, or wood.
2. The blade and handle are fastened together by a long, thin piece of iron which goes into the handle. The blades have to be heated as needles are, to make them hard.
3. A knife is blunt on one edge; sharp on the other. The grinder sharpens it on a huge stone which goes round and round. The blades are polished before being put into the handles, as well as after.
4. There are many kinds of knives. Pocket-knives have a spring to make them shut tightly. A table-knife is rounded at the end; the carving-knife has a sharp pointed blade.
Write and learn:
| Knives are— | Knives have— | Knives are made— |
| Sharp. | Blades. | In Sheffield. |
| Bright. | Handles. | |
| Useful. | Springs. |
THE HEN.
1. The hen is a domestic bird. Some are white; some black; others many colours. The hen finds much of its own food in the fields. It is fed with barley, bread, potatoes, and other things from the house.
2. The hen has a small head with eyes at the sides. Its bill is strong and sharp.
3. The hen sleeps on a perch on one leg. It never falls off; its foot is made for grasping.
4. Hens are useful for the eggs they give us; and they are also good for food. Their feathers, too, are useful.
Write and learn:
| The hen has— | The hen is— | The hen gives us— |
| A small head. | A domestic bird. | Eggs. |
| A strong bill. | A percher. | Food. |
| A grasping foot. | Useful. | Feathers. |
THE SPARROW.
1. The sparrow is a small bird with brown and gray feathers. It builds its nest on our houses, and sometimes in the pipes which carry the rain off the roof. A sparrow's nest is seldom found in a tree. It lays five or six eggs which are spotted with brown.
2. Farmers often kill sparrows because they steal the corn and fruit. But they are really good friends to the farmer. They eat the worms and grubs, which would destroy all the fruit.
3. The sparrow is a very bold little bird, and is to be found in the streets of the largest towns as well as in the country.
Write and learn:
| The sparrow has— | The sparrow is— | The sparrow eats— |
| Brown and gray feathers. | Small. | Grain. |
| Sharp claws. | Bold. | Worms. |
| A long tail. | Useful. | Fruit. |
HERBS.
1. Herbs are plants or vegetables with soft stalks or stems. Some grow wild, others we grow in our gardens.
2. We use some for eating, such as mustard and cress. Others, such as parsley, mint, sage, and thyme, we use to flavour our food. Many are used as medicine.
3. Most herbs have a nice scent. They are very plentiful, and very useful.
Write and learn:
| Herbs have— | Herbs are— | Herbs are used— |
| Soft stems. | Plentiful. | For eating. |
| Nice scent. | Useful. | For flavouring. |
| Strong flavour. | Grown from seeds. | For medicine. |
COFFEE
1. We get coffee from the coffee-tree. It is an evergreen, something like our bay-tree. It bears a pretty white flower.
2. When the flower falls it leaves a red berry, something like a cherry. The two hard, oval seeds inside it are what we call coffee beans. They are of a pale colour in the berry, but are roasted to make them brown.
3. Coffee is good to drink, but it is not so cheap as tea. It grows in warm countries far away—in Arabia and the West Indies chiefly.
Write and learn:
| The Coffee-tree— | Coffee is— | Coffee grows— |
| Is an evergreen. | Good to drink. | In Arabia. |
| Has white flowers. | Warming. | In the West Indies. |
| Has a red berry. | Not so cheap as tea. | In Brazil. |
PAPER.
1. Paper is one of the most useful things we have. It is made of old rags which are torn to pieces by a machine. Lime is put in to make them white.
2. The pulp, as it is called, is then formed into sheets and pressed. It is then covered with size, and pressed again to make it smooth and glossy.
3. Blotting-paper and other kinds not used for writing upon, are not sized. Brown paper is made of old canvas and sacking.
4. Before paper was made, people used to write upon the inner bark of trees, and the thin skins of animals made sweet and dry, and called parchment.
Write and learn:
| Writing-paper is— | Blotting-paper is— | Brown paper is— |
| Smooth. | Soft. | Coarse. |
| Glossy. | Unglazed. | Strong. |
| Fine. | Porous. | Used for parcels. |
THE FLY.
1. The fly is a wonderful little insect. It has six legs, with such curious feet that it can walk on the window-panes or the ceiling.
2. It has a funny little round head. Its eyes stand out so that it can see round about it. It cannot move its eyes as we do. Neither can it bite its food—it sucks it.
3. The fly teases us in summer. It gets into our sugar, milk, treacle, and honey. Then it makes marks upon our windows and other things.
4. Its wings are very pretty. When they get wet it cannot fly. The noise flies make is called buzzing.
Write and learn:
| Flies have— | Flies— | Flies like— |
| Six legs. | Buzz. | Sugar. |
| Curious feet. | Lay tiny eggs. | Honey. |
| Fixed eyes. | Suck their food. | Milk. |
THE WASP.
1. A wasp is a very pretty insect, black and yellow in colour. There are several kinds. Some burrow in the ground and make their nests there. Others build their nests in trees.
2. Wasps live together in large numbers. They are very busy. Some lay eggs; some are masons, and build the nest; others are soldiers, and guard the home; whilst others carry away all the rubbish, and keep everything clean and tidy.
3. The wasp's sting has poison in it. This is why it gives us such pain if we get stung.
4. The wasp is something like the fly in shape, only much larger. It preys upon other insects.
Write and learn:
| The Wasp has— | The Wasp— | The Wasp likes— |
| Six legs. | Makes a nest. | Insects. |
| Four wings. | Works hard. | Meat. |
| A sharp sting. | Sleeps all winter. | Sweet things. |
THE SUNFLOWER.
1. This flower is called sun-flower because it always turns its face to the sun. It turns as the sun goes round.
2. The sunflower grows on a strong, tall stalk. It is something like a daisy in form.
3. The deep-yellow leaves stand out in rays from the dark-coloured middle of the flower, which is called the disk. This disk is made of a large number of tiny flowers closely packed together.
4. The seeds of this flower are large and oblong, and contain oil.
5. Bees and flies visit sunflowers, to gather honey.
Write and learn:
| The sunflower has— | The sunflower— | The sunflower has— |
| A strong stalk. | Grows from seed. | Small flowers in its disk. |
| A large disk. | Contains honey. | Oblong seeds. |
| Many rays. | Turns to the sun. | Oily seed. |
THE ROSE.
1. Roses are of many kinds and many colours. Most of them are sweet-scented. Some rose-bushes do not grow very high. Others grow up as high as our houses.
2. Roses have thorns on their stems. Wild roses have many thorns. Wild roses are small—have only five leaves—but they are very pretty.
3. When they die they leave berries, called hips, which make good food for the birds in winter. There are seeds in them.
Write and learn:
| The rose has— | The rose is— | The wild rose— |
| A sweet scent. | Sometimes white. | Grows in hedges. |
| Sharp thorns on its stem. | Sometimes yellow. | Has five leaves. |
| Soft, smooth leaves. | Sometimes red. | Has berries called 'hips.' |
WOOD.
1. Wood seems to be almost as useful as iron. Hundreds of years ago, houses were built of wood. All the houses in London were. There is much wood in our houses now.
2. There are many kinds of wood—each comes from a different tree. Oak is a very hard wood. Pine is softer. Willow is very soft; its thin branches will bend easily. It is used for making baskets.
3. When the trunk of a tree is sawn into planks we can see the grain or marks in it. Some are very prettily marked. Oak and walnut are. Wood can be highly polished.
Write and learn:
| Wood grows— | Wood is— | Wood is used for— |
| In most countries. | Very useful. | Building purposes. |
| In forests. | Mostly hard. | Furniture. |
| Plentifully. | Grained. | Fires. |
COAL.
1. Coal is dug out of the earth. Coal and iron are found together. But coal is not a metal as iron is. It will not melt. We call it a mineral.
2. It is found in many parts of the world. There is a very large quantity in our own country.
3. It is a black, shiny, opaque, and brittle mineral. Men have to go deep down into the earth, into mines, to get it. They are in great danger.
4. Coals were once forests, which sank lower and lower into the earth hundreds and thousands of years ago. They became mixed with other things, and in time were changed to coal. We can see the grain in some of the coal, as we see it in wood.
Write and learn:
| Coal is— | Coal is— | Coal is used for— |
| A Mineral. | Buried forests. | Fuel. |
| Black. | Got from mines. | Smelting metals. |
| Opaque. | Heavy. | Making gas. |
| Brittle. | Grained. | Making tar. |
FIRE.
1. Fire is useful but dangerous. A spark from it might set a house on fire. We ought to be very careful about it. Children should never play with fire.
2. It is so useful that we should not be able to have many things we have, if we had no fire.
3. When England was covered with forests, hundreds of years ago, people used to have fires of wood, instead of coal. Wood-fires are not so smoky as those made of coal, but they are not so hot.
Write and learn:
| Fire is— | Fire— | Fire— |
| Useful. | Burns. | Warms our houses. |
| Dangerous. | Smokes. | Cooks our food. |
| A good servant. | Makes flame. | Makes water into steam. |
| A bad master. | Gives heat. | Makes soot. |
THE END.
Edinburgh:
Printed by W. & R. Chambers, Limited.