The swallow leaves the fields of air,
The busy bee the flower;
And farmers hasten home to share
The quiet of the hour.
Tho’ small in size, the cricket tries
His voice so shrill and strong,
And many a frog, from pond and bog,
Sends forth its croaking song.
Now we will call the children dear
To rest their wearied limbs,
And, as the time for bed draws near,
We’ll hear their evening hymns.
And then, Aunt Avis must not fail
To bring her stock of verse,
For in sweet rhyme a pleasant tale
She can for us rehearse.
And often, at the close of day,
We’ll think of this kind friend,
And ask for some instructive lay,
Which she has sweetly penned.
———
How pleasant it seems
To hear mamma say,
You’ve been very good,
My darling, to-day.
WONDERFUL INSTINCT OF THE ANT.
We visit an ant-hill, dear children, to-day.
Come, witness the instinct these creatures display;
“Consider their ways and be wise;”
Thus spoke a wise king, in the Proverbs, you know,
And though we’re no sluggards, I think if we go
We’ll find a rich feast for our eyes.
One square foot of earth, though to us very small,
To the ant is a kingdom. Each house has a hall,
With chambers and passages lined;
And thousands of homes in one square foot of ground,
With swarms of these insects are frequently found,
And such a one now we will find.
The ants’ mode of building we first will explain—
The earth being moistened with dew or with rain,
Large swarms of these insects will meet;
Each one takes a grain that you scarcely could see,
And kneads it and moulds it as nice as can be,
Then pats it down smooth with its feet.
These diligent builders thus work at their trade,
Till hundreds and thousands of houses are made
Beneath all these little mud balls;
In these tiny ant-hills we see above ground
Small buildings of full twenty stories are found,
Supported by pillars and walls.