a cane which the gentleman had behind him, that he roared out like a bull!

"What did you do that for?" said he, making a very long face, and rubbing his hand. "I didn't hurt you, nor ask you for the sixpence."

"What did you hurt that poor dog for just now?" said the gentleman. "He didn't hurt you, nor ask you for your bread and butter. As you served him I have served you. Now, remember* dogs can feel as well as boys, and learn to behave kindly towards dumb animals in future.'

QUESTIONS.-What did the dog think he was going to get? What did the boy do to him? How was the boy punished? What did he say? What did the gentleman tell him to remember?

PROVERBS (Elliptical).

The following are all the words required in this Exercise.

(350)

per-form'
tongue

All is not gold that . . . .

Be slow to promise, but quick to. . . . . .
A young man idle, an old man

Do what you ought, come what . . .

Keep good company, and be one of the....
Better to slip with the foot than with the .
Command your temper, lest it.

......

you.

THE HUMMING-BIRD.

Choos-es, picks out.
De-scribe', draw, or paint in words;
explain.

Down, the soft hair under the feathers
of birds.

UNDER the shade of a tree,

Hov-ers, flutters.

In-sects, very small creatures, as flies.
Mate, the male bird.
Scent, fill with sweet smell.
Sparkles, twinkles.

at the end of one of the

twigs, hangs a tiny little nest. It swings in the air, and is as light as a feather; for it is made chiefly of moss and down.* It is very snug; and within it lie two tiny eggs, of the size of peas, and as white

as snow.

Watch a moment, and we shall see what bird it is that has built the nest; for she has only gone to have a sip of honey. It is a lovely place to watch in. Flowers scent* the air. Yonder is a deep wood; and strange flowers of every shape and size grow all about. Some are like monkeys, some like bees, some like butterflies. These flowers are called or

chids. They grow in England, only not nearly so large as in warm countries.

Hark! the bird is coming. It is the smallest bird in the whole world. Its body is no bigger than a hazel-nut. But its feathers are more lovely than I can describe.* It has a green

crest on its head,

The colours on its

purple.

You can

which sparkles* like a little star.
body are green, and gold, and
scarcely tell where one ends and another begins.

If you look about, you will see more of these little creatures. They are called humming-birds, and live in hot countries,-in India, as well as in America. The woods and groves are alive with (350)

2

them. They flash about here and there, clad in all the colours of the rainbow. The eye is never tired of watching them.

The humming-bird in the picture is sitting on its eggs, to hatch its young ones. When the mother bird is tired, her mate* comes and takes her place. Then up she springs, and darts away into the woods, where she chooses* some flower that has honey in it. As she hovers in the air, she moves her wings about so quickly that you can hardly see them. Her wings make a humming sound as she hovers over the flower; and it is from this that she gets her

name.

*

*

But she is thinking now about the insects. There are a great many of these, hidden at the bottom of the flower. She soon spies them out, and she darts her long tongue into the midst of them. Some

insects stick to it; for the tongue is sticky, as if it had been rubbed with glue. The insects are drawn

into her mouth; she swallows them, and then darts out her tongue for more.

All this time, she is hovering over the flower, and humming with her wings. When she has had enough of insects, she sips a little honey, and flies back to her nest.

QUESTIONS.-Of what is the nest of the humming-bird made? Where does it hang? What is the size of the bird? In what kind of countries do they live? What is the humming-bird in the picture doing? Who takes her place when she is tired? What causes the humming? What do these birds feed upon?

Cam-pan-e-ro, the bell-bird of Guiana, in South America. Its note sounds like a bell-hence its name.

De-light', happiness.

Glanc-ing, darting quickly, like rays
of light.

Low-ers, falls; comes down.
Pal-met-to, a kind of fan-palm, found
in the Southern States of America.

Fan-palm, palm-trees with leaves like Ra-diant, shining; sending out rays;

a fan.

Fra-grant, sweet-smelling.

cheerful.

Slen-der, very slight.

THE humming-bird! the humming-bird!

So fairy-like and bright;

It lives amongst the sunny flowers,

A creature of delight! *

In the radiant* islands of the East,
Where fragrant* spices grow,
A thousand thousand humming-birds
Go glancing* to and fro.

Like living fires they flit about,
Scarce larger than a bee,

Amongst the broad palmetto* leaves,
And through the fan-palm* tree.

There builds her nest the humming-bird,
Within the ancient* wood,
Her nest of silky cotton-down,
And rears her tiny brood.

She hangs it to a slender* twig,
Where it waves light and free,
As the campanero* tolls his song
While rocks the mighty tree.
All crimson is her shining breast,
Like to the red, red rose;

Her wing is the changeful green and blue
That the neck of the peacock shows.

Thou happy, happy humming-bird,
No winter round thee lowers ;*
Thou never saw'st a leafless tree,

Nor land without sweet flowers:

A reign of summer joyfulness
To thee for life is given;