play with one another as they do; for how much prettier it is to look at those little lambs playing together, than at dogs barking and fighting. And, besides that, Tom, you know that God will not love us if we fight and quarrel, and are unkind to one another."

"And, Mary," said her brother, "do you see how clean and white their fleeces are? The fleece is the wool which grows on the sheep's back. Do you know, Mary, what is done with the wool when it is cut off the sheep's back?"

"O yes, Tom, I know that; for I have seen folks spin the wool into yarn; and then I knit some of the yarn into this pair of stockings; so that these stockings, Tom, once grew on a sheep's back."

But, Mary, do you think that stockings are the only things that wool is made into?"-" No, Tom; I know that flannel, and blankets, and cloth for men's coats, and many other things are made of wool; but I do not know how, for I am sure I could not knit a blanket or a coat."

"No, Mary, you could not, indeed. Father told me that flannel, and blankets, and cloth, are woven; and he said, that when I was older, he would take me to aweaver to see some cloth woven.'

"But, Tom," said Mary, "Does it not hurt the sheep to cut off their wool?"—" No, Mary, I believe it does not hurt them more than it hurts us to have our hair cut.

"As the sheep are out in the cold winter nights, they would be very cold if God had not given them wool to keep them warm; but they are very glad in

the summer to have their wool taken from them, because it would make them very hot to have their fleeces on their backs in warm weather."

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Oh, brother," said Mary, "how good it is of God to make the wool to grow on the sheep's backs, to keep them warm in winter; and when the fine weather comes, and the sheep do not want it any more, this same wool makes useful things to keep us warm. How good is God!"

LESSON XXXVI.

BIRDS.

OHN was walking with his mother. JOHN

He was

looking up in the air at the birds; he said, "How high they rise, and how they beat the air with their wings! Now they are higher still, and now they are so far off we cannot see them."

Then he saw a little robin, and his mother said to him, "I think Robin has picked up a worm, and he is flying away with it to that great tree; I think he has built his nest in that tree, and he will give the worm to his little birds which are in the nest.

"Let us go and see; but we will not go too near, we might frighten the little birds. What a nice warm nest! and how neatly it is put together! It is made of moss and sticks. When the poor little birds come out of the eggs, and have no feathers to keep them warm, this is a nice warm house for them to live in.

"When they are cold, their mother covers them over with her wings, and when they are hungry, their

father fetches them a worm to eat. They cannot fetch worms for themselves, because they are too young to fly.

"Do you know, John, you were once as helpless as the little birds? When you were a baby you could not take care of yourself: it was your father and mother who fed and took care of you, and still they work hard for you.

"Now the poor little birds cannot speak and think, but you can think and speak; so you must thank your father and mother, and you must try to please them, by being good, and doing all they wish you to do. Now the little birds have had their supper, we must wish them good night, and go home and have our supper."

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LESSON XXXVII.

WATER-BIRDS.

COME here, John," said his brother William,

"come and look at this duck, and her little brood of ducklings; I wish they would stand still, that I might count them."

"How many can you count, John?"

"One, two, three, four, five ducklings, and the old duck makes six," said John; he clapped his hands, and they ran away, but they could not run very fast.

"Oh fie! John, you should not frighten the poor little ducklings; remember, you do not like it at all if any body frightens you. See! the old duck has taken her young ones to that pond. How she swims

away, and all her little ones swim after her; and now she is trying to get some food for them out of the water, with her great flat bill."

"I wonder," said John, "how those little ducks can swim so well; chickens cannot swim; if they fall into the water they are drowned, and I never saw a hen swim."

"Ducks are able to swim," said William, "because God has given them feet just fit for swimming. Don't you see that skin which they have between the claws of their feet? Hens' feet, and chickens' feet are not made so. Most birds which swim on the water have feet like ducks' feet, and they are called web-footed birds."

"Yes," said John, "I have often looked at our goose's great yellow feet, and I remember they have that skin between their claws. I shall not forget. web-footed. Our goose is web-footed, and a swan is web-footed too."

"Yes," said William, "ducks and geese and swans find a great deal of their food in the water, and therefore God has given them web-feet that they may swim, and get their food. Besides it is very pleasant to them to be in the water. But though their web-feet are very useful to swim with, they cannot walk with them so well, or run so fast as hens and chickens do with their feet. There is the drake, he is very much like the duck,

and of a prettier colour."

only he is larger,

"Yes," said John, "those green feathers in his wings are very pretty. Does he like corn to eat, William ?" "Yes," said William, "he is very fond