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its progress. Its skin is very tough stuff, and the fur on it excels all other furs in fineness. Its eyes are very small, and the de-sign' of them seems to be ather to warn it of danger, by making it aware of its approach to light, than to serve for seeing ob'jects, which would be useless to it, as it always lives under ground. It is said to possess a very quick sense of hearing. It feeds chiefly on worms, but also eats the roots of plants. It has four or five young ones at a time; and constructs a nest for them of the roots and fi'bres of plants, so firm and compact that water cannot enter it: the place of its nest may be known from the very large size of the molehill where it is built. Moles are hurtful to gardens, turnip fields, and pasture grounds, by reason of the many hillocks of earth which they cast up; and, therefore, there are persons called mole-catchers, whose office it is to destroy them, and who are hired for that purpose. It is chiefly rich land that they fre-quent', both because it is softer for them to work in than poor land, and because it contains more worms for food. The wisdom of the Author of nature appears in the structure of the mole. It could not have lived at all in the sta'tion which has been given to it, if it had been made with large eyes, long legs, feeble feet, a tender skin, and a face and mouth like those of a cat for instance. But its small eyes, its firm snout, its short legs, its strong claws, the pos'ture of its fore feet, and its tough skin, render it, in

every respect, fit for the place which has been given to it for its dwelling, for working, and breeding.

QUESTIONS.

By what means does it What seems to be the deOn what does this little materials does it build its

What is the form of the mole? work its way through the earth? sign of the smallness of its eyes? animal chiefly feed? Of what nest? How may the place of its nest be known? How do moles injure gardens and fields? What sort of land do moles frequent? What appears in the structure of the mole ? What is it that fits it so well for the place where it lives?

THE GOOD SCHOLAR.

When Thomas Poole first went to school,
Though yet but scarcely seven,
He learned as well to read and spell,

As most boys at e-lev'en.

He took his seat, and wrote quite neat,

And never idly act'ed;

And well, beside, he multi-plied,
Di-vi'ded, and sub-tract'ed.

His master said, and stroked his head,

If thus you per-se-vere',

You may depend, my little friend,
Upon a prize next year,

SECTION II.

LITTLE BIRDS.

We cannot but admire the way in which little birds build their nests, and care for their offspring. It is easy to conceive, that small things keep heat a shorter time than those that are large. The eggs, therefore, of small birds require a place of more constant heat, than the eggs of large birds, as being apt to cool more quickly; and we ob-serve' that their nests are built warmer and deeper, lined in the inside with softer matters, and guarded above with a better cover.

When their nest is built, nothing can exceed the care which both the male and the female take to conceal it. If it is built in bushes, the slender branches are made to hide it wholly from the view; and if it is built among moss, nothing appears on the outside to show that there is a dwelling within It is always built near those places where there is plenty of food; and the birds are careful never to go out, or come in, while there is any one in sight. Nay, when any person is near, they will sometimes be seen to enter the wood, or alight upon the

ground at a distance from the nest, and steal through the branches, or among the grass, till, by de-grees', they reach the nest which contains their eggs, or their young ones.

The young ones, for some time after they leave he shell, require no food; but the pa'rent soon finds by their chirping and gap'ing, that they begin to feel the approach of hunger, and flies to provide them with a supply. In her absence they lie close together, and cher'ish each other by their mu'tu-al warmth. During this time also they keep si'lence, nor do they utter the slightest note till the parent returns. When she arrives she gives a chirp, the meaning of which they know well, and which they all answer at once, every one asking its portion. The parent gives a supply to each by turns, taking care, however, not to gorge them, but to give them often, and little at a time. manner feed seventeen or without passing over one giving any one of them more than its prop'er share.

The wren will in this eighteen young ones, of them, and without

When they are fully fledged, and fitted for short flights, the old ones, if the weather be fair, lead them a few yards from the nest, and then com-pel' them to return. For two, or three, or more days, they lead them out in the same manner, but tempting them every time to a greater distance. And when it is seen that the young brood can fly and shift for themselves, then the parents forsake them

for ever, and attend to them no more than they do to other birds of the same flock.

It is God that teaches the little birds to act thus, in as skilful and tender a manner, when building their nests, and caring for their helpless young, as if they had the reason and the feelings of human beings. Surely his wisdom and his goodness are throughout all his works.

QUESTIONS.

In what respect do the nests of little birds differ from those of larger ones? What is the reason of this difference ? What plan do little birds take to conceal their nests? How do the old birds know that the young ones require food? How do the little ones keep each other warm? How many young ones will the wren feed? When do the old birds forsake the young ones? Who teaches the little birds to build their nests, and to take care of their young ones?

ON MINERALS.

Such is the bounty of our kind Creator, that he hath not only covered the earth with his goodness, and strowed its surface with an endless variety of vegetables, but hath also laid up in store within its bowels, for our service, a highly important class of hidden treasures. I now allude to what is commonly called the min'er-al kingdom. "Surely," saith Job, "there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it. Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone. Out of the earth cometh bread, and under it is turned up, as it were, fire. The stones of it

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