tea and card parties! Besides, let us never forget that they are the happiest persons who procure delight with the least trouble, expense, and anxiety. In those warm climates, the plane grows to an enormous size; and it has the curious property of shedding its bark every year."

On the following day, according to the promise they had received, they went to see farmer Barter's sheep washed, and afterwards sheared;* and it was no small amusement to Adam to witness the violent struggling of the larger sheep, and of the old rams in particular; how they leaped all four feet off the ground at once. The man employed to wash them was himself in the water; but they were often too strong for him, and then he would get a good ducking, to the loud jesting and amusement of the spectators. After the wool was well cleansed from the dirt that had collected in it, each sheep was turned into a hurdle-cote that was fixed in a warm place, where they stood bleating, and the water dripping off into puddles from their spongy clothing; and every now and then one would shake itself, and scatter a cloudy rain all around, sometimes making a little rainbow in the sun. When they were nearly dry, they were taken out one by one, and the wool clipped off with large scissors, the shearer kneeling unon the neck of the sheep to prevent its getting up; for if any animal's head be kept down on the ground, it has no power to rise; therefore it is, that when, in the frosty weather in London, a horse in a cart has fallen down, the men always hold his head against the ground while the harness is being unloosed, that it may rise again with ease.

Sheep, we suspect, are not often sheared upon the same day that they are washed.-EDS.

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STAG-BEETLE-MAY-FLOWER.

As they were walking home, well pleased with what they had seen, they ran about collecting all the curiosities they could find, both animal and vegetable. They gathered wild roses and woodbine in abundance, and every now and then the sweetly delicate smell of a spacious beanfield came to them upon the soft summer wind, and added to their happiness. They also found several sorts of the green beetle, and examined them; and they caught one of that very large and rare kind which is called the stag-beetle, to the great horror of all the young party; for one or two nips which he gave those whose fingers came within reach of his great pincers, astonished them. They also caught one of those poor little creatures called the May-fly, which they were informed by their father is born at sunrise and dies at its setting. Adam said it was not worth being born, to have such a short life as that. "Do not suppose, Adam," said his father, "that real enjoyment of life consists in living a long while. That man and that animal lives the longest, that passes through the greatest variety of scenes, and who is capable of feeling in a lively manner both joy and sorrow; and no one can feel what true joy is who is not quick in perceiving sorrow. You will perhaps understand me when you grow older. The toad has been found inclosed and alive in the trunk of a tree, where it must have remained more than fifty years; and there is a wonderful instance related of one that was discovered in a block of marble, which—it would be useless to guess how long it had been there. Now, do you think that those two animals could have been as happy as the butterfly, which flutters so giddily over the meadows, and drinks the morning dew from the buttercup and honey-suckle; and which now and

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then, when he is weary, will sleep upon some sweet blossom, ar lay his wings at rest upon it? That little tender ral ure, however, has many more enemies than the long-living toad; and, if it should escape them all, lives but a few days. Yet, who would not rather be a butterfly than a toad? A cold and a stormy day is but a dreary blank in its little life; but then observe it in the bright sunshine, and the soft summer wind, and no creature seems more happy. The toad, on the other hand, appears to be indifferent to every thing around him. He remains in his hole all day, and in the evening comes shuffling along the dusty roads in search of insects. He is frequently trodden upon by the passengers, and blunders away at the same pace as he did before the accident happened to him. I do not say that the toad is in itself an unhappy animal, for I believe that God has given more happiness than misery to all his creatures; I only wished to show you that the May-fly, or butterfly, in its short but very varied career, experienced fully as much delight as the toad during its long-drawn and monotonous existence."*

While the father was talking, several cows and horses that were grazing in the meadow suddenly started off, and ran round it at their utmost speed, to

• We suspect that some of our readers will hardly be convinced by these remarks, that animals of different species enjoy an equal amount of happiness, whatever may be the comparative length of their lives. Happiness, not less than mental endowments and external advantages, seems, in this world at least, to be distributed in very different proportions to different individuals of the same race, and probably with still greater inequality to different species. It would be hard to believe, that the insect whose life is limited to a single day, enjoys in that brief space an amount of happiness equaling, by its superior intensity, the protracted and reiterated pleasures of those animals, whose lives are, comparatively, whole centuries.-EDS.

90

THE GADFLY.-STONE-CURLEW.

the great amusement of the children, who could not imagine why they should do this, seeing that it was so hot. The manner too in which the cowsad ld up their tails made the young party all laugh very heartily. The father told them that the cause was a very serious one to the animals, for that a gadfly had coine among them, which was a great torment; and that the insect, after stinging them most bitterly, usually left its eggs in the skin; these the warmth of the cow's body hatched, and thus the poor creature was made unwillingly to provide for its own misery.

Before they reached home, they remarked the loud "clamor" of the stone-curlew, and admired the beauty of those small birds, the goldfinch, the yellow-hammer, and that very little creature, the golden-crested wren, called the English humming-bird; all fluttering about and singing to their mates, while these were gravely and fondly employed hatching their eggs. Little Bella found some of that curious substance called cuckoospittle, and which she was shown inclosed a small green insect. They now reached the end of their walk, and had their dinner of that beautiful fish the mackerel, which generally makes its appearance about this time in shoals of thousands and tens of thousands.

After work in the evening, while they were walking in the garden, they heard the loud screeching of the fern-owl, which is also called the goat-sucker; and in a few minutes the first two or three hurried notes of that sweetest of all songsters, the nightingale. It seemed as if it were aware that strangers were near, for it ceased for some time; and as the listeners remained quite silent, and without moving, it grew bolder, and ventured to give a little flourish. The quiet all around still continuing, their ears were next de

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lighted with all its sweet and wonderful variations: sometimes it dwelt upon one little melancholy tone for a considerable time; then it would change in an instant to a brilliant shower of notes, that quite astonished them to think that such loud and sweet tones should come from that little breast: for the bird is not so large as a sparrow.

The

Adam was told that when he became a few years older, he should read some beautiful lines about the nightingale, written by the kind playfellow of his infancy, John Keats; and others by the famous old poet, Chaucer, who died some hundred years ago. shade of night having become more and more dark, the party were delighted to discover under the garden hedge the beautiful and tender light of the glow-worm, which looked as if one of the very smallest of the stars had fallen there. Upon searching closely they found a small ordinary-looking maggot; and that this delicate lamp was placed upon its tail. Mr. Stock informed them that the male worms had wings, but not lights; and that the females hung out those pretty beacons that their friends might the more easily find them in the dark. A large bowl of gooseberry-fool for supper, formed a very pleasant ending, to as pleasant a day spent by these happy children.

On the following morning, Adam and his father were occupied in digging a bed for some young endive plants, which they transplanted from the seed bed, and Adam was desired to observe how far apart he was to set them about a foot. They then sowed some fresh seed for the winter stock. Afterwards Adam was trusted to transplant by himself a whole bed of lettuces, setting them at the same distance apart as those which he before had removed: he already knew how to ma