as large as he says he saw it with a magnifying glass?"

My dear, you have not the same magnifying glass, which he had." Her mother then told her, that with different glasses objects appear of different sizes. Rosamond next wanted to know, how it happens, that one bit of glass, which looks much the same, she said, as another bit of grass, can have such different effects, and, in short, she wished to know how glasses magnify. Her mother told her that she could not explain this to her, "Can father explain it ?"

"Not till you know more than you do now, my dear, not till you have learned something about optics, the science which treats of light; it contains many hard words, and tells about the reflection of light, and the refraction of light, about rays of light and pencils of rays, about convex lenses and concave lenses. You will easily understand all these things, when you know a little more."

"Then, for the present, I had better go on looking at these prints," said Rosamond, seating herself, comfortably to examine them. She read the titles as she turned over the leaves; and every now and then stopped to look at something, that caught her attention in the description of the prints

"Tufted, or brush horned gnat,'-what a beautiful tuft he has on his head!-But troublesome creature! how often he has teased me, when I have been going to sleep; and how he stings!-do you know mother, this man says he has four darts. Yes, the gnat has four darts, in a kind of sheath under his throat, and he can push them out or draw them in, as he pleases-to sting us or not.”

Rosamond went on turning over the leaves. "Piece of a stinging nettle," said she,-" Oh ! what sharp spikes. Laura, do you know how a

nettle stings? I can tell you this man says, that there is a poisonous juice at the bottom of each spike, and that this is pressed out when we squeeze the spikes down."

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Sting of a bee!' Bag of poison, too, at bottom-somewhat like a nettle-Wild oat beard; cloth-worm; wandering mite; cheese mite,' Oh, cheese mite! what a curious mite you are! poppy seeds ; panzy seeds; moss; fine muslin; silk worms-way to rear them; flakes of snow'-this doctor Hook caught flakes of snow on a black hat, and watched their shape, when melting-I could do that on Godfrey's hat, as well as any doctor ; and I will, the next time it snows-hunting spider'.

"My dear Rosamond, at the rate you go on, you will have such a confusion of hunting spiders, flakes of snow, silk worms, panzy seeds, cheese mites, stings of bees, stings of nettles, and stings of gnats, that you will know nothing, and remember nothing distinctly.".

"True, mother, one thing at a time, father says; so I will stick to the hunting spider. And in the first place you must know, it is a small gray spider, with spots of black over its whole body; which are found by the microscope, to be made up of feathers, like those on the wings of butterflies -feathers, mother, on a spider's back? 'It runs sometimes very nimbly, and at other times jumps like a grasshopper, and turns round, so quickly, that it seems to face every way

"It has six eyes; two in front looking directly forwards; two by the side of these, pointing both forwards and sideways, and two others on the back, which are the largest of all and look backwards ; they are all black.'"

Very well, Rosamond, have you not done ?" "Oh, no, mother, I was only just beginning-I

was only telling you what sort of creature the spider is, that you might know before I go on."

"But I have known all this a great while ago, my dear, and I cannot stay to hear you read any more. If you wish to see these spiders catch flies, you may observe them on the sides of houses, or on garden walls, in the spring or summer, when the weather is hot. Since you know something about them, you will feel much more pleasure in looking at them."

LESSON 15.

The two Men and their Barley.

A number of years ago, two neighbours, in a newly settled part of the country, were travelling together, each with a load of barley to carry to the malt-house. At that place, the barley was to be inspected, and, if found good, to be ground into malt for the making of beer.

For a considerable distance, these travellers found their ride more pleasant than they had expected. They conversed, in a social manner, on different subjects, as the various streams, cleared farms, and cottages, they passed; and among other things, related the various opinions they had heard concerning the malt-house to which they were going.

As they advanced, doubts began to arise in their minds, respecting the course they should take; for the country was hilly, and different paths were seen, which appeared to lead in the same general direction. The travellers had examined the geography and maps; but neither of them had ever passed that way before.

After the best information they could get, they came, at last, to a fork in the roads, where they found themselves unable to agree. One said, the

right hand, and the other said the left was the proper course; and finally, each took his own way, in the firm belief that his neighbour was wrong.

As it happened, both men arrived at the malthouse, nearly at the same time. Their meeting was very unexpected to both; and they still wished to know which of the two ways was best; but, on inquiry, they found that, though there were different roads, and it was of some consequence for travellers to make a wise choice, yet, the main question, at that place, was, not which one of a dozen ways they come, but whether their barley was good.

We may learn from this story, that if people agree, in the main points, they should not get angry and abuse each other, as they sometimes do, because they cannot think alike in trifling things; or that if two persons, both meaning to do right, should differ in opinion, respecting very important affairs, it would be proper for each to enjoy his own way of thinking, and not quarrel about it.

LESSON 16.

The Woodpecker.

The woodpecker is to be found 'in every part of the world; and the wisdom of providence in adapting the form of animals to their respective situations, cannot be better illustrated than by describing its peculiar conformation. Woodpeckers live upon the insects contained in the bodies of trees; and for obtaining their food, they are furnished with a straight, hard, strong, and sharp bill.

The tongue is very long, ending in a stiff, bony horn, toothed on each side, to strike ants and other insects, when dislodged from their cells. The legs are short and strong, for the purpose of climb

ing. The toes stand two forward and two back ward, that it may hold fast to the upright trunks of trees; and it has a hard, stiff tail to lean upon, when climbing

When a woodpecker finds a rotten, or hollow free, containing worms, ants' eggs, or any kind of insects, it immediately prepares for its operations. Resting by its strong claws, and leaning on the thick feathers of its tail, it begins to strike with its strong beak, and to peck out the wood, until it comes to its food. Upon this, either through pleasure at the sight of its prey, or with a desire to alarm the insect colony, it sends forth a loud cry, which throws terror and confusion into the whole tribe.

They creep about, seeking for safety; while the bird luxuriously feeds upon them at leisure, darting its tongue with unerring certainty, and devouring the whole brood. The woodpecker, however, does not confine its depredations solely to trees, but sometimes lights upon the ground to seek its food in an ant hill.

Ants, however, generally lie too deep for the bird to come at, and it is obliged to make up by stratagem the defect of power. It first opens the hill, in order to call them abroad, it then thrusts out its long red tongue, which being like a worm, and resembling the usual prey of the ants, they come out to settle upon it in great numbers; when the bird withdraws its tongue with a jerk, and immediately devours them.

Woodpeckers, in this country, build their nests in the hollows of trees, or in holes which they have made themselves, but those of Guinea and Brazil, suspend their nests from the extremity of the branches of trees, with matchless contrivance and ingenu ity, in order to secure the eggs and young from the depredations of monkeys and scrpents.