QUESTIONS:-1. What is an elf? 2. Why did the waterfall call the brier-rose a presumptuous elf? 3. Wherein did its presumption consist? 4. On what was the rose growing? 5. What were its fibres? 6. How did the rose act for a long time? 7. What did it at last venture to do? 8. What reasons did the rose give why they should not dwell in strife? 9. What benefits had the waterfall conferred on the rose? 10. How did the rose show its gratitude? 11. What sign had the rose given that gentle days were nigh? 12. Of what use had the leaves and flowers of the rose been to the waterfall? 13. What bird sang to it? 14. Why is the waterfall said to have had at one season little voice or none? 15. At what season would that be? 16. What probably became of the rose?

Hay-Making.

[The following lines, by Joanna Baillie, describe in a very lively and charming manner the work of hay-making, which almost all children have often seen. Scythes are still used, but most of our hay is now cut by reaping machines.]

braw'-ny-shoul'-der-ed,

strong-shouldered.

be-dight', dressed.

brave, endure, withstand.
clown, peasant, countryman.
fra'-grant, sweet-smelling.
gus'-ty, tasty, well-flavoured.
list'-less, weary, languid by
fatigue.

stoups, wooden flagons.

swart, of a dark-brown complexion.

swath'-ey, laid in long swaths,

or rows, as grass when cut by the scythe. trudg'-ing, moving slowly. wreaths, heaps, bundles.

UPON the grass no longer hangs the dew;

Forth hies the mower, with his glittering scythe.
In snowy shirt bedight, and all unbraced,

He moves athwart the mead with sidelong bend,
And lays the grass in many a swathey line.
In every field, in every lawn and meadow,
The rousing voice of industry is heard;
The haycock rises, and the frequent rake
Sweeps on the fragrant hay in heavy wreaths.

The old and young, the weak and strong are there,
And, as they can, help on the cheerful work.
The village oracle and simple maid

Rest in their turns, and raise the ready laugh;
All are companions in the general glee.

Some, more advanced, raise up the lofty rick,
Whilst on its top doth stand the village toast
In loose attire, and swelling ruddy cheek.
With taunts and harmless mockery she receives
The tossed-up heaps from fork of simple youth,

Who, staring on her, takes his arm away,
While half the load falls back upon himself.
Loud is her laugh, her voice is heard afar;
The mower busied on the distant lawn,
The carter trudging on his dusty way,

The shrill sound know, their bonnets toss in air,
And roar across the field to catch her notice;
She waves her arm to them, and shakes her
head,

And then renews her work with double spirit.
Thus do they jest, and laugh away their toil,

Till the bright sun, now past his middle course, Shoots down his fiercest beams, which none may brave.

The stoutest arm feels listless, and the swart
And brawny-shouldered clown begins to fail;
But to the weary, lo, there comes relief!
A troop of welcome children o'er the lawn
With slow and wary steps approach; some bear
In baskets oaten cakes or barley scone,
And gusty cheese, and stoups of milk or whey.
Beneath the branches of a spreading tree,
Or by the shady side of the tall rick,

They spread their homely fare, and, seated round,
Taste every pleasure that a feast can give.

No longer hangs the dew.-Grass is never cut when wet. The drier it is when cut, the sooner it can be gathered into ricks.

All unbraced.

The mower generally throws off his braces when mowing, so as to give his arms full play.

The village oracle.--An oracle was, among the heathen, the name given to the answer of a god when he was consulted about any important question. The word was then applied to the god who gave the answer; and, as the answers were considered wise, the word came to be used, as here, to signify a wise man. Hence the village oracle means the wise man of the village, the man who was consulted on all important matters.

The parish toast.-The one who was toasted, or whose health was drunk at all festive gatherings; what we would call the belle of the village.

Past his middle course.-The sun passes his middle course at twelve o'clock.

QUESTIONS:-1. Why is grass not cut when it is wet? 2. Describe the dress of the mower. 3. Why is he unbraced? 4. How is the motion of the mower described? 5. By what instrument is the hay gathered into wreaths? 6. What is a wreath? 7. What is a wreath of flowers? 8. What is meant by a WREATHED SMILE (Milton, L'Allegro)? 9. What do most English words beginning with WR mean (WRY, WREST, WRONG, WREATH, WRINKLE, WRING, WRIST, WRITHE)? 10. What was an oracle? 11. What is meant by the village oracle? 12. Why is the maid, in reference to the village oracle, called the simple maid? 13. Why are these two placed side by side? 14. Who is the parish toast? 15. How are her dress and appearance described? 16. What causes half the load to fall back on the simple youth? 17. How does the parish toast act when she sees this? 18. Who try to catch her notice? 19. How does she respond to their efforts to attract her notice? 20. When are the hay-makers obliged to rest from their labours? 21. When does the sun pass his middle course? 22. Why, when the sun passes his middle course, is he said to shoot down his rays? 23. Who bring food to the hay-makers? 24. Why do the children require to move with slow and wary steps? 25. What food do the children bring? 26. What is a stoup? 27. Where do the hay-makers eat their dinner? 28. Why there? 29. What makes their dinner enjoyable? 30. Give the meaning of the prefix in the following words :-bedight, unbraced, companions, advanced, renews, relief. 31. What is the meaning of less in the word listless? 32. Form other words having the same affix.

ap-pa'-rent-ly, to all appear- fre-quent', to inhabit, to live

THIS magnificent bird is spread over a large portion of the world, being found in the British