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Mamma, I see some sheep in that field,” said little Caroline," and some pretty little lambs; they are playing and skipping about their mothers, and seem very happy; pray let us go close to them—may we?"

"Yes, my love, we will go as near to them as they will let us."

"O mamma, they cannot prevent our going near to them, can they?”

"No, my love, but they can run away from us; and they will run away, if we frighten them."

Pray, mamma, let us go very gently towards them then."

"Do you remember that pretty hymn of Dr. Watts's, Caroline, which begins, Abroad in. the meadows to see the young lambs ?" "

"Yes, mamma, I know it all; shall I say it to you now?"

"Not now, my love; only do you try to be as gentle and harmless as these little lambs are. -See how white and clean they are, and how gently they play together."

"Yes, mamma, I will try and be more like them.-Oh, look what a cross old sheep that is

-how it pushes away its poor little lamb when it tries to suck.-Why does it do so?"

"I suppose the lamb has made a mistake, and gone to the wrong sheep, instead of its own mother; now it is running to another sheep you see, and that pushes it away too; now the poor lamb has found out its own mother, and she lets it suck quietly."

"How can the old sheep know its own lamb, mamma? I am sure I should not know one from another, they are all just alike, I think."

"I dare say you would not know them, my love, because you have not taken notice enough of them; but there are not two sheep, or two lambs, exactly alike in this field; the shepherd would tell you he knows every separate sheep in a flock of two or three hundred. But if they were all just alike, an old sheep would know its own lamb by instinct.”

"What do you mean by instinct, mamma?'

"I am afraid I can hardly make you under stand what it is, my love; but you will so often hear the instinct of animals mentioned, that

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will try and explain it to you, if you will attend

to what I say."

Pray do, mamma, I will be very attentive, and I think I shall understand a little about it." "You know, my love, that no animal except man has a living soul; and besides, that no other animals have reason to guide them as we have."

"I know, mamma, that all animals have not souls; and I remember that text you taught me about it in Genesis, the second chapter and the seventh verse: 'And God formed man of the

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dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.' But I do not know what reason is."

you

"It is reason which enables you to think, to know what is right or wrong, and to consider what to do. It is your reason which makes ask what reason is, and makes you understand what I say to you. A beast could not understand me, you know; but though no other animals have reason to tell them what to do, God has given them something that we call instinct,

which teaches them every thing they need to know. It tells them where to find their food; it makes the old animals love their young ones, and take care of them till they are old enough to take care of themselves; it shews them when they are in danger, and how to avoid it. It teaches birds to build their nests; and it teaches all animals what is good for food or medicine, and what is poison; and a great many more things which you will learn in time. Do you think you understand me?"

"I think I do, mamma.”

"I will try if I cannot make it more plain to you. Suppose you were walking by the side of the river, and were to see some very beautiful flowers growing in the middle of it, you would wish for them very much; but you would think in your own mind, I cannot swim, and if I get into the water, perhaps it is too deep to walk in, and then I shall be drowned; and if I am not drowned, I shall get very wet. Besides, mamma has often told me never to go near the water; I had better go without the flowers than either be drowned, or disobey mamma.' So you would

run away, and leave the flowers growing in the river. Now, suppose an old hen, with a brood of chickens, was to come to the edge of the river, and was to see a piece of bread floating on the water, she would long for the bread very much, but she would not go into the river to get it, nor would she let her chickens, because her instinct would teach her to avoid the water. But suppose a duck should come too, with her ducklings; as soon as she saw the bread she would tumble into the water with her young ones, and they would swim to it, and gobble it up in a minute. Your reason would keep you from going into the water to pick the flowers; and the same instinct which taught the hen to avoid the water herself, and to keep her chickens out of it, would teach the duck to go into it, and her ducklings to follow her. Do you see what I mean now, my love?"

'Yes, mamma, I think I quite understand you now; and I should like very much to know more about the instinct of animals. Will

you teach me a little more about it sometimes, mamma?"