floods taking place. The walls are all nicely plastered, by the beavers, who pluck up grass with their teeth, and mix it with the mud, so that it may stick. Work, for the night is coming, Work through the morning hours, Work, for the night is coming, Something to keep in store; Work, for the night is coming, Fadeth to shine no more; Work while the night is dark'ning, 1. THE honey bee is a very small insect. He has six legs and two pairs of wings. Bees are never idle, and it is a pretty sight to watch them as they fly to and fro from their hives to the flowers of a field or garden. But we must not hurt them. If we do, we must beware of their stings. 2. The bee works very hard. All day long he is about on the wing, in search of honey. He goes from flower to flower, he rolls himself in the farina or dust of the blossom, which sticks to his body; and this he forms into a sort of bread, which he stores in some of the cells of the honey-comb. 3. The honey which the bee gets, he sucks from the inner part of the flower. He puts it into his honey-bag to carry to the hive. When he gets home, he takes it out of the honey-bag and puts it into the honey-comb, to store it up for his winter's food. 4. There are many kinds of bees, but they are all fond of work. One is called the mason bee, because he builds his nest of sand and stones like a mason. A second is called the carpenter bee, because he saws wood and builds like a carpenter. A third is called the miner bee, because it digs chambers underground for its nest. Another is called the upholsterer bee, because he nips pieces out of rose leaves, and makes a kind of curtain for his nest; and one kind of bee bears the name of the carder bee, because he cards or straightens the moss, with his fore legs and claws, before he makes his nest with it. 5. Bees not only work hard, but they know how to govern themselves. They have a queen, called the QUEEN BEE, who is the chief and the mother of all the other bees in the hive. Her cell is a very large one. When she goes forth she is attended by her guards. All the bees love and honour her, and they will defend their queen with their lives. 6. We ought to take a lesson from the bee in being fond of work, and we ought to be ready, like the bee, to defend our queen whenever we are called upon to do so. 7. Let us love work. The lazy man is a curse to himself, and a disgrace to the land he lives in. 8. Are you ever inclined to be lazy? We should remember that it is very easy to form bad habits, and that a lazy boy will very likely grow up to be a lazy man. I am sure none of us would like this. 9. Work, and you will be free, and not the slave of others. Work, and Work, and you will have health and vigour of body. Work, and you will be rich in pocket, in mind, and in spirit. God loves a working mind, and a working soul, and His blessing is ever on those who work. 10. It is through a love of work that England is so great a nation. We work in our farms, in our houses, in our mills, in our shops, in our docks, and in our ships. We sow, we reap, we dig, we delve, we weave, we spin, and make all kinds of things for our own use, or for the use of other nations. Let us hope God will bless us in all our doings. LESSON 26.-HOW SPIDERS WORK. Spiders thread nipples adhere patience hinge descends diving 1. THE spider works as hard as the bee. He weaves his web with great labour and skill. The spider seems to hang by a single thread, but this thread is made of a great many very fine threads. At the point where the thread begins, there are five dots; these are five little nipples by which the spider spins a thread, too fine to be seen by the naked eye. 2. When the spider begins to make his web, he presses the nipples against the body to which he wishes to have the thread adhere, and the fine threads are spread over a large space. 3. He uses great skill and care, and works hard at it for many hours. As often as it is broken, he mends it, and shows the greatest patience, for if it should be broken twenty |