with such violence that the cat was happy to escape from under his paws and hide herself.

I describe these animals as each having a character of his own. Such they were in fact, and their countenances were so expressive of that character that, when I looked only on the face of either I immediately knew which it was.

"It is said that a shepherd, however numerous his flock, soon becomes so familiar with their features that he can, by that mark alone, distinguish each from all the rest; and yet to a common observer the difference can hardly be noticed.

"I am persuaded that among a thousand hares. no two of them could be found exactly similar in the cast of their countenances, a circumstance little suspected by those who have not had the opportunity to observe it.

"These creatures have a singular power in discovering the minutest alteration that is made in the place to which they have been accustomed, and instantly apply their nose to the examination of a new object. A small hole being burnt in the carpet, it was mended with a patch, and that patch in a moment underwent the strictest scrutiny.

They seem to be much directed by the smell in the choice of their favourites; to some persons they could never be reconciled, and would scream when they attempted to touch them; but a miller engaged their affections at once; his powdered coat had charms which they could not resist.

"It is no wonder that my acquaintance with these specimens of the kind has taught me to hold the sportsman's amusement in abhorrence; he little knows what amiable creatures he persecutes, how cheerful they are in their spirits, what enjoyment they have of life, and that, impressed as they seem with a peculiar dread of man, it is because man gives them peculiar cause for it."

QUESTIONS:-1. What was the chief difference between Puss and Tiney? 2. Who took care of him when he was sick? 3. When he got better how did he offer to repay his master's kindness? 4. What about his fun was amusing to his master? 5. When did Bess die? 6. What was the cause of his death? 7. What lesson may we learn from the cause of his death? 8. What sort of a hare is he said to have been? 9. How was Puss tamed? 10. How, Tiney? 11. How, Bess? 12. Where were they always allowed to go after supper? 13. What did they do there? 14. Who was leader in the play? 15. What was the character of Bess? 16. What took place one night the cat was one of the party in the parlour? 17. If you were to watch hares very closely for a while, in what way might you be able to know one from another? 18. What are hares very clever in noticing about the place where they live? 19. How do they find it out. 20. Mention the case referred to in your lesson which they found out. 21. How do they choose their favourites? 22. Who besides their master was a very great favourite with Puss, Tiney, and Bess? 23. What are the men called who hunt hares? 24. Would you think it fine sport? 25. Why have hares a great fear of man?

cir'-cum-stance en-ter-tain'-ing per-suad'-ed sur'-li-ness

op-por-tun'-i-ty sup'-per

re-mark'-ab-ly üs'-age

con'-fi-dence grav'-i-ty re-cov'-er-y treat'-ment

coun'-te-nances hu'-mour

LESSON XXIX.

Cowper and his Hares.-Part III.

ac'-ci-dent, chance.

Food of Hares.

e-steem'-ed, liked, valued.

at-tract'-ed, drawn to, enticed. fra'-grant, having a sweet smell. dain'-ties, things nice to the med'-i-cine, anything that

taste.

del'-i-ca-cy, a dainty.

de-vour'-ed, ate up, swallowed,

cures.

nour'-ish-ment, food, support. sta'-ple, chief, principal. er-ro'-ne-ous, wrong, false. | veg'-e-ta-ble, plant.

"I TAKE it to be a general opinion that hares graze, but it is an erroneous one, at least grass is not their staple; they seem rather to use it as a medicine, soon quitting it for leaves of almost any kind.

"Sow-thistle, dandelion, and lettuce are their favourite vegetables, especially the last. I discovered by accident that fine white sand is greatly esteemed by them; I suppose for the sake of digestion.

"It happened that as I was cleaning a bird cage while the hares were with me, I placed a pot filled with such sand upon the floor, to which they were at once attracted, as if by a strong instinct, and they devoured it greedily. Since that time I have taken care to see them well supplied with it.

They regard green corn as a delicacy, both blade and stalk, but the ear they seldom eat. Straw of any kind, but especially wheat-straw, is another

of their dainties. They will feed greedily upon oats, but if furnished with clean straw never care for them. Straw serves them also for a bed, and, if shaken up daily, will be kept sweet and dry for a considerable time.

They do not indeed require fragrant herbs, but will eat a small quantity of them with great relish, and are particularly fond of the plant called musk.

"They seem to resemble the sheep in this, that if their pasture be too moist, they are very subject to the rot; to prevent which I always made bread their principal nourishment, and, filling a pan with it cut into small squares, placed it every evening in their chambers, for they feed only at evening and in the night.

"During winter, when vegetables were not to be got, I mingled this mess of bread with shreds of carrot, adding to it the rind of apples cut extremely thin; for though they are fond of the paring, the apple itself disgusts them.

These, however, not being a sufficient substitute for the juice of summer herbs, they must at this time be supplied with water; but so placed, that they cannot overset it into their beds.

"I must not omit to state that occasionally they are much pleased with the twigs of hawthorn, and of the common brier, eating even the very wood when it is of considerable thickness.

"Bess, I have said, died young; Tiney lived to be nine years old, and died at last, I have reason to

think, of some hurt in his loins by a fall; Puss is still living, as I write, and has just completed his tenth year, showing no signs of decay, nor even of age, except that he has grown more discreet and less frolicsome than he was.

"I cannot conclude without observing, that I have lately introduced a dog to his acquaintance; a spaniel that had never seen a hare, to a hare that had never seen a spaniel.

"I did it with great caution, but there was no real need of it. Puss showed no signs of fear, nor Marquis the least token of hostility.

"There is, therefore, it would seem, no natural antipathy between dog and hare; but the pursuit of the one occasions the flight of the other,—and the dog pursues because he is trained to it; they eat bread at the same time out of the same hand, and are in all respects sociable and friendly."

COWPER.

QUESTIONS:-1. What is the common opinion as to the food of hares? 2. Is it correct? 3. Then, what is it? 4. Name their favourite food. 5. What is it, which is not a vegetable, of which hares are very fond? 6. How was this found out? 7. Of what other things are they fond? 8. What part of the apple do they like best? 9. What part will they not eat?

WORD LESSON :—

ac'-ci-dent de-vour-ed hos-til-i-ty

quan-ti-ty

ac-quaint'-ance er-ro'-ne-ous med'-i-cine re-sem'-ble