case of wrens and martins, seen them repairing old nests. My trees are full of last year's robins' nests to let, without applications. It may be that the birds who built them have come to harm in their migrations.

4. They may have been eaten by the dusky working man, and may now be hoeing cotton, or by some young poet, and may now be singing lyrics to the spring. At any rate, they are not here.

5. But there are saucy wrens, flute-like bluebirds, chattering cat-birds, many-voiced sparrows, the glorious robin, prince of northern singers, without whom the morning choir would be like a choir without a leader.

6. There, too, sings, while I write, the tender and sad wood-thrush, shadow-loving, always singing from under the green leaves; while all a-tremble in the air flies the Bob-o'-link, making a mocking medley of notes, as if poking fun at the whole business of music and laughing at his own buffoonery.

7. Orioles are clarionetting from the trees; the sweet little goldfinch, most exquisite in form and color and lady-like in note, seems as if it were saying the most charming compliments in the most graceful manner.

8. The books are misleading as to the habits of the wood-thrush. It is regarded as solitary, loving retired woods, notably fond of trees overhanging running water, shy of human beings, and altogether a charming, songful recluse.

9. It is true that it loves woods, and sings from trees overhanging dells; but it is no more a recluse and no shyer than half our summer song-birds. They build and sing in the door-yards of the vil

lage; they frequent the back yards on Brooklyn Heights, as I am writing. One remained all the past winter at my neighbor Dayton's, and came every day to get food thrown out for him.

10. On the main road between my cottage and the barn, along which all carts, wagons, and teams are continually passing, there is a fine old apple-tree, whose branches overhang the road, and rake off a tribute from every load of hay that goes by.

11. On this tree last summer a wood-thrush built its nest, and, as if to express its opinion of what had been written about its shyness, instead of taking the great top-dome, or the eastern branches, it selected the limbs that reached out over the road and built there.

12. A man on horseback could have laid his hand upon the nest. There, amidst the hurryskurry of a half-dozen men and a dozen berrypicking boys, it laid its eggs, and hatched its young. We often went near to watch the sitting mother. She looked calmly out upon us, without a sign of disturbance.

13. Now, no field robin would permit half the degree of spying without flying off and telling all the neighborhood in shrill tones that we were robbing her! At evening the mate would often perch upon a cedar post, adjacent, in the clear open light, without leaf or cover, and sing cheerily till it was so dark that he could not read his notes.

14. There is another one, in the avenue along which all comers and goers pass from the highway hither. He hops along the road which I pass, not twenty feet distant, descends to the ground, allows me to watch him in his hunt for insects, and alto

gether shows signs of familiarity and good neighborhood.-CHRISTIAN UNION.

Analysis. Give the meaning of "unvoting winged citizens." Of the "dusky working man." Of a "medley of notes." Of "poking fun." Where is Brooklyn Heights? Give the mean ing of "rake off a tribute," in the tenth paragraph. What is meant by the "avenue"? What is meant by "the anatomy of trees"?

DEFINITIONS.

Success'ive, following.
Recluse', one who lives retired.

Migrations, movings from
place to place.

Buffoon'ery, clownishness.
Adjacent, near.

Resurrection, rising again.
Sol'itary, alone.

30.-Little Jerry, the Miller. 1. BENEATH the hill you may see the mill, Of wasting wood and crumbling stone; The wheel is dripping and clattering still, But Jerry, the miller, is dead and gone.

2. Year after year, early and late,

Alike in summer and winter weather, He pecked the stones and calked the gate, And mill and miller grew old together.

3. "Little Jerry !"-'twas all the same

They loved him well who called him so; And whether he'd ever another name, Nobody ever seemed to know.

4. "Twas "Little Jerry, come grind my rye;" And "Little Jerry, come grind my wheat;" And "Little Jerry" was still the cry,

From matron bold and maiden sweet.

5. "Twas "Little Jerry" on every tongue,
And thus the simple truth was told;
For Jerry was little when he was young,
And Jerry was little when he was old.

6. But what in size he chanced to lack, That Jerry made up in being strong; I've seen a sack upon his back

As thick as the miller, and quite as long.

7. Always busy, and always merry,
Always doing his very best,
A notable wag was little Jerry,

Who uttered well his standing jest

8. "When will you grind my corn, I
say?"
"Nay," quoth Jerry, "you needn't scold;

Just leave your grist for half a day,
And never fear but you'll be tolled."

9. How Jerry lived is known to fame,

But how he died there's none may know; One autumn day the rumor came— "The brook and Jerry are very low."