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The cold, the frost, and the snows of winter are all past, and once more

The mountains lift their green heads to the sky.

At first the early mornings are cold, but daily the sun's heat is stronger; the nights become shorter, and we have more daylight, so that when school is over boys and girls can now run and play in the fields. Here the grass grows greener and greener from day to day; and you may notice how the buds shoot on the trees and hedge-rows till at last they burst forth into full leaf. Pretty flowers spring up on all sides-in gardens and in meadows, on green banks and in the shady nooks of the woods. You may gather the snowdrop, the crocus, and the tulip; the yellow wallflower, and the stock, that scents the garden round;' the daisy and the primrose, of which all children are so fond. The trees in the orchards are full of gay blossoms, giving promise of plenty of nice fruit in the autumn; and in the month of May, the hawthorn is white over with its sweet-scented flowers.

They who walk through the fields in

the country will now see the young lambs jumping and frisking about, all merry and full of fun. The birds may be heard singing their sweet songs all day long. At daybreak the lark springs up from his grassy bed, and mounts higher and higher, singing amid the dawning clouds to his mate below; and at sunset whilst

The blackbird whistles from the thorny brake,

the bullfinch answers from the grove, and the linnets sing sweetly, perched upon the furze bushes. You may hear, also, among the trees, the harsh notes of the jay, the rook, and the jackdaw; while the soft cooing of the doves to each other sounds like a pleasant murmur through the quiet woods. And those birds that left us during the winter for warmer lands than this, now return; and some fine warm day you may be startled by the sound of 'Cuckoo! cuckoo!' Most children know this sound, and dearly they love to listen to it, for it tells them that warm weather and bright sunshine are come; and as often as the school-boy hears this bird, he calls aloud in reply, Cuckoo! cuckoo !' Now, what do you think it is that makes

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the birds so merry and happy? because they are now busy building their pretty nests, in which to lay their eggs and hatch their young. Some birds make their dwelling in the holly-hedge, some in the thicket, and some among thorn and furze bushes; a few build in holes in the trees on which they find moss for their nests, and the insects they feed upon. Besides moss, birds pick up hay, dry sprigs of trees,

And often from the careless backs

Of herds and flocks, a thousand tugging bills
Pluck hair and wool;

and oft, when no one sees them, they
'steal a straw from the barn,' till at length
the nest is made-so soft and warm, clean
and complete. Then in this the hen lays
her eggs, on which she sits till the young
birds appear, at first quite naked, and
without a single feather. Away now fly
the parents in search of proper food for their
little ones.
They take great care of their
young; and feed them till they are fledged
and able to fly and get their own living.

When spring comes, the farmer and his men must plough the land, and sow the grain in his fields, so that he may have good crops of corn in the autumn. He is

glad to see the pleasant April showers; for they soften the ground, and with the help of the sun make the seeds spring up, and cause all kinds of herbs and flowers to grow on the earth.

12. THE VOICE OF SPRING.

I AM coming, little maiden!
With the pleasant sunshine laden;
With the honey for the bee;
With the blossom for the tree;
With the flower and with the leaf;
Till I come the time is brief.

I am coming, I am coming.
Hark! the little bee is humming;
See! the lark is soaring high
In the bright and sunny sky,
And the gnats are on the wing:
Little maiden, now is Spring.

See the yellow catkins cover
All the slender willows over;
And on the mossy banks so green
Starlike primroses are seen;
Every little stream is bright;
All the orchard trees are white.

Hark! the little lambs are bleating;
And the cawing rooks are meeting
In the elms, a noisy crowd;
And all birds are singing loud;
And the first white butterfly
In the sun goes flitting by.

13. THE FOX AND THE GOAT.

ONE hot sultry day, a fox was walking with his horned friend, the goat. The latter was one of the most honest creatures in the whole world, while the former was a perfect master in all kinds of deceit. As they went along in the heat of the sun, their thirst became so pressing that they looked about for means to quench it.

last they found a well at the bottom of a pit, and both leaped down, in order to drink of the clear cool water. After each had taken enough, and quenched his thirst, the fox said to the goat, 'What shall we do now, my friend? Drinking is very pleasant when one is thirsty; but we have at present to think of getting out of this pit, the sides of which are very high and steep.' They tried many plans, but with

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