5. "A duck has webfeet, and likes to swim. She will stay on the water hours at a time. A goose can swim well, too. She has webfeet like a duck's." 6. "But a fish can swim as well as a duck." 7. "Yes, a fish can swim, but a fish is not a bird. A bird has wings and feathers. A fish is made to live in the water all the time." 1. Feathers, light, webfeet, goose, keep. 2. What is a webfoot? Name some birds that are not webfooted. Give three meanings of light. Change goose to make the word mean more than one. Find three name-words and the action-words used with them in the lesson. Do birds that fly like to swim? Do you know a bird that has webfeet and can fly a long distance? Where do wild ducks go from the north in the fall? Make all the words you can from stay. XVII. SHEEP-SHEARING. 1. My uncle lives on a large farm. He raises a great many sheep. Once every year the men and boys take the sheep down to the pond, and after washing them very clean, cut off all their wool. 2. The sheep do not seem to like being washed much better than some little boys do, and I used to think it was cruel to treat them SHEEP-SHEARING. 47 so, and then to cut off all their nice warm coats. It 3. But this is done only in warm weather, and they do not need their wool then. will grow again before the winter comes. 4. They do look so queer when they are sheared! They hardly seem to know themselves or each other for some days after they lose their covering. 5. The wool is very useful for us. Mother asked me to write the names of all the things I could think of that are made of wool, and, to help me, gave me three questions. 6. What do we wear that is made of wool? What things made of wool are used in the house? What things made of wool do we use out-of-doors? 7. I have made a list of sixteen things that are made of wool and are useful to man. 1. Uncle, washing, cruel, treat, coats, weather, sheared, hardly, themselves, each, sixteen, list. 2. What does shearing mean? What are shears? Make a list of the things made of wool. What does ful mean in useful? Give two meanings of raise. Where did the boy's uncle live? What did he raise? What was done to the sheep every year? Ask questions covering the next three paragraphs in the same way that these questions cover the first paragraph. How many words can you make from raise? wash? clean? wool? nice? XVIII. THE HIDDEN NEST. 1. A little bird had made her nest under a tree. In the nest were four little eggs. 2. When Harry was going to school one day, he saw the bird fly away from the tree, and he thought there must be a nest near by. THE HIDDEN NEST. 49 3. So he ran to the tree and began to look for the nest. "Do 4. The bird made a noise as if to say, not go there; I do not want you to see my nest. I am afraid you will hurt it or will take away my pretty eggs. No, no! No, little boy! Do not go near the tree." no, 5. Harry knew by this that there was a nest not far away, and he looked carefully for it. 6. Just then he saw, down in the grass, the prettiest little nest with four eggs in it. The bird came very near him, and watched him to see if he were going to hurt her nest. 7. But Harry would never take the little bird's eggs away from her. He said, "You must not be afraid of me, little bird. I only wanted to see what pretty eggs you had, and now I will go away to school." 1. Began, noise, afraid, carefully. 2. Did you ever see a bird's nest? How many eggs were there in it? How do birds hatch their eggs? Does the male bird hatch the eggs? What bird made the largest nest you ever saw? Of what are birds' nests made? Did Harry begin to look? Did he run to the tree? Did the bird make a noise? Did Harry know the nest was "not far away"? Find the name-words and action-words in the last four questions. What words can you make from go? do? hurt? care? Give the sound of oi in noise. Does it sound like oy in boy? 66 XIX. HOW THE NEST WAS FOUND. 1. "Little bird, I wish I knew |