It

3. Each little chicken, before it ran about in the world, was shut up in an egg. grew inside of the shell. The hen sat on the eggs many days, and kept them warm. No little chicks will grow inside of the eggs, if the eggs are not kept warm.

4. When the chick is ready to come out of the egg, it pecks at the shell with its little bill, and makes a round hole. Then it pushes itself out. As soon as it is out, it sits down by the side of its mother, keeps very still, and waits till all the other little chicks come out of their shells, too.

5. Now and then it will stand by its mother's head, and peck very sweetly at its mother's face, and look as if it were kissing her. By and by another little chick will be out of its shell, and soon all the chicks will be out.

6. Then the old hen, the mother, is very glad, for she has been waiting a long, long time for her little children, the chicks, to come out of their shells and run about with her, to pick up little bugs and worms.

7. Soon the hen leaves the nest. Then all

the little chickens run after her.

That is the time they look like eggs with feathers on them. The hen soon sits down again, and then all the little chicks run under her. She folds her wings over them, and keeps them

warm.

8. In a little while she gets up again, and away go the little things after her. She calls, "Cluck, cluck!" and then they all crowd round her bill, for she has found a little bug; and she picks it up and lets it fall, so that they may see it; and soon one of them takes it up in its little bill and swallows it.

9. In this way she feeds one after another. Each gets a share. But they do not run about long at a time. The hen calls them to come under her wings and take a rest. They all get under, and soon some of them poke out their little heads from under the wings. If the weather is warm, some of them will even come out, hop upon her back, and sit there.

10. A hen is a good and kind mother. She thinks of her chickens all the time. She

does everything that is good for them, and likes to see them eat and play. At night she takes them all under her warm body, covers them all over with her broad wings, and watches while they sleep. If a snake comes along to do them harm, she flies at it and pecks its eyes out.

1. "WILL you take a walk with me,
My little wife, to-day?

There's barley in the barley-field,
And hay-seed in the hay."

2. "Thank you," said the clocking hen,
"I've something else to do;

I'm busy sitting on my eggs,
I cannot walk with you."

3. "Clock, clock, clock, clock,"

66

Said the clocking hen;

'My little chicks will soon be hatched, I'll think about it then."

4. The clocking hen sat on her nest,
She made it in the hay;

And warm and snug beneath her breast
A dozen white eggs lay.

5. Crack, crack, went all the eggs,

Out dropped the chickens small!
"Clock," said the clocking hen,
"Now I have you all."

6. "Come along, my little chicks, I'll take a walk with YOU."

"Hollo! hollo!" the rooster said, and "Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

1. ONE day a blind man fell into a mudhole. Just then a lame man came along,

and the blind man begged him to help him. "How can I do that?" said the other.

out.