dred yards deep, before they reach the seam of coal which they are working.

Belgium is the most populous country in Europe, that is, it contains the greatest number of inhabitants to the square mile.

The title of Czar, given to the emperors of Russia, was first assumed by Peter the Great; it is supposed to be a corruption of Cæsar, the name given to some of the Roman emperors.

The osier willow is remarkable for its toughness, and it is this quality which makes it so valuable for baskets. The pyramids of Egypt have now stood between three and four thousand years; the largest of them stands on eleven acres of ground.

An initial is the first letter of a word, used instead of the word itself; thus, if my name be John Smith, and I only write J. S., I use my initials instead of my name at length.

Insects are propagated, or brought into life, by eggs the same as birds; these eggs, the parent insects hide in the most secure places, and the warmth of the air brings them into life.

Insects that live on the juices of plants and flowers, are provided with a proboscis, or long hollow pipe, like the elephant; through this they suck up those juices.

LESSON XVII.

THE ELEPHANT.-THE EAGLE

The elephant is the largest, and, at the same time, the strongest quadruped, known in the present age; he accasionally grows to the height of thirteen feet, and

has been known to live one hundred and twenty years.

The elephant has two tusks, one growing out of each side of his mouth, somewhat in the form of a horn; these tusks, being ivory, are of great value, frequently weighing upwards of one hundred pounds each.

When tamed, the elephant is as tractable as the dog, and very useful to man, carrying heavy burdens, taking great care of his load, and cheerfully obeying his keeper, who sits upon his neck, guiding him with a short rod of iron, or more commonly, simply with his voice.

The proboscis, or trunk of the elephant is deservedly an object of admiration; it is his organ of breathing, and with this instrument he procures his food, and carries it to his mouth; with it, also, he sucks up the water he requires, afterwards pouring it down his throat.

Such are the various powers of this wonderful instrument, that with it he can either pull up a middle sized tree, or take up a pin.

Wild elephants live in a state of society, frequenting the banks of rivers, and the depths of forests, feeding on leaves, grain, and fruit, and never attacking other animals, except provoked by violence.

The elephant is affectionate to those who are kind to him, but he does not readily forget an injury, or an insult; an anecdote is related of one in Delhi, a city of Asia, which, in passing a tailor's shop, with the window open, had the curiosity to put in his trunk, probably expecting a piece of bread, or some other treat, when one of the workmen pricked it with a needle.

The elephant did not at the moment resent the insult, but he went to the nearest dirty pool, and after filling his trunk with the water, he returned to the shop, and squirted the whole upon the offender, and the work which he had in his hands.

Elephants are found wild in the woods of Africa and A'sia, but they come to much greater perfection in the latter country; those inhabiting the island of Ceylon yield the finest ivory, as it keeps its colour, whilst other ivory in general becomes yellow in the wearing.

The eagle has always been considered the monarch of birds; its boldness, its noble bearing, its lofty flight, and vast strength well entitle it to this honour; in its habits it is not unlike the lion, which claims the first place among beasts of prey.

The eagle despises small birds, and would not think of attacking a raven or a magpie, unless provoked by it; it will not devour any prey which it has not slain for itself, and often leaves some fragments or offal for less noble birds that may follow.

It likes to reign without a rival, and it is as uncommon to see two pair of eagles on one mountain side, as it is to see two families of lions in the same quarter of a forest.

An eagle can soar out of sight in less than three minutes, and yet, from this height, when it is invisible to man, it can mark out a hare or a rabbit on the ground, dart straight down upon it, and make it its prey.

The golden eagle is a native of Europe, and has been taken on the northern mountains of Great Britain, and it is affirmed that when a pair have had young ones, they have sometimes seized children, and borne them away as food for their offspring.

It is recorded, that in a time of famine, a peasant clipped the wings of some young eaglets, and tied them fast, so as to increase their cries, for a long time,during which, the old birds brought so much provision, that the poor man's family was amply furnished with supplies.

LESSON XVIII.

NEGLECT OF TRIFLES.-THE FRUITS OF INDUSTRY.

Jacob Giles, having some business to transact at a neighbouring town, had saddled his horse, and looking at the animal's feet, he perceived that a nail was missing from one of the shoes; "no matter," said he to himself, "the want of a single nail cannot make much difference."

Jacob had scarcely ridden three miles, when the horse cast his shoe; he dismounted, intending to lead him to a blacksmith's forge, which he knew to be near at hand; but he presently changed his mind, and determined to proceed to the town with only three shoes.

He had not been long again seated in the saddle, when the poor beast fell lame, and he was forced to dismount, and perform the rest of the journey on foot; while he was grieving over the hardship of being obliged to walk, he was attacked by robbers, who not only took all his money, but nearly deprived him of his life.

"Who would have thought," said he, "that so many evils could arise from such a trifle? All this loss, and all this sickness, are the consequence of neglecting to fasten my horse's shoe, from which only a single nail was missing."

"And it is well it is no worse," said one who heard him, "carelessness about trifles is often the cause of great misfortunes; and if those, who pay no attention to things which appear to be of little consequence, sometimes escape punishment, it is not because they do not deserve it."-From the German.

A poor widow had two sons, who were strong, active lads, and they worked hard, to gain a living for themselves and their aged mother; "she reared us in our infancy," they said to each other, "and it is now our turn to support her in old age."

Their chief employment was to gather a kind of willow, called osiers, from a neighbouring bed, and the poor mother, as far as her strength would permit, took part in their labour.

As they were returning one day, with each as heavy a bundle as he could carry, a merchant, who was passing by, being touched with the affection and attention of the boys, and the persevering industry of the widow, thus addressed her:

"If you will trust your two sons to my care for a short time, I will put them into the way of changing those bundles of osiers into bags of gold." At first she thought he was joking, but, when he assured her that he was in earnest, she accepted his proposal, though their parting was a bitter one, both to herself and to them.

The separation, however, was of no long duration, and, in the mean time, the merchant supplied the poor woman with money sufficient for her wants; the boys were carefully instructed in the art of basket making, and such were their diligence and activity, that in a very few months they returned to their mother, and established a business of their own..

Their kind patron became the purchaser of as many baskets as they could make, and, in a very short space of time, the hut, which they had hitherto occupied, was exchanged for a neat cottage, in which they had the gratification of receiving the rich merchant as a frequent guest.

"Have not I kept my word ?" said he, on one occasion