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A cloth was taken off the cage, and three birds were inside it.

“Oh, papa!” cried the children," what odd-looking things! and they sit blinking with their eyes, as if the lamp dazzled them. What are they?"

"Only three owls," said Mr. Grey. "I daresay you did not know that, but they are common birds in this country and many others. For each of you there is one. This we will call Flapwing, and this is for Mary; and for John there is another, called Dick; and this one is to be called Peck, and is for little Jane. You must all see them cleaned and fed every day, and Robert will give you food for them. They are quite young now, and therefore we may tame them, if they are taken pains with. When they are tame and full-grown we will let them fly about, and they will destroy the vermin in the garden."

The children were enchanted with their new favourites; and the first thing in the morning was to feed them, and put them in a nice dark place.

Time wore on, and the children grew older and bigger, and so did the three owls. They never forgot to feed them and clean them; but once Mr. Grey found the three owls placed on a bench in the heat of the dazzling sunshine, and the poor things were winking and shutting their great eyes like sleepy cats. Jane, and John, and Mary were laughing at the odd faces of their favourites; but Mr. Grey told them they ought only to put the owls out at evening time, for the sun gave the same pain to them as a bright light does to the eyes of a person coming in from the dark. Accordingly the owls were put every day into a hollow tree, where they caught insects or reptiles to eat. As the three owls were so young, their wings were not cut. If owls are not taken very young, they cannot be tamed; but these owls grew so tame that they were allowed to fly about as they pleased. In a neighbouring park there were wild owls, and at night their hissing and hooting usually attracted Flapwing, and Dick, and Peck, and made them fly over to the trees where the others were; but they returned at daybreak to their perches in the greenhouse.

In the course of the summer, Mr. Grey took his three children to the sea-side; and while they were away, Dick, the gardener's son, had the charge of them.

Dick

had strict injunctions to look after them, and feed and clean them, and supply them with dead mice, and all the nasty things on which owls live. One day Dick took a holyday, and did not return till late; indeed, we are sorry to say, he quite forgot to feed the owls. When he did come home he could only find Dicky and Peck in the hollow tree; as for Flapwing, being very hungry, she had been hunting for mice, and at last took it into her head to fly into the lodge, where, to rest herself, she got under the arm-chair; there she remained very snug the rest of the day. At night, when every body was in bed, she came out to try and get home, and in so doing, flew about the room, and made such a noise, that the gardener and his wife came running down stairs to find out what was the matter. Flapwing hid herself under the chair, as before; but when Mrs. Hodge began to move the things about, the leg of the arm-chair was accidentally pushed upon the poor owl, and her back was broken, so that she died instantly. The gardener's wife was very sorry to find that she had killed Miss Mary's owl; but as she could not bring it to life, she buried poor Flapwing in the garden under the hollow tree.

When Jane, and John, and Mary came home, they grieved very much at the fate of their beloved owl: they carried their show of grief so far as to put black crape upon the claws of the survivors; and truly Dick and Peck looked like mourners.

Some time after, when the children were playing in the garden, they heard a strange screaming noise, but could not tell whence it came. At last, looking into the field, they observed all the cows running, and poking at some black thing lying on the ground. This black thing proved to be poor Dick, whose leg was broken, and who was helplessly screaming. John got over the fence to rescue the unhappy owl, and shortly returned with it to Jane and Mary. The children then began to think of the best way to cure poor Dick's leg. Mary thought she could set the bone as surgeons do, and Jane ran to get some lint and some bandages. Then Dick was laid softly on his back, and Mary bound up his leg and carried him home. Some days after, they thought he must be cured, so they undid the bandage; but the broken leg was not adhering at all. Then the case was left to nature, and the result was, that

the wound healed, but the leg became shorter than the other, and Dick was lame for the rest of his life.

One day he was missing. Every corner of the garden and greenhouse was searched, but in vain,-no traces of Dick were found. At length the stove in the greenhouse was to be mended, and in moving the bricks the skeleton of a bird was discovered. As one leg was shorter than the other, it was certain that this skeleton was that of poor Dick; but how he came there is unknown to this day.

Now we have only to tell what became of Peck :-Peck was very lonely when she had lost both her companions; she used to hop about by herself, and catch insects in the dark parts of the garden. In the evening she used to fly off to the wild owls, and return as formerly; but by degrees Peck returned very seldom, and in time forsook her haunts to be entirely with the wild owls. Jane wished her to come home, but she made up her mind that, as Peck was alone, she would only pine to death; therefore, when she heard the hooting of the owls in the old trees, she became contented; and by the time that Peck had made up her mind to remain always with the wild owls, Jane began to think it a lucky circumstance.

Thus ends the history of these three birds; and we assure all our young readers that it is quite true, and happened to the owls of one of our friends.

The Good Blacksmith.

I AM going to tell you the story of a poor man, a blacksmith, who died about ten years ago. He did not live in England, but in France,-a country you have perhaps heard of,-it is very near England, though we have to cross the sea to get at it. This good man was called Peter Ricard; and he was an example to the village where he lived, by his piety, his industry, and his great charity. Perhaps you will wonder how a poor man could shew great charity; and it is for that very reason that I mean to give you his history. He worked very hard, though his work never kept him from fulfilling all his reli

Chaloner says you bore a good character at school, and did what you could for your mother. So I dare say you will get on well in time, if you take pains, and try to get about your duties with a little spirit. And I did not mean to scold, only to advise you. · I am sure you mean to be kind to the children."

"I do not know, ma'am, how we shall get Jack to school he has no mind to it at all; and father thinks he must flog him."

"If he is disobedient, I fear he must; but your father must judge for himself. Certainly, if he has once told him to go, it must not be left to the boy's own choice. Well, remember Monday morning at nine o'clock."

The children had plenty to say when they came back to dinner, about the great alphabet on which they had told their letters, and the pretty pictures that hung on the walls, which they were to look at closer when they were good, and how they could count to twenty, and had learnt one verse of a hymn, and could clap their hands all together; and Peggy was going to learn some sewing. The next morning they woke very early, and began asking whether they might go to school.

Day after day they went on very happily, and there was less crying at home. And Jack altered his mind when he heard the school so much praised, and said he would go to his school too. Perhaps he was half afraid of being really flogged, as his father had threatened with a very grave face.

I do not very well know how he liked it when he went; but he was a boy to keep to his word, and having promised to go regularly, he did.

After a time Lydia found a great difference in the children's manners: they were inore ready to mind her, and seemed the more fond of her for being away part of the day; and she was always ready to listen to what they told her of their lessons, and to hear their verses.

When she had the house to herself, she began to

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Sea-Gulls

The Repentant Dog

English Church-History-the Danes; Croyland Abbey

Time

The Story of Nicephorus and Sapricius

Poetry: Hymn for All Saints' Day; The Ark

November.

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Lydia Morrison.

THREE children were playing on the sea-shore. Before them lay the flat wet sand and the wide sea, sparkling in the sunshine, whose waves dashed, with a pleasant noise and white froth, upon the shore.

Behind them rose a sloping bank of pebbles, gravel, and stones, on which the long sea-weeds had been left when the water was higher, or blown along by the wind.

A great many boats were drawn up on the beach, and their sails and their nets were drying in the

sun.

Further back stood a number of poor cottages, in No. XI.

M

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