is pleasant in spring to see the fields dotted with the white-coated lambs, and to watch them as they frisk about, or run bleating after their mothers for a drink of milk. It is amusing to see them bobbing their heads against their mother's body, and wagging their long tails whilst drinking. About April, when the warm weather begins, a man comes to shear the sheep. He first takes the sheep to a stream of clear water, and dips them in to wash their fleeces. He then takes a large pair of shears, and neatly clips off all their wool close to the skin. The poor dumb creatures are quite harmless, and as soon as they have got over their fright, they lie still to be shorn, just as we sit still to have our hair cut. The sheep is in general a very timid animal. It is, however, very bold in climbing the steep rocky sides of a mountain, or in walking along the sides of the cliffs that overlook the sea. If you come suddenly upon some sheep lying near the edge of a cliff, they will scamper hastily away with many a leap, where a man could only creep along with the greatest caution. When they quarrel among themselves, they deal each other blows with their heads, which can be heard at some distance. A fight between two rams seems to be an attempt to prove which has the hardest head. They walk backwards to a certain distance, and then rush together, as if they would ram in each other's skulls. This is done again and again, till one of them gives up, and walks away, and thus owns himself beaten. Sheep seem to be rather silly creatures. They have a curious habit of doing the same as the one which happens to be ahead. If he jumps over a stick or straw in the middle of the road, all the others will leap when they come to the same spot. A flock of sheep have been known to throw themselves over a cliff into the sea, merely because the leader happened to jump over. mutton tallow clothing gloves timid scamper season candles skulls certain distance shear HEAVEN. GOD's blessings fall in plenteous showers It teems with foliage, fruits, and flowers, If God hath made this world so fair, Will heaven itself be found! “Oh, for a soft and gentle wind!" But give to me the snoring breeze, There's tempest* in yon horned moon, The wind is piping loud, my boys, While the hollow oak * our palace is, * A wet sheet, a sail drenched by the waves. Gallant, fine, splendid. Lee, the side sheltered from the wind. Tempest, storm. Mariners, sailors. Hollow oak, the ship made of oak Heritage, what belongs to us from our birth. THE earth has two motions. It is like a wheel that turns round on its axle, and at the same time moves onward. Whilst the earth moves round on its axis, it goes onward, and in the course of a year makes a journey around the sun. To understand this: Suppose you put a candle in the middle of a round table, and then take an orange and keep on turning it round and round, while you carry it along the edge of the table. In going once around the table you ought to make the orange turn round 365 times. The candle stands for the sun, and the orange for the earth, and the edge of the table for the path in which the earth travels around the sun. In making one journey around the sun, the earth takes a year, or 365 days, and during that time it turns 365 times on its axis. The earth, then, has two motions. It turns round on its axis once a day: this is called its daily or diurnal motion. And it travels around the sun once a year: this is called its yearly or annual motion. We have seen that the diurnal motion of the earth causes the change of day and night. Let us now see what is the effect of the annual motion. If the earth did not travel around the sun-if it kept turning round and round on its axis without moving onwards-every day at the same place would be equally hot or equally cold. But by the yearly motion of the earth round the sun, we get more of the sun at one part of the year than at another. And so, |