23. Emily hastened to Eliza. "There is no necessity," said she, "for your wearing a ring to make you remember your duty, for you seldom forget it in any instance; but wear it in remembrance of that friend to whom you have rendered such service." 24. "O my dear Emily!" exclaimed Eliza, "who is there that does not require to be reminded of his duty? But each time that we look at this ring we will think of the performance of some, good action; we will endeavor to relieve the poor, the unfortunate, or to bestow happiness on some fellowcreature." And the friends pressed each other's hand. 25. "Very well, my child," said Eliza's father; "and may he who cannot possess such a ring still remember to do good every time that he sees the forget-me-not on the edge of the stream; and may he, at the sight of this pretty flower, remember also his Creator, toward whom the appearance of every flower should lift our thoughts. 26. "In this manner, the humble field forget-me-not will be of more value than gold, and each flower that we see, more precious than the most precious of stones." QUESTIONS. 1. What is the forget-me-not? 1. What kind of a girl was Emily Milford? 2. How did she cause much sorrow to her mother? 4. Who was Eliza Newton? How did she support her father? 6. What promise did Emily omit to perform? 7. How did she feel when she recollected it? 12. What did Eliza present to Emily? 16. What did Emily say? 17. By whom and when was the piano invented? 19. What effect did the forget-me-nots have on Emily? 21. What did Emily's mother do? 21. What is the sapphire? 21. Where is it found? 21. What is the diamond? 21. Where is it found? 21. What offer was made to the governor of Batavia for the one he owns? What moral lesson may be learned from this piece? 17* 1. Winglets, little wings. 1. Con-cep'tions, ideas. LESSON XXXIII. Spell and Define. 2. Ver'nal, belonging to spring. 3. Pet'als, leaves of flowers. 3. Pin'ions, wings. 6. Prai'ries, great natural meadows. 6. Gorgeous, glittering with gay colors 7. Re-splen'dent, very bright. 7. Vi-vac'i-ty, sprightliness. 9. De-spair', hopelessness. 9. Cher'ish-ed, beloved. ERRORS.-1. Crit'ter for crea'ture; 1. kine'ly for kindly; 2. eer-long for ere long; 3. hyst-ed for hoist-ed; 3. re'ces-ses for re-ces'ses; 3. in'secs for in'sects, 4. sal'i-va for sa-li'va; 8. up'wud for upward; 10. nus'lings for nurs'lings. THE HUMMING-BIRD.a J. AUDOBON. 1. WHERE is the person who, on seeing this lovely little creature, moving on humming winglets through the air, suspended in it as if by magic, flitting from one flower to another with motions as graceful as they are light and airy, pursuing its course over our extensive continent, and yielding new delights wherever it is seen; where is the person, I ask, who, on observing this glittering fragment of the rainbow, would not pause, admire, and instantly turn his mind with reverence toward the Almighty Creator, the wonders of whose hand we at every step discover, and of whose sublime conceptions we everywhere observe the manifestations, in his admirable system of creation? There breathes not such a person, so kindly have we all been blessed with that intuitive and noble feeling, admiration. 2. No sooner has the returning sun again introduced the vernal season, and caused millions of plants to expand their leaves and blossoms to his genial beams, than the little humming-bird is seen advancing on fairy wings, carefully visiting every opening flower-cup, and like a curious florist, removing NOTE.- -a The humming-bird is peculiar to America. It generally arrives in New England in May, and leaves in September for the south. from each the injurious insects that otherwise would erelong cause their beauteous petals to droop and decay." 3. Hoisted in the air, it is observed peeping cautiously, and with sparkling eye, into their inmost recesses, while the ethereal motions of its pinions, so rapid and so light, appear to fan and cool the flower, without injuring its fragile texture, and to produce a delightful, murmuring sound, well adapted to lull the insects to repose. 4. Then is the moment for the humming-bird to secure them. Its long, delicate bill enters the cup of the flower, and the protruded double-tubed tongue, delicately sensible, and imbued with a glutinous saliva, touches each insect in succession, and draws it from its lurking place to be instantly swallowed. 5. All this is done in a moment, and the bird, as it leaves the flower, sips so small a portion of its liquid honey, that the theft, we may suppose, is looked upon with a grateful feeling by the flower which is thus kindly relieved from the attacks of her destroyers. 6. The prairies, the fields, the orchards and gardens, nay, the deepest shades of the forest, are all visited in their turn, and everywhere the little bird meets with pleasure and with food. Its gorgeous throat, in beauty and brilliancy, baffles all competition. 7. Now it glows with a fiery hue, and again it is changed to the deepest velvety black. The upper parts of its delicate body are of resplendent changing green; and it throws itself through the air with a swiftness and vivacity hardly conceivable. 9. It moves from one flower to another like a gleam of light, upward, downward, to the right, and to the left. In this manner it searches the extreme portions of our country, following with great precaution the advances of the season, and retreats with equal care at the approach of autumn. 9. Could you cast a momentary glance on the nest of the numming-bird, and see, as I have seen, the newly hatched pair of young, little larger than bumble-bees, naked, blind, and so feeble as scarcely to be able to raise their little bills, to receive food from the parents; and could you see those parents, full of anxiety and fear, passing and repassing within a few inches of your face, alighting on a twig not more than a yard from your body, waiting the result of your unwelcome visit in a state of the utmost despair,—you could not fail to be impressed with the deepest pangs, which parental affection feels on the unexpected death of a cherished child. 10. Then, how pleasing is it, on your leaving the spot, to see the returning hope of the parents, when, after examining the nest, they find their nurslings untouched! You might then judge how pleasing it is to a mother of another kind, to hear the physician who has attended her sick child, assure her that the crisis is over, and that her babe is saved. QUESTIONS. To what country is the humming-bird peculiar? 1. Why is it called the glittering fragment of the rainbow? 2. How does it benefit the flowers? 4. How does it draw the insects from them? 7. What is the color of its neck and body? 9. How does it manifest its anxiety for its young? ERRORS.1. Wins for winds; 1. arn'swer-ed for an'swer-ed; 2. heuse for whose & per-pet'too-al for per-pet'u-al; 3. doost for döst; 4. frum for from. THE INQUIRY. C. MACKAY. 1. TELL me, ye winged winds, That round my pathway roar, Do ye not know some spot Where mortals weep no more? Some lone and pleasant dell, Some valley in the West, Where, free from toil and pain, The loud wind dwindled to a whisper low, 2. Tell me, thou mighty deep, Whose billows round me play, And friendship never dies? The loud waves, rolling in perpetual flow, That with such holy face, Dost look upon the earth, Asleep in night's embrace, Tell me, in all thy round, Hast thou not seen some spot, Where miserable man Might find a happier lot? Behind the cloud the moon withdrew in woe, And a sweet voice, but sad, responded, 4. Tell me, my sacred soul, Oh, tell me, Hope and Faith, Is there no resting place From sorrow, sin, and death; "No." NOTE. — a The moon is nearer the earth, and consequently better known, than any of the other planets. Astronomers suppose that it does not contain any water, but that the spots seen on its surface are plains, having less power to reflect light than the other portions. |