grass, and among the branches of the trees. It is this insect which makes those small parcels of froth that are commonly called cuckoo spit. If you blow away the froth you will find the little green cicada hidden in the midst of it. It sucks the juices of the plant on which it resides, and then spirts them out in minute bubbles till it has quite covered itself. But the creature is not perfect in that state, for it goes through several changes first. When it is come to perfection it has wings, is very pretty, and can make that loud pleasant noise.

A famous Grecian poet, called Anacreon, made some verses upon this insect, which have been translated into English.

Happy insect, blithe and gay,
Seated on the sunny spray;

And fill'd with dew the leaves among,
Singing sweet thy chirping song.

All the various seasons' treasures,
All the products of the plains,
Thus lie open to thy pleasures,
Favourite of the rural swains.

Thy cheerful note in wood and vale
Fills every heart with glee;
And summer smiles in double charms,
While thus proclaimed by thee.

We must not walk fast when it is so warm. Well, here we are in the wheat field! You have seen barley growing, and observed that the ears have long spikes hanging from them like a

beard. Look, this wheat has no such beard, and the ear is larger and heavier than that of the barley. Pull up one of the plants. There are seven stalks growing from one root; each stalk has a ear at the end of it.

Count the grains that each ear contains. Twenty! Seven times twenty are a hundred and forty. What a wonderful increase! A hundred and forty grains of wheat produced from one! Such care does the gracious Father of all take to provide nourishing food for mankind! But you must not sup-pose that so great an increase takes place always. Yet men, in common, gather about eight times the quantity of wheat they sow.

Wheat is nine or ten months in growing, coming to perfection, and ripening. As soon as the harvest of one year is gathered in, men plough up the ground and sow it again immediately. The plough cuts and turns over the earth, and breaks the clods. Then the seed is either scattered over it, which is called broad cast; or it is set in holes made with a sharp pointed instrument, and that is called dibbling, because such an instrument is called a dibble.

The earth is raked over the seed when it is sown by the harrow, a machine full of great iron teeth. When the corn is ripe, the reapers cut it down with hooks called sickles, tie it up in bundles or sheaves, carry it into the barn, and thrash it for use, that is, beat out the grains from the ears with an instrument called a flail. The stalk left behind is named straw. The miller then grinds it into flour, and the baker makes bread of it.

Oh, we are come to the windmill; and now you shall see how the corn is ground. Those four large fans or wings are called the sails of the mill. They catch the wind, and are moved round by it very fast when it blows hard. Those sails or wings are fastened upon a large bar or axle, and by means of that move different wheels in the inside of the building, which turn round that large round flat stone you see, inclosed in a kind of box, and pressing heavily upon another such stone which remains fixed. The corn is made to pass between those stones, called millstones; and by the rapid motion of the upper upon the lower, is bruised and ground into a powder. After that, it is sifted in the bolting machine, which is in this large wooden box or bin. The miller will be so kind as to open it. There, the powder, or flour, flies out upon you, and has powdered your faces and clothes.

The boulter is made of frame work, five or six feet long, round which a piece of coarse stuff, called canvass, is strained tightly. Look, there it is. The meal produced from the first grinding of the ears of corn, is put into this boulting machine. See, now the mill is at work, how fast it turns round! It is the quickness of this motion that makes the fine flour fly off through the canvass so, while the bran, or coarse husky part, falls to the bottom of the box by itself. The box is shut up to prevent the flour from being scattered all over the place.

Now you understand what a windmill is, and how it grinds corn. But there are other mills, the inside wheels of which are moved by a large

wheel outside instead of sails, which is turned round by water falling upon it, or running against its lower part. These are named water-mills, and are better than windmills, because the water is almost always running, but the wind is not always blowing.

LESSON XI.

THE NOONDAY WALK CONTINUED.

WE will go on to the village, and in the way you shall see some pretty birds which are in Mr. Edgeworth's pleasure grounds. They are in this inclosed corner of his park; and there is the woman whose business it is to take care of them. I dare say, she will willingly show them to us. There, look! She has scattered some grain upon the grass calling them with a particular note, and they are coming out from under the bushes. They are very shy, at first, but by degrees, they are coming nearer and nearer to us; and now, they are beginning to eat. How very beautiful they are! They are called pheasants. Some are of a fine gold colour, varied with streaks of purple and green. Others are of a clear white, with purple stripes on the neck and breast. Do you see those which are marked as regularly, as if done by the pencil. They are named pencilled pheasants, and the others, gold and silver pheasants. They are fed with the eggs of ants and curds; but they will eat oats and barley, and frequently pick up insects.

What bird is that making such a harsh screaming noise? It is a peacock perched in that high tree. He is come down to have his share with the pheasants. What splendid colours adorn him! Purple and gold, blue and green. He seems quite proud of his beauty, and pleased to be noticed. There! he is spreading his tail. What fine long feathers. The coloured spots on them look like so many eyes. Common pheasants that fly about wild, are killed, and eaten, and are very nice. The young ones of Peacocks, called pea-poults are sometimes brought to table; and the peacock itself was formerly a famous dish for kings, warriors, and knights. These birds came originally from India. As we are here, we may as well go through the park to the village, and perhaps we may see some of the deer that belong to Mr. Edgeworth. There is a large herd of them feeding under those trees. Some are spotted, some are of a reddish brown colour. Those with branching horns, are called stags; they are the males; and those without horns, are the does, or females. Towards the end of February, stags shed their horns, and new ones soon begin to grow. While they are without horns they separate from one another, and endeavour to conceal themselves entirely, because they are then without defence. But in about three months their new horns grow to full size, and they come out from their hiding places, and associate in large herds.

Look! how fast they run! They are called fallow deer, and were brought first to Europe from Bengal in India, and were imported from

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