by sitting under the boughs; and at evening they darted after the numerous insects, which flitted through the air in thousands; some looking as if they were covered with gold, others as if their backs were set with precious stones; many were of the brightest green, some red. Then there were horned beetles; and those which fed on wood had such hard backs, that Flappet pecked at them without making even a hole in them. A very large one used often to come in his way, and he was quite surprised that he never even moved when attacked; his father laughed, and said, "Ah, Flappet, it is of no use; you can never get the better of him. Men call him Goliath, because he is such a size." The fire-flies, however, surprised the young Swallow more than any thing; for he thought they were little flames dancing about. There were a great many insects, the front and hind parts of which were joined together by a small tube;* and by day the most splendid butterflies flew in all directions, some of which had their wings fringed with feathers.

The swallows ran some danger from the vultures and eagles, who chased them, and who could have snapped them up in a minute; and a still worse danger happened to Flappet. He was very busily engaged picking little brown bugs from the beautiful jessamine which hung over the bough of a tree, when a scream from his mother startled him, and made him fly away very suddenly. It was a narrow escape; for a snake was on the next bough, who had drawn himself back, in order to make a spring at the bird. Flappet's father and mother loved him so very much,

* Sphex.

on account of his having been a prisoner so long in the nest, and thus causing them to stay with him, that they were more anxious about him than most birds are about their children when they are grown up; so they were very careful that he should not make acquaintance with any bad birds, who might teach him to do wrong. They however approved of a friendship which he formed with some little green parroquets, with yellow and orange heads, who are so affectionate to each other that they are generally called love-birds. They ate fruit, and Flappet's mother was afraid he might do so too, and warned him against it, because it was a very bad thing in Africa to eat much of that food; but Flappet assured his mother that he only picked off the insects which were on the outside. The parroquets took him beyond the forest to the large nests of the white ants, looking as big as the hay-cocks in England, and where there was so much food, that he could not be happy till he had flown back to fetch his father and mother.

After leading this happy life for some months, as the Swallows and their friends were sitting together on a tree, the sky became very dark, and the love-birds led them to a safer place, in a very big and very old tree, which spread its arms over a large space of ground, whose trunk was full of furrows, and each furrow made a snug place for a sleep, and whose fruit hung down like green velvet bags.* Presently they heard a great many cries from wild beasts: lions, leopards, panthers, and hyænas; the sloth uttered his mournful sounds, and every thing seemed to be frightened. Then came such a wind, that the birds crept

The Baobab.

closer together, and stuck their claws into the bark where they were perched; for even their large resting-place rocked. Then followed such lightning and thunder, that the forest seemed to be all in a blaze; and then silence; and then all began again; and the very tree which they had left fell to the ground with a great crash, bringing others with it; and the rain poured down like a river from the sky.

After this tempest, Flappet's father said, "We must now think of going, for this is the beginning of the African winter."

"Will it be cold here?" asked his son.

"No," said the old bird; "but it will rain for days at a time, and food will be scarce, and we shall be drenched, and have the rheumatism; and so, as it is getting fine weather in England now, we had better return to it. As to you, Flappet, if you like to stay here with your new friends, you may, without causing us to feel affronted."

"Do you think," replied Flappet, "after all your goodness to me, that I would ever leave you? I wish I could persuade my friends to come with us; but they tell me they could never eat the sour, hard fruit of England. However, I hope we shall meet again next year."

The last evening was spent by all the party together, sitting upon the top of a teak-tree, and looking at the purple, crimson, and golden clouds with which the sun was surrounded when he set. The next morning came the parting, which was sad enough: but the parroquets had their home to provide for during the rain, so they said, "Good by; we shall meet again;" and the Swallows took

their way to the north. They looked about for some large company of other swallows, that they might join it, for it was always safer to travel in that way; but they did not see any till they reached Morocco, where they met with a great number, perched upon the top of a high building. Here they separated into companies; some went over Spain, others at once across to France. Among the first were Flappet and his parents, who thus saw the wide plains, the beautiful mountains of that country, and the still more beautiful Pyrenees; and at last they reached the very same spot where Flappet had been born and imprisoned. The old nest was a little damaged by weather, but was soon mended; and Flappet, who had chosen a wife among the young lady birds with whom he had travelled, built a house for himself, with her help, in the opposite corner of the false window; so that he could see, and be often with his father and mother; and his children and their new children learned to fly together, and had a great affection for each other.

THE DOG AND THE KITTEN.

THERE was once a dog, named Bruin, who lived in a house where he was much loved; and he belonged to a little boy in the family. This dog was brown, with a short tail and short ears; a black nose; very bright black eyes, peeping out of the long hair which was on his head; and he had a grey beard. The same sort of long hair which grew on his head covered him all over; so that he was rough and shaggy. People called him a Scotch terrier, and he was a very clever, good-natured dog, very gentle to those whom he knew; but if any strange person came to the house, he barked loudly, as if to tell them they had no right there. Boys used to tease him as they went by, and make him very angry; so that at one time he never saw a boy without beginning to bark, whether he provoked him or not.

This was a very bad habit, and he was often told of it; but he forgot; and one day came to his little master, hanging his head and tail, and looking very ill. One of his eyes was closed, and on feeling his head, there was a great bump just over the eye; so it was plain that he had rushed out upon a boy, and been kicked or knocked by him.

Bruin was quite ill for several days; his poor inflamed eye was bathed very often; and as he recovered, he seemed to think when the lotion wetted his head, that he had been washed all over; and as soon as he was able to move, he set off directly to rush about the house, and rub and dry