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And each little girl feels the same,

And cheerfully parts with a toy;

Hangs on him with fondness, and kisses his cheek, And calls him her dear little boy;

Your parents behold with delight,
And fondly expect that you 'll prove
Their comfort, their bliss, and their joy,
In the fruits of your infantile love.

These lovely affections will grow
And such children in stature increase;
And angels rejoice when they see

Such a sweet happy household of peace.

So cheerful the family locks,

Their prayers and their praises unite ; And they shew in each action and word, That to please is their highest delight.

Then seek, my dear children, this love,
And God will the blessing bestow;
And then you'll resemble the blest,
While you live in this cottage below.

THE ANSWER OF JESUS TO HIS MOTHER. "Woman, what have I to do with thee," (John ii. 3.) to an English reader, may seem harsh and disrespectful. That it was meant as some kind of check, or reproof is allowed; but the appellation of "woman," implied no want of proper regard, since in those times,

and in the Greek language, the same word was generally used by servants to their mistress, and even by subjects to a queen.

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Rice is a plant very much resembling wheat in its shape and colour, and the figure and disposition of its leaves; but it has a thicker and stronger stalk. It thrives only in low, damp, and marshy lands, when they are even a little overflowed.

It has been wondered why rice, which, as Dr. Arbuthnot observes, is "the food of two thirds of mankind," should never have been enumerated among the grains of Scripture; especially as it is cultivated in most Eastern

countries, and at present so much abounds in Egypt. A passage however in Isai. xxxii. 20, according to Sir John Chardin's manu. script note on the place, exactly answers the manner of planting rice; for they sow it upon the water: and before sowing, while the earth is covered with water, they cause the ground to be trodden by oxen, horses, and asses, who go mid-leg deep; and this is the way of preparing the ground for sowing. As they sow the rice on the water, they transplant it in the water. This will explain Eccles. xi. 1.

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The ostrich is generally thought to be the largest, at least it is one of the tallest birds in the world; being full seven, and sometimes eight feet in height, from the head to

the top of the ground, and about four from the back to the ground. When the neck is stretched out in a right line, it measures six feet from the head to the rump, and the tail about a foot more. One of the wings is a foot and a half long without the feathers, and with the feathers three feet. The plumage is generally black and white, though it is said to be sometimes gray. The largest feathers, which are at the extremities of the wings and tail, are usually white; and the small feathers on the back and belly are a mixture of black and white. This fowl has no feathers on the sides of the thighs, nor under the wings. That half of the neck which is next to the body is covered with smaller feathers than those on the belly and back, and like them, are a mixture of white and black. These feathers are peculiar to the ostrich. Other birds have several sorts; some of which are soft and downy, and others hard and strong: but almost all the feathers of an ostrich are as soft as down, and utterly unfit to serve for flying, or to defend it against external injury. The webs on the feathers of other birds are broader on one side than on the other, but in those of the astrich the shaft is exactly in the middle. As the wings are not large enough in proportion to the body, to raise it from the ground, they serve as sails or oars to cut

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through or impel the air, and add great swiftness to their feet, which are shodden with a horny substance, enabling them to tread firmly and to run a great while without hurting themselves. The head and the upper part of the neck of this animal are cover. ed with very fine white shining hairs; with small tufts in some places, consisting of about ten or twelve hairs, which grow from a single shaft about the thickness of a pin. wings are furnished with a kind of spur, resembling the quill of a porcupine, which is of a horny substance, hollow, and about an inch long. There are two of these on each wing, the largest of which is at the extremity of the bone of the wing, and the other about a foot lower. The neck appears proportionably more slender than that of other birds, from its not being covered all over with feathers. The bill is short, and shaped somewhat like that of the duck. The external form of the eye resembles that of a man, the upper eyelid being furnished with eyelashes which are longer than those on the lid below. The tongue is very short and small. The thighs, which are large and plump, are covered with a flesh-coloured skin which appears greatly wrinkled. Some of them have a few scattered hairs on their thighs, and others are entirely without. The legs are covered with scales; and the ends of the feet are

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