sweetly in the evening and night, when other birds are

silent.

Where is it found? In England.

PARROT.

What can you tell me of the parrot? It is a very beautiful bird which cannot sing, but can be taught to speak words.

Where is it found? In warm climates, but is carried into other countries, and is esteemed a great curiosity.

сискоо.

What can you tell me of the cuckoo? It is a curious little bird which sings cuck-oo, cuck-oo.

f

What is there very singular in this bird? It does not make a nest for itself, as other birds, but seeks for another's nest, and when she has found one, she will eat the eggs, and lay her own in it, and leave them for the other bird to take care of.

Is that right? No; it is very naughty, and it would be very wicked for persons to rob and deceive in this

manner.

What do people think when they hear the cuckoo in the spring? They think warm weather is coming.

THE SILKWORM.

Of what is our silk clothing made? The thread of the silkworm, which is woven into silk cloth, handkerchiefs and ribbons.

What is the silk worm? It is a large brown worm, which was first found in China.

On what tree was it found? The mulberry tree, which is the natural growth of that country.

Did the Chinese first learn to make the thread of the silkworm into cloth? They did, and kept the art of manufacturing silk concealed for many years.

How did they prevent others from learning it? They

made a law, that if any one should carry the silkworms to any other country, he should be put to death.

Who were first employed in manufacturing the silk? The queen and first ladies of the country.

How is silk made? The worms first spin the silk, hanging the thread about upon the leaves; then they wind themselves up in their own thread, and become little balls of silk. It takes the threads of a number of balls to make one large enough for use.

How do people remove the silk from the balls? They put several balls into warm water, then find the thread of each and put them together, and reel off the silk while they are rolling in the water.

What becomes of the worms? The warm water kills the worms of those which are wound; but in the balls which are not hurt, the worm changes to a white miller, and in a few days, is seen pushing its head out of the ball.

What does the miller do? It never eats anything, but lays several hundred eggs no larger than the head of a pin, and dies after a week or two.

Of what use are the eggs? The little worms come from them, to make more silk.

How long do the worms live before they spin their silk? Some live six weeks, and others only twenty days.

Can other worms be raised from their eggs the same year? They can, and two or three crops of silk are some times obtained in one season.

How were silkworms first carried to other countries? Two men who were Roman Catholic teachers, were sent to China to teach the people. Whilst they were there, they hid some of the seed of the mulberry, in the head of their canes, which were hollow. When they brought it to Constantinople, the emperor was much pleased and gave them rich presents; but when the mulberry trees had grown from the seed, they did not produce the silk worm as was expected; so they were obliged to go again to obtain the eggs of the worm.

What year of the Christian era was the manufacture of silk introduced into Europe by two monks? In the year 551

HISTORY OF THE BIBLE.

WHAT is the bible? A book, which contains the word of God.

How did we obtain the word of God? Holy men wrote it as God noved them by his spirit.

In what language was the bible first written? The Hebrew.

In what manner was it written? It was written upon tables of stone, parchment, and rolls of linen cloth.

When was the bible first printed on paper? The first bible was priated A. D. 1450 more than five thousand years after the creation of the world.

How is the word of God divided? Into testaments, books, chapters and verses.

How many testaments are there? There are two testaments, the Old, and New.

How many books are there in the Old Testament? Thirty-nine.

How many are there in the. New? Twenty-seven. What are the first five books of the Old Testament called? The Law, or the Pentateuch.

Who wrote them?

Moses.

What are their names? Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.

What is next to these books, in the bible? The historical part.

How many books are there in the historical part of the bible? Twelve.

What are these books called? Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Samuel, Samuel, Kings, Kings, Chronicles, Chronicles Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther.

By whom was this history written? The prophets. What is next in the bible? That part which is called the holy writings.

How many books are there in this part of the bible? Five.

What are they? Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Songs of Solomon.

Who wrote the Psalms? King David wrote the most of them.

What is king David called? The sweet psalmist of

Israel.

Who wrote Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Songs of Solomon? King Solomon,

What is next to these books in the bible? The prophets.

How many are the books of the prophets? Seven

teen.

Which are the books of the prophets? Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi.

Who wrote these books? Each book bears the name of the prophet who wrote it.

What is the first in the New Testament? The gospel. In how many books is the gospel written? Four. What are they? Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. By whom were these books written? Each book is called by the name of the person who wrote it.

What is in the gospel? The life and death of Jesus Christ..

What is next in the New Testament? The Acts of the Apostles.

What does this book contain? apostles did after he was crucified.

It tells what Christ's

Who wrote the Acts of the Apostles? It is supposed that Luke wrote it.

What is next in the New Testament? The epistles. What are the epistles? They are letters written by the preachers of the gospel.

How many of these epistles did Paul write. Four

teen.

What are they called? Each epistle is called by the name of the people or person to whom it is addressed. Romans, Corinthians, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians, Thessalonians, Timothy, Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews. What books are next? James, Peter, Peter, John, John, John, Jude.

Who wrote these? They were written by the persons whose names they bear.

What is next?

The book of Revelation, which is the

last book in the bible.

Who wrote this book? John the evangelist. What does the book of Revelation contain? An account of Jesus Christ's telling John what he would do for his church from that time to the end of the world. Where was John when Jesus appeared to him and told him these things? He was on an island called Patmos, in the Egean Sea. Why was he there?

sent him there.

The wicked Emperor Domitian,

What is it called when wicked men afflict good people because they hate the good laws they teach? Persecution.

What shall be done to the person who adds anything to the bible? God shall add to him the punishments that are described in the bible.

What shall be done to a man, if he take away from the words of the bible? God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and out of the promises of the bible.

Is the bible the best of all books? It is; there is no book like it. It is a light shining in a dark place. It is

able to make us wise unto salvation.

Is the bible printed in every language, so that the people of all nations may read it? It is not; it has been printed in many languages, and it is the resolution of good people to print it in every language, that all mankind may obtain a knowledge of it.

By whom is the bible translated into different languages? It has been done chiefly by missionaries. How large a portion of the people of the earth have no bible?

Into how many different languages has the bible been translated? One hundred and fifty-three.

Are those nations most happy, where they have the bible to teach them how to live? They are. Our good laws, which preserve order and peace, are taken from the bible.