the sorrowful little bird, and hung it on the branch of a tall tree, before her house, and opened the door of his prison, and then stood at a little distance to see what he would do.

When the bird felt the soft air moving his feathers, and heard other birds singing, and saw the blue sky shining through the young leaves on the tree, his eye brightened, he moved his head quickly this way and that, he saw his cage open, he flew down from his perch, and stood at the open door some minutes; it seemed as if he could not believe his senses; at last he spread his wings and flew up to the very topmost branch of the tree, and there "alighted, as if to look around him; presently he poured forth a most melodious song; it seemed as if his little throat would burst with rapture. "It was to me,” said a lady who told me the story, "like a song of freedom and gratitude, and I took it for a sweet farewell to me, for as soon as he had finished it,he stretched his wings and rose some distance in the air, and then turned directly towards the south, his own native place, and disappeared in a moment."'

'I hope he got safe home,' said James. O how I should have liked to have opened his cage door,' said Elizabeth, I am sure,

mother, I should rather set a bird free than keep all the birds in the world prisoners; I sha'nt have a bird, mother, I do not want to be a jailor, but then, mother, birds are such pretty creatures, that I do love to see them near, and look at their pretty feathers, and feet, and eyes.'

'This you can do, my child, without making them prisoners,' said her mother, merely by being gentle and kind to them, and never disturbing them; when a bird comes on the piazza, tread very softly, give it crumbs of bread, and never go too near their nests; try never to frighten a bird, and the birds will soon find out that you are their friend. You remember last summer that a thrush came into the window and drank some water out of a bowl on the table. Once two little humming birds flew into the room where I was, through a broken pane of glass, just at night; it was a cold autumn evening, and they came, it seemed to me, for shelter. I very gently and softly put a branch of honeysuckle over the glass, and they went to roost on it. In the morning I crept as softly as possible to them, and held up a flower of the honeysuckle to

them, and they came and put in their long tongues for the honey, and I kept filling the flower with sugar and water till they were satisfied. The next time I held my finger with a drop upon it, and they took it, and before the day was out, they were buzzing round me all the time for sugar and water; they let me take them into my hands and we were very good friends in less than three days. I put a roost for them in my chamber, and by daylight I felt their buzzing wings in my face reminding me that I must give them some breakfast: they had perfect confidence in my regard for them.'

"O beautiful,' said Elizabeth, 'how you must have loved them, mother. What became of them? Did not you keep them?'

'No, dear; one day I left a saucer of sugar and water in the room, and one of them ate so much of it that it caused his death, and I was so afraid that the other one would die too that I put him out on the honeysuckle one pleasant day, thinking that he would quickly fly away; but he remained where I put him for some time, at last he very unwillingly,as it seemed, flew off. After this I never wanted to have a bird; I had shortened this little happy creature's life by let

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ting it have too much food; if he had been obliged to provide for himself he would not have got too much. Every being is happiest and best provided for in the situation in which God has placed it. The more we learn about the creatures that he has formed, the more we learn of his goodness. But we must see them at liberty, or we can know very little about them; many wise and good men have devoted their lives to the study of the history of animals, and more especially of that of birds, and in the history of the most insignificant as well as in that of the most interesting and wonderful, the perfect wisdom and goodness are shown of Him who created them. There is no end to the wonderful and entertaining accounts that might be related of animals.'

'Mother,' said, Elizabeth, is not there some pretty book that father would give me that tells about birds?'

'Yes, dear, I dare say that he could find you one that you would like.'

'But mother, I don't believe that it will have such pretty stories in it as you have been telling us; and then I know that your stories are true. '

'And there are books, my dear,' said her mother, 'full of stories that are true, and many you will find as pretty as mine.'

ONE DAY IN THE MINISTRY OF OUR SAVIOUR. A SERMON FOR CHILDREN.

My young friends, you have read and heard of many true sayings which Jesus uttered, and many good works which Jesus did; and the more you study the New Testament, the more you will find that the things which are there recorded of the life of Jesus, exceed in wisdom and excellence all that wise and good men ever said or did. Yet we know that the facts related in the gospels are only a few fragments of the history of our Saviour. For, as the apostle many other things

John says, there are also which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.' Still that little which is written about him, is sufficient to fill the whole world with the holy influence of his example and his instruction. The brief account of Jesus contained in the New Testament is your most important lesson now, children; and it will be the great lesson