Philibert. gobble them

"Did they make a grand feast, and up ?"

"On no. You forget that the expedition was to capture slaves, not to procure food," answered the fairy. "Huber was curious, like yourself, to know the fate of the little prisoners. He found out the nest of the amazon ants, and took his post near it to watch what would happen on the conquerors' return to their home. He was much surprised to see a number of negro ants come out of the amazons' nest to meet the victors, not as enemies to fight them, but like affectionate servants or friends. These negroes caressed the amazons, offered them food, and then received from them the little pupæ, or grubs, of which they took charge, doubtless in order to bring them up as if they were their own offspring."

"How funny! how very funny!" cried Philibert. "Of course, these negro-ants must have been caught and carried off when they were babies themselves, but had quite forgotten or forgiven the attack upon their old home."

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"The amazons and the negro ants live in perfect harmony together," said Know-a-bit. Indeed, the amazons are quite dependent upon their servants, and would not know what to do without them; for the warriors appear to be no more fit to work for themselves than are the soldier ants of the termites. Not only does all the building work, and the nursing of the pupæ, fall to the share of the negro ants, but they even take the trouble of feeding the amazons. The busy little labourers appear as much masters as servants in the nest, and, it has been remarked, will even refuse the amazons admission into their own home if they come back unsuccessful from one of their plundering excursions.'

"Do these amazons ever carry off grown-up negro ants ?" inquired Sydney.

"Never are they seen to do so," answered the fairy. "The baby ants only are taken ;

and it is no hardship whatever to them to be brought up in the amazon's nest."

"Oh, how I wish that we had some of these curious ants in England!" exclaimed Philibert; "it would be such rare fun to watch them."

"We have not the amazons here," observed Know-a-bit; "but these very wood ants on the hillock at your feet have been seen to eagerly carry off the pupa of other ants."

"I should like to catch them at it," cried Sydney. "I never thought that common wood ants were such curious creatures."

"What will you say when I tell you that some ants may also be said to have their herds as well as their servants ?" said the fairy. "It is well known that ants press from the aphides -a kind of insect very common upon our apple and oak trees—a sweet juice which nourishes them, as human beings are nourished by the milk of their cows. The ants do not hurt the aphides: they gently stroke them with their feelers (which are called antennæ), and then drink the honey-dew with which those creatures are supplied."

"Wonders upon wonders!" cried Sydney. "Ants are very fond of liquids," continued the fairy; "and are provided with little tongues, with which they are able to lap."

"I suppose," said Sydney, that the ants do not keep herds; they only catch a-what do you call it ?-when they can find one.”

"Nay," replied Know-a-bit; "the clever Huber discovered that the common yellow ant of our gardens keeps the eggs of the aphis, and guards them as carefully as if they were her own."

“Oh, doesn't that look as if the ant knew that the aphis would one day supply it with honey-dew!" cried Sydney.

"Huber," continued the fairy, "found in the nest of the yellow ant a number of little eggs; most of them were black as ebony, but some were of a clouded yellow. In vain the ants that Huber had disturbed tried to carry off these eggs: the human intruder seized upon both the ants and their treasure, and in order,

to watch them more closely, put them all into a corner of a box faced with glass."

"And what did the yellow ants do in their prison ?" asked Philibert Philimore.

'They collected the eggs, and placed them in a heap, as if they valued them highly. Part of the number they put into some earth which was in the box; others they stroked, seemed to lick, and frequently carried about in their mouths. The ants seemed to regard these eggs with great affection. They were not ant eggs, which are white, but the eggs of aphides."

"And what are the aphides like when these little cows of the ants are full grown ?" inquired Sydney.

"There are various kinds of aphides, as there are various kinds of ants," said Know-a-bit. "The common oak aphis you may see on this very leaf on which I am resting my wand."

"What an ugly creature!" exclaimed Philibert, as the boys turned their eyes in the direction pointed out by the fairy, and beheld a very repulsive-looking brown insect.

"If the ants were to hold a cattle show," observed Sydney gaily, "no one would think much of the beauty of their cows-unless they consider it a beauty to have such a long tail as this ugly aphis seems to have."

"What you mistake for a tail is a sucker," observed Know-a-bit, "which is bent under the body of the insect, and therefore appears behind it. That sucker is much the same to the aphis as the trunk is to the elephant. Through this long proboscis it drinks up the juices of the leaf upon which it is resting; which juices will undergo a wondrous change into the honey dew with which it supplies the ants."

Cleber Boys.

O not talk to me about a boy being clever; for if he has nothing but cleverness to commend him, I think but little better of him than if you had told me he could dance the sailor's hornpipe.

The broad sails of a gay-rigged ship are pleasant to gaze on; but if the vessel has no ballast, those broad sails may be the means of her destruction. In like manner, the cleverness of a boy may attract attention; but if he has no principle to direct his talents, his cleverness may lead him into sin and sorrow.

Clever men have not always been the most useful, nor are clever boys of necessity the most promising. A little principle is worth a great deal of cleverness.

When a clever boy is brought to me, I ask these questions about him :-Does he fear God, honour his parents, obey his teachers, speak the truth, act honestly, and behave kindly to those around him? If he does these things, I hear of his talents with pleasure; but if he does them not, his cleverness is to me as nothing.

Give me a boy of common understanding and good principles, who is teachable, patient, industrious and persevering, and I will match him, in the long run, against the cleverest lad you can find, deficient in these qualities.

Now, mind it is not all cleverness that I undervalue, but unprofitable cleverness. I would have every boy clever if I could; I would have him say to himself, Be my station high or low, with God's help I will do my duty therein with ability.

Cleverness and usefulness should go hand in in hand.

Waiting for Jesus to pass by.

OT long ago, a little boy was run over in the streets of New York, and seriously injured. He was carried to St. Luke's Hospital, where, on examination, it was found that his leg had been badly crushed and broken by the accident. An operation was performed, and every care taken to sustain his strength, but the poor little fellow appeared to sink under his load of pain. One day, while lying in his cot, he groaned and cried very much, and aroused all the sympathies of a little girl who lay near him.

She turned on her pillow, and tried to comfort him. "Little Willie," she said, "is your pain so bad that you moan so? why don't you ask Jesus to take it away y?

I don't know Jesus; who is he?" said the child.

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'Why, He is our Saviour, Willie; don't you know Jesus? When we suffer pain we tell Jesus, and He comes and takes it all away," said the dear little girl whose name was Sarah.

"And will He come to me, and take away my pain, Sarah ?" asked the boy, eagerly. "Yes, Willie, I know He will, if you ask Him."

"But I am such a little fellow; don't you think the Saviour may overlook me among so many here ?"

"No, Willie, He cares for every little child;" and then Sarah told him her little story about Jesus, and ended by saying, "He loves little children; and, when He lived on earth, He took them up in his arms, and blessed them."

"Then I will hold up my little hand," said Willie; "and when the Saviour passes by, He will notice me!"

The little trembling hand was raised, and he waited patiently for Jesus; but being weak and weary from suffering, he dropped asleep.

How long he slept, none knew, for when the nurse went to his bedside, some time afterwards, little Willie was dead. The Saviour had passed by while he slept, and had taken him away from all pain and suffering.

"Suffer little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

The Parrot.

A PARROT, red and blue and green,
Was at a farm-house often seen;
He flew about from tree to tree,
As blithe and happy as could be.

One day the crows pulled up the wheat,
And Poll, too, helped to pull and eat;
He chattered to the farmer's foes,
And did more damage than the crows.

The farmer brought his gun and shot-
Alas for Poll's unhapy lot!

No more on high the parrot rose,
But wounded lay among the crows.

"Bad company," the farmer said,

As Poll was carried off to bed; "Had you not with the crows been found You still had been all safe and sound."

The farmer's children came to see How Poll had happened hurt to be; "Bad company," the parrot said,

And sadly shook his injured head.

Poll soon grew well and hopped about;
But often when the children shout,
He'll perch upon the nearest tree,
And sadly say, "Bad company.”

"Bad company," he fain would say,
"Caused me a broken head one day:
Remember this, where'er you be,
And ever shun bad company."

Puzzles

WE are happy to inform our young friends that Mr. George Ormerod, of Bury, has instructed us to send a shilling book to W. S. Gibson, W. E. Bennett, M. E. Butterworth, M. A. Ormerod, and F. E. Chester, as these five came next to the three who obtained the prizes that were offered. We are also informed that Mr. Ormerod gives £1 in prizes to those in the Bury School who are successful in answering the most questions. This is an example worthy of imitation. As Mr. Ormerod has thus instructed us to send a shilling book to each of the five named, we will take the liberty of putting another shilling to it, and as we can get books cheaper than our readers, we shall be able to present to each a half-crown book. If any of the five have any special book they would wish to have at that price, they must send us word, otherwise we will choose one ourselves.

The answer to the first puzzle in the January number was:- "The rolling stone gathers no moss." The answer to the second was, 22 gallons, 98. per gallon.

The following answered both correctly,

R. J. Wakefield, George Crossley, F. Wright, S. E. Chapman, T. E. Wakefield, J. Harvey, J. W. Hodgkinson, F. E. Chester, Walter Rushworth, J. R. Mably, H. S. Gibbs, W. Crozier, T. Smith, H. Lewis, J. J. Tinker, Elizabeth Robb, W. Pezzack, J. J. Clarke, R. Whitaker, J. Chippendale, T. Taylor, R. Fletcher, H. Bedson, A. Akeroyd, M. E. A. Dingle, W. A. Richardson, J. M. Shepherd, A. Barnett, M. E. Butterworth, T. Smith, J. Lord, Eva Lister, J. Coe, A. Jones, Mary Lord, M. A. Ormerod, F. H., A. Thackray, A. H. Low, H, H. Snape, H. Taylor, M. Curgenven, T. K. Wolstenholine.

The following answered the first correctly,Lillie Elstob, H. W. Strong, J. W. Allen, A. Pickering, T. S. Mc G. Underhay, A. M.

Cozens-Hardy, F. Cozens-Hardy, A. Derry, F. A. Carver, M. Wardlaw, W. H. Brock, W. W. Jacques, Mary Hoyle, A. Rushworth, F. A. Barr, S. J. Watson, J. Procter, E. Henderson, A. Soothill, R. Wyld, Mary Aston, Marie Lang, J. Mc Callum, Willis Briggs, T. Horsfield, W. H. Sharpe, A. J. Ireland, Mary Ward, Annie Ormerod, J. G. Simpson, T. Roulstone, B. A. Webster, W. Thomas, Emily Clough, R. O. Harrison, W. J. Bennett, J. P. Chambers, W. Newbold, T. Widdington, H. A. Miell, Fanny Cook, J. Greenwood, S. Ogden, J. Denton, W. Lord, Rebecca Rodgers, J. T. Birch, M. Ross, W. Daniels, B. Standring, C. E. Bridgwater, C. Taylor, Sarah A. Massey, Sarah J. Gray, J. Dixon, W. H. Plant, S. Diggle.