best of pleasures,
With grape and garnered corn--
And lays in stores of future treasures
To glad the year unborn.
What need we dread,
When wine and bread
God's bounteous hand hath given?
Oh! rather let our voices raise,
In fervent hope and humble praise,
A grateful hymn to Heaven!

[Illustration]

WINTER.

Stern Winter--most unwelcome guest!--
The earth in whitest robes has drest;
And hast'ning through the crunching snow,
With tinkling bells, the sledges go.

The leafless wood looks drear and sad,
No birds sing now with voices glad;--
But boys are romping far and wide,
And o'er the ice delight to slide.

When on the panes with frost encased,
The mimic fir-trees may be traced,
In spite of biting cold and snow,
Poor housewives to the forest go.

And there they gather moss to form
Their children's bed all soft and warm,
And dried up twigs to make a blaze
That cheers the hearth with kindling rays.

Their treasures next the ashes yield,
And hot potatoes lie revealed,
Which little hungry mouths invite,
With dainty smell and welcome sight.

Lord! all Thy ways are great and good!
Thou giv'st e'en orphaned birds their food--
Thy blessing and Thy fostering care
Alike the hut and palace share!

OUR WILD BIRDS.

I dare say you notice that all the birds in this picture have long
beaks. We may be sure from this that they live in places and seek for
their food in ways in which long beaks are just what they want. The fact
is they are all marsh birds, and the soil of marshes being wet and soft,
and full of worms, these long beaks enable them to probe it, and so get
at the worms. I think the beaks of birds afford a striking example of
how good God is in adapting creatures to the mode of life He has
appointed for them. The eagles and hawks, you know, are provided with
strong, short bills to enable them to seize and tear flesh. Those of
canaries and all the finches are just the very instruments to crack
seeds with. Parrots, with their tremendous weapons, can crush the
hardest nuts of the tropic forest. The crossbill is fitted with a
wonderful tool for tearing fir-cones to pieces. Robins and the other
warblers have soft bills, which are all they want for eating insects and
grubs.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

I would rather be my lady's hawk,
And perch upon her hand,
Than I would be the deerhound grim,
To range this forest-land.

[Illustration]

P--THE