ut, is
called a quarry. It is got out in very large blocks. Sometimes gunpowder
is used to crack the rocks before the blocks can be got out.

2. Slate is very hard and brittle. It is used for many purposes. Houses
are roofed with slates. Sometimes it is used for pavements. It can be
made so smooth that we use it for writing upon. Slate-pencil is made
from soft slate-stone.

_Write and learn:_

Slate is--
A kind of stone.
Very hard.
Brittle.

Slate is found in--
Cumberland.
Wales.
Cornwall and Devon.

Slate is useful for--
Roofing houses.
Making pavements.
Writing upon.

CHALK. [_Page 31._

1. Like slate, chalk comes out of the hills. It is white and soft. It is
used for many purposes. The farmer puts it on the fields sometimes, to
make the soil better. It holds water and keeps the soil moist.

2. We get lime and whiting from chalk. We use it in these forms for
making our ceilings and walls clean. It is used, too, for writing on the
blackboard. Chalk is found in many parts of England. Kent and Hampshire
have most. Chalk-pits are often seen in the hills.

3. Chalk is formed of thousands of tiny shells.

_Write and learn:_

Chalk is--
White.
Soft.
Crumbly.

Chalk is found in--
Hampshire.
Kent.
Isle of Wight.

Chalk makes--
Lime.
Whiting.
Chalk-pencils.

THE MOUSE. [_Page 36._

1. The mouse is a very small animal, with pointed nose and long tail. It
has large bright eyes, large ears, strong sharp teeth, and is very
timid.

2. The mouse gnaws through the walls and floors of our houses with its
sharp, strong teeth. It makes a little nest in a hole. It comes out when
all is quiet to look for crumbs, or anything left about that it can eat.
It gets into the pantry sometimes.

3. Some mice live in fields and woods. The tiny harvest-mouse makes its
nest on a wheat-stalk. It often does great harm to the wheat.

4. But for puss there would soon be so many mice that we should not know
what to do.

_Write and learn:_

Mice have--
Long tails.
Sharp teeth.
Large ears.
Bright eyes.

Mice like--
Bread.
Meat.
Cheese.
Milk.

Mice are--
Very small.
Very timid.
Very quick.
Very quiet.

THE RABBIT. [_Page 41._

1. The rabbit is about the size of the cat, and is covered with short
fur. It