s, or suns like our sun, a few of them are not suns, but solid
globes or worlds like that which we inhabit, warmed and lighted by our
sun. When the sun is shining on them, they look bright to us; but it is
only the light of our own sun thrown back, or reflected. They give no
light themselves.

Because they have our sun, we and they are like members of one family.
We call them "planets" (just as our earth is called "a planet"), and are
as familiar with their names as if they were our brothers and sisters.
One of them, for instance, is called Venus; another, Jupiter; and
another, Saturn. Can you remember these hard names?

Now you would never notice the difference between these few stars and
all the others, if you did not look very carefully to see whether they
twinkle or not. And I would advise you to ask somebody to point them out
to you whenever they are in sight.

I cannot tell you exactly where to look for them, because they wander
about a good deal, and I do not know where they will be when you happen
to read this number of "The Nursery."

From all this you will see that you will have to be very particular what
kind of a star you look at when you say,--

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star."

M. E. R.

HOW A RAT WAS ONCE CAUGHT.

DO you know what sly and cunning creatures rats are? The picture shows
how they sometimes contrive to carry off eggs. The old fox in the
background seems to be watching the performance with great interest.

But, cute as they are, they sometimes get caught. I am going to tell you
how a rat was once caught by a clam. It happened when I was a little
child, and lived with my mother. Whether such a thing ever happened
before or since, I do not know; but this is a true story.

[Illustration]

One day, my father went to town, and bought some clams. When he came
home, I took them down cellar in a basket, and laid them on the brick
floor of the cellar. Now, when clams are put where it is dark and cool
and quiet, they open their shells. If you should go softly up, and put a
straw in one of their mouths, it would clasp its shells together so
tightly, that you could not get them open.

The cellar was under my mother's bed-room; and in the night she heard a
great noise, like something bumping and slamming, down below. Being a
brave woman, she lighted a candle, and went down stairs; and what do you
think she found? I will te