now be done by one machine, and thus a great
saving of human labor is effected.

In former times, the crops of wheat and oats, rye and barley, were
gathered with a sickle; the grain was thrashed with a flail; the grass
in the meadows was cut with a scythe. But, now, all this is changed;
on the great prairies of the West, the wheat, rye and oats are cut by
the reaper, and with a steady hum the thrashing-machine does its work
of cleaning the grain.

The scythe has given place to the mowing machine, and the sickle and
flail have been laid away as relics of other times. Thus the machinery
invented by the genius and skill of man, not only lightens the labor of
the farmer, but it performs the work which formerly required the united
effort of many men. Many foreign countries send to the United States
for mowers and reapers, because it is here these machines have reached
their highest perfection.

LESSON XXIII

ALI BABA

Ali Baba was a poor Persian wood carrier, who accidentally learned the
magic words "_Open Sesame_," "_Shut Sesame_," by which he gained
entrance into a vast cavern, in which forty thieves had stored their
stolen treasures. He made himself rich by plundering these stores of
wealth, and through the cunning of Morgiana, his female slave, Ali Baba
succeeded in destroying the whole band of thieves. He then gave
Morgiana her freedom and married her to his own son.

LESSON XXIV

BIRDS

In the United States there are a great many birds. Many of them live
in the woods; others are found in the fields. Some are seen in the
gardens, and a few are kept in our houses. The eagle builds her nest
upon the highest rock, while the wren forms her snug and tiny nest in
the way-side hedge. The swallow plasters her nest upon the gable of
the house or under the eaves of the barn. Out in the wheat-field we
hear the whistle of the quail. The noise of the ducks and geese comes
to us from the pond. The birds of prey dart downward through the air.
Everywhere we find the birds.

In autumn the migratory birds leave us, but they return in the spring.
Even in March we hear the call of the robin. At the same time the bold
and saucy blue-jay pays us his first visit. One hears the sweet songs
of the birds from May until October. Some of them remain with us
during the winter.

There are many things that birds can do. The swallows fly with the
greatest ease. The ostrich runs rapidly. Swimming birds dive w