is still the same ocean, we call it by a different name— the Pacific.-Rev. J. Ridgway.

THE HISTORY OF A SPIDER.

THE spider lived in a precarious state, and nature seemed to have fitted it for such a life; for upon a single fly it subsisted for more than a week. I once put a wasp into the nest, but when the spider came out in order to seize it, as usual, upon perceiving what kind of an enemy it had to deal with, it instantly broke all the bands that held it fast, and contributed all that lay in its power to disengage so formidable an antagonist. When the wasp was at liberty I expected the spider would have set about repairing the breaches that were made in the nest; but those, it seems, were irreparable, wherefore the cobweb was now entirely forsaken and a new one begun, which was completed in the usual time.

I had now a mind to try how many cobwebs a single spider could furnish; wherefore I destroyed this, and the insect set about another. When I destroyed the other also, its whole stock seemed entirely exhausted, and it could spin no more. The arts it made use of to support itself, now it was deprived of its great means of subsistence, were indeed surprising. I have seen it roll up its legs like a ball and lie motionless for hours together, but cautiously watching all the time; when a fly happened to approach sufficiently near, it would dart out all at once, and often seize its prey. Of this life, however, it soon began to grow weary, and resolved to invade the possession of some other spider, since it could not make a web of its own. It formed an attack upon a neighbouring fortification with great vigour, and at first was as vigorously repulsed. Not daunted however with one defeat, in this manner it continued to lay

siege to another's web for three days, and at length having killed the defendant, actually took possession. When smaller flies happen to fall into the snare, the spider does not sally out at once, but very patiently waits till it is sure of them; for upon his immediately approaching, the terror of his appearance might give the captive strength sufficient to get loose: the manner, then, is to wait patiently, till, by ineffectual and impotent struggles, the captive has wasted all its strength; and then he becomes a certain and easy conquest. The insect I am now describing lived three years; every year it changed its skin, and got a new set of legs. I have sometimes plucked off a leg, which grew again in two or three days. At first it dreaded my approach to its web, but at last it became so familiar as to take a fly out of my hand, and upon my touching any part of the web, would immediately leave its holes, prepared either for a defence or an attack.-Goldsmith.

THE DICTATION PRIZE.

PART I.

ON Monday, the eleventh of July, just before four o'clock in the afternoon, the rector came into the school, followed by Mr. Witherby. The boys stood up and made their bows with joyful faces, hoping that, at last, they were to hear something about the dictation prize. They were not disappointed, for, after a few words with Mr. Stuart, the schoolmaster, the rector turned to the boys and asked:

"Are all the boys present who mean to try for Mr. Witherby's prize?"

S. IV.

В

"Yes, sir; yes, sir," cried many voices.

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"Are any boys absent to-day?" asked Mr. Witherby. "At least, none except the two little Pages, who have the measles. They are both in the lowest class."

No, sir," replied the master.

"Then," said the rector, "I see no reason, why we should not have the trial at once, as my friend Mr. Witherby proposes. I will read prayers first, as it is just four now, and then the candidates for the prize can remain."

"Now," said the master, after prayers, "all who intend to try for the prize hold up their right hands." Sixteen hands were immediately held up. Then two more. "All the rest may go," said the master. "Let me see. All the first class remain, and six of the second. Sit down, boys."

"Now," said Mr. Witherby, "I have brought some ruled paper for them." And he gave each boy a large sheet of paper, with a new pen.

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Now, boys," he said, "listen to me before you begin. The prize will of course be given to the boy who has fewest faults in his dictation; but if the two best papers should be equal, I shall give the prize to the one which is best written. I will read to you, sentence by sentence, and you must write what I say. When I have finished, you must each put your name at the end of your paper, and bring it up to me."

Taking a book from his pocket, he read as follows:"An instance of parental attachment in a bird was recently related to me, which gave me much pleasure. A gentleman in my neighbourhood had directed one of his waggons to be packed with hampers and boxes, intending to send it to Worthing, where he was going himself.

"For some reason his going was delayed, and he therefore directed that the waggon should be placed in a shed in his yard, packed as it was, till it should be

convenient for him to send it off. While it was in this shed, a pair of robins built their nest among some straw in the waggon, and had hatched their young just before it was sent away. One of the old birds, instead of being frightened away by the motion of the waggon, only left its nest from time to time for the purpose of flying to the nearest hedge for food for its young; and thus alternately affording food and nourishment to them, it arrived at Worthing. The affection of this bird having been observed by the waggoner, he took care in unloading not to disturb the robin's nest; and my readers will, I am sure, be glad to hear that the robin and its young ones returned in safety to Wotton's Heath, the place from whence they had set out. Whether it was the male or female bird which kept with the waggon, I have not been able to ascertain; but most probably the latter as what will not a mother's love and a mother's tenderness induce her to perform! The distance the waggon went in going and returning could not have been less than one hundred miles."

pay

Mr. Witherby stopped. "Now, boys," he said, "I will give you five minutes to look over your papers. Remember that you must attention to your stops." Oh, how carefully the boys looked for any fault, and with what puzzled faces they paused now and then, pen in hand, when they came to a hard word. The five minutes came to an end all too soon, and each boy went up to Mr. Witherby, who took his paper, and placed it on the desk.

"The Rector and I are going to look them over this evening," he said; "and the prize will be given on Thursday, with the others."

"Well, I never!" exclaimed Peter Dunn, as soon as the boys were out of school. "What break-jaw words, to be sure! Recently!'-Parental attachment!' 'Alternately affording nourishment!""

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Well, 'alternately' puzzled me too, Peter," rejoined

Brown: "I could not think whether it was one 1, or a double 1; I hardly know now which I put," he added, laughing. "Which is it, Charley?"

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Why, only one of course," broke in James Howard. "Alter' has only one, and so 'alternately' has only one, of course."

"Of course," echoed Charley Robins. But he was feeling very uncertain, like Brown, which way he had written it. The fact was, that he had not hesitated over that word at all; and now, do what he would, he could not remember how he had spelled it. One by one the other boys dropped off, and left him puzzling in the play-ground alone. "What a bother!" he thought. wish I could remember. If I've spelled that word wrong, very likely it will lose me the prize; and then what a fool I shall look, after telling father and all I was pretty sure to get it! It really won't be fair, if I lose it for a slip like that. how I had written it!"

"I

If I could only look and see

He was roused from his thoughts by hearing the school door close, and looking up he saw the rector, Mr. Witherby, and the schoolmaster come out together. They did not see him, but went out at the gate of the play-ground, which the master locked after him. thought came into Charley's head.

A

"If I could only get into the schoolroom and look over my paper! There could be no harm in that, I'm sure." But why did he look round so cautiously, as he went up to the porch, if he really thought there was no harm?

The door was locked, but his quick eye caught sight of the key hanging in a dark corner of the porch. He put it into the lock, turned it carefully, and the next moment was in the empty school-room. He walked up to the desk, where the pile of papers had been lying, but they were not to be seen. "Provoking!" thought Charley again; "I suppose they've taken them to look