shad'-ow
mead'-ow

1. Where the acorn tumbles down,
Where the ash-tree sheds its berry,
With your fur so soft and brown,
With your eyes so soft and merry,
Scarcely moving the long grass,
Field-mouse, I can see you pass.

2. Little thing, in what dark den,
Lie you all the winter sleeping,
Till warm weather comes again?
Then once more I see you peeping
Round about the tall tree roots,
Nibbling at their fallen fruits.

3. Field-mouse, field-mouse, do not go,
Where the farmer stacks his treasure;
Find the nut that falls below,
Eat the acorn at your pleasure;
But you must not eat the grain,
He has reared with so much pain.

4. Make your hole where mosses spring,
Underneath the tall oak's shadow,
Pretty, quiet, harmless thing,
Play about the sunny meadow;
Keep away from corn and house,
None will harm you, little mouse.

[Illustration]

THE RABBIT.

[Illustration: 'Oh, look at that one going into a hole.']

moth'-er
rab'-bits
dare'-say
friends
Sat'-ur-day
an'-i-mals
morn'-ing
beat'-ing
knock
fight
meant
dan'-ger

1. Harry and Dora were coming home with their mother from a long walk,
when they saw some rabbits playing about on the grass.

2. They wished to stay and watch them, and the three sat down on a log a
little way off.

'Oh, look at that one going into a hole!' said Dora. 'See his funny
tail. Why is he going into a hole?'

3. 'That is his house,' said their mother. 'I daresay he is sleepy and
wants to go to bed.'

'He goes early, then, like the birds?'

'Yes, about sunset. He gets up a little before sunrise.

4. 'There goes another! They will soon all be gone.'

'Then we can look at their houses?'

'Only at their front doors. If you were to sit quite still over there in
the day-time, you would see the rabbits popping in and out.

5. 'After a time they would find out that you were their friends, and
then you would be able to watch their doings.'

6. Then mother told them more about the man who often stayed out all
night to see what animals did. 'One morning, before it was quite light,
he heard a tap-tap near him, and saw a rabbit beating on the ground with
his hind-feet close to another rabbit's hole.

7. 'He saw him go to