the
food that most of the people live on.

There are buffaloes in the Philippines. The people use them for riding
and for carrying loads. They have also deer, goats, and hogs.

[Illustration: A Buffalo at Work.]

In some parts of the islands they have a strange way of fishing. They
fill baskets with a kind of mixture in which they put poison. Then
they throw the baskets into the water. The fish become stupid after
eating the poison. Very soon they rise to the top of the water, where
the people catch them.

Manila is a large town with strong walls and a deep moat, or ditch,
around it. There are eight gates in the wall and bridges across the
moat.

The men in Manila wear trousers and shirts; but they wear the shirts
outside. The women wear skirts with long trains, and waists with very
full and flowing sleeves. They wear scarfs or handkerchiefs around
their necks, with two of the corners hanging down their backs. They
never wear hats.

[Illustration: Women of Luzon.]

In a few of the islands there are schools, and the children learn to
read and write; but in many other parts there are neither schools nor
churches. As the islands now belong to the United States, there will
soon be many more schools, and the children will be able to learn
everything that is taught in our schools.

BANGALA

Far away in Africa, near where the pygmies live, there is a great river
called the Kongo. The land on either side of this river for many miles
is called the Kongo Valley.

There are hundreds of miles of great woods in this valley. These woods
are not like our woods. They are very thick with vines and plants.
There are also a great many kinds of trees.

In the woods are birds with very bright colors. There are birds called
sunbirds. Often green, yellow, scarlet, and purple feathers are found
on these birds. What a pretty sight it must be to see them flit about
in the sun!

There are also many kinds of pretty flowers in the woods. These
flowers are as gay in color as the birds.

Many tribes of negroes live in the Kongo Valley. They live in huts
made of mats. The mats are made of strong grass. The grass is first
twisted into cords. Then the cords are braided into mats.

The people also use mats for their beds; but they do not put the mats
on the ground. They tie them to a frame raised a little above the
ground.

[Illustration: Kongo Negroes at a Mission School.]

These negroes also make