Ant, s. a small insect
Ape, s. a baboon, or monkey
Ape, a. v. to mock, to imitate
Apt, a. fit, likely, ready
Arch, s. part of a circle
Arm, s. a limb, or branch
Arm, a. v. to provide with

weapons

Art, s. a trade; skill, cunning
Ask, v. to enquire, to invite
Asp, s. a poisonous serpent
Ass, s. a beast of burden
Aught, s. (awt) any thing
Awe, s. respect, with fear
Awl, s. a tool for boring
Axe, s. (ax) a tool to chop with
Babe, s. an infant
Back, s. the hinder part
Bad, a. wicked, worthless
Badge, s. a mark, or sign
Bag, s. a sack, or pouch

Bail, s. security given
Bait, s. a snare; an enticement
Bake, a. v. to cook, or hard-
en, in an oven
Bald, a. without hair
Balm, s. a plant; a soft and
healing juice

Ban, s. a censure; a curse
Band, s. a fastening; persons
united together
Bane, s. poison; injury
Bar, s. a fastening
Bar, a. v. to fasten, to hinder
Bard, s. a minstrel

Bare, a. naked; destitute
Bark, s. the rind of a tree
Barm, s. yeast for making bread
Barn, s. a storehouse
Base, a. mean, wicked
Bask, n. v. to lie in the warmth
Bat, s. a flying animal

The ANT is a very small insect, often trodden under foot by the thoughtless. Yet it affords striking proof of the wisdom of GOD, and teaches many useful lessons to man. Knowing that winter will come, it provides itself with food, and builds a house in which it may dwell in safety and comfort. Some of their houses, or nests, are very large. Some kinds of ants, found in hot climates, build nests from ten to twenty feet high, large enough to contain twelve men. If we were to build our houses as high in proportion, they would be twelve times higher than the monument of London. The picture now before you shews the shape of the nests built by the sort of ants called Termites. Some of these have twenty floors, besides passages. SOLOMON tells the idle and thoughtless to learn wisdom from this wonderful creature:-"Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways and be wise;" and he says further, to those who will not think and work like the ant, "Thy poverty shall come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man."

Bath, s. a place to bathe in
Bay, s. a part of the sea nearly
surrounded by land
Beach, s. the sea-shore; the

part washed by the waves Bead, s. (beed) a small round

ornament

Beam, s. a large and long
piece of timber
Beam, s. a ray of light
Bean, s. a kind of grain, or
pulse

Bear, a. v. (bare) to carry, to

support, to suffer; to produce Bear, s. a savage animal Beard, s. (beerd) the hair that

grows on the chin and lips Beat, a. v. to strike; to subdue

Beau, s. (bo) polite attendant
Beck, n. v. to make a sign to
Bed, s. a place to sleep on;
a soft or hollow place
Bee, s. an insect
Beech, s. a tree

Beef, s. the flesh of oxen
Beer, s. a liquor made from
malt and hops

Beet, s. a plant, or root
Beg, n. v. to ask; to petition
Belt, s. a girdle; a strap
Bench, s. a long stool; a seat
of justice

Bend, a. v. to turn; to make
crooked; to subdue
Best, a. the highest degree of
goodness

The BEAR is a savage, strong, and mischievous beast of prey. The female is even more fierce and terrible than the male. But so careful is she over her young, that if they be attacked, her rage knows no bounds; and if they be taken from her, she is furious and mad, and will boldly risk her own life in trying to get them back. When Lord Mulgrave was searching for the north-west passage, his sailors shot some young bears. Their dam was wounded also, but she would not leave her young behind. She did not seem to know that they were dead, but got some meat and laid before them, and tried, in a number of ways, to persuade them to eat. Then she raised them

with her paws; then she went a little way and looked back, as if she would persuade them to follow. Then she returned, walked round and round them; licked their wounds, and moaned bitterly. When she seemed to find that they were really dead, she looked at the men in the ship, growled most fiercely, and shortly after died! When GOD threatened the Jews that he would "meet them as a bear bereaved, or robbed, of her whelps," he meant that He was very angry with them, on account of their disobedience, and that He would severely punish, if not destroy, them.

Bilge, s. the breadth of a
ship's bottom

Bill, s. a notice, or account
Bill, s. the beak of a bird
Bin, s. a place where corn or
wine is kept

Bind, a. v. to confine, to secure ;

to fasten; to compel Birch, s. a tree Bit, s. a small piece; the

iron part of a bridle Bite, a. v. to pierce with the teeth; to cheat Bite, s, a fraud, or cheat Black, s. dark; horrible Blade, s. the sharp edge of

an instrument; a young shoot of corn or grass Blain, s. a pimple, or blister Blame, a. v. to charge with some fault

Bland, a. soft, mild, gentle
Blank, s. an empty space
Blast, a. v. to wither on a sud-
den; to destroy

Blast, s. a strong gust of wind
Blaze, s. a flame, or light
Bleach, a. v. to whiten
Bleak, a. cold, chilly
Bleed, n. v. to lose blood
Blend, a. v. to mix, to mingle
Bless, a. v. to make happy;
to wish happiness; to give
praise

Blight, (blite) a. v. to blast, to
nip, to cause to wither
Blind, a. without sight, dark
Blind, s. something to hinder
the sight

Blink, n. v. to wink; to see obscurely [happiness Bliss, s. the highest degree of

IF you walk into the fields you may observe a number of birds seeking for food. Could you get near to them, you would find a great difference in the shape of their bills, or beaks; and if you watched their habits very closely, you would find that those differences were exactly suited to the kind of food after which they were seeking. Those birds whose food is chiefly small seeds, or crumbs, or insects, have tender, sharp pointed bills; as the linnet, the wren, and the robin.-Those who feed on seeds which require the husks to be cracked, have stronger bills; as the sparrow, the goldfinch, the bullfinch, and others.-Birds which frequent soft marshy places, or which are much in the water, mostly feed upon worms, or small fish. These have long, thin, pliant bills, which they thrust into the mud or sand, or which they dart at once at the fish they wish to devour. Some of these, as soon as they find their food, draw their breath so as to suck it up into their mouths. Of this kind are ducks, sandpipers, snipes, rails, herons, and cranes.

Blithe, a. merry, lively
Bloat, a. v. to swell, to puff out
Block, s. a short heavy piece
of timber, or of stone
Blood, s. (blud) the red liquid

in the bodies of animals
Bloom, s. a blossom, a flower
Blot, a. v. to darken, to spot
Blow, s. a sudden stroke
Blow, a. v. to make a cur-
rent or air; to blossom
Blue, a. a colour
Bluff, a. big; surly
Blunt, a. dull; uncivil
Blur, a. v. to blot, or stain
Blush, s. a red colour
Board, s. a thin piece of wood
Board, a. v. to supply with food
Boast, n. v. to brag, to speak
vainly

Boil, n. v. to cook in hot water

Bold, a. full of courage'; con

fident; without fear Bolt, s. a fastening; a dart Bolt, a. v. to' fasten; to throw out suddenly

Bomb, s. an iron shell filled
with gunpowder

Bone, s. the hard solid part of
an animal body
Book, s. a number of leaves

of paper bound together
Boon, s. a gift, a favour
Boot, s. a covering for the leg
Booth, s. a tent made of boards,
boughs, or canvass
Bore, a. v. to make a hole
Borne, part. carried [tree
Bough, s. (bou) a branch of a
Bought, part. (bawt) did buy
Bounce, n. v. to jump about;
to make a sudden noise

THERE is another class of birds, such as the parrot, and the macaw, which are fond of nuts. These have very strong bills, of a hooked shape, with which they first crack the nut, and then dig out the kernel. How strong these bills are, many children find out, when they tease or mock them, or place their fingers or their cheeks too near the cages.-Then there is the class called birds of prey; as the eagle, the vulture, the kite, and the hawk. These are fierce and cruel; feeding chiefly upon the raw flesh of animals. They have, therefore, bills of great strength, sharp and pointed, some of them with notches, which act as teeth, and assist them in holding fast their prey, and in tearing the flesh from the bones. Most of these birds soar to a great height, and as soon as they discover their prey, they dart at once upon

it, seize it with their bills, and fly away to some spot where they may devour it without fear of being disturbed. These all "seek their meat in due season," according to the desire which the Creator has implanted within them.

Brake, s. a thicket of bram - | Breathe, n. v. to draw in and

bles or thorns

corn

Bran, s. the husk of ground |
[many parts
Branch, a. v. to divide into
Brand, s. a burning stick
Brand, s. a mark of disgrace
Brass, s. a yellow metal

|

force out by the lungs

Breed, s. one kind of animals
Breeze, s. a gentle wind
Brew, s. (bru) to make certain
liquors; to contrive

Bribe, s. a reward given for
a bad purpose

Ard

IN eastern countries it is common for a man to "bow himself before the king on his face upon the ground." This mode of bowing is also used by the Mohammedans and others, when engaged in prayer. Another posture is that of bending the body very low, with the face "towards" the ground. In this case the hands are either crossed upon the breast, or made to rest upon the knees; the latter is considered the most humble of the two.-Another mode is with the body slightly inclined, and the hands crossed upon the bosom. This is a posture of devotion, and also that of a slave in the presence of his master. A more common bow, as a token of courtesy or respect, either to superiors or equals, is a slight bend of the body, with the right hand laid on the heart. This latter is the mode most common also in this country, and is thought sufficient to mark our respect even for those in the highest ranks of life. Bending the knee is another posture of respect and homage.