High and low

The spring winds blow!

They take the kites that the boys have made,

And carry them off high into the air;

They snatch the little girls' hats away,

And toss and tangle their flowing hair.

(d) SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS. From which direction is the wind blowing today? In what way does spring differ from winter? What work has the wind to do in the spring? (Melt the ice and snow; bring rain clouds; awaken life in seeds, roots, buds, etc.; drive clouds away.) What work has the wind to do in autumn? (Shake down nuts; scatter seeds, etc.) Name other uses of the wind. (Drive sailing vessels; turn windmills; carry water over the land.) Which wind brings rain? Which wind brings cold? Which wind brings heat? Which wind brings flowers?

(e) THE FOUR WINDS. Have the children learn this poem. It can be recited in concert:

"Which is the wind that brings the cold?"
"The North wind, Freddy, and all the snow;
And the sheep will scamper into the fold,
When the North begins to blow."

"Which is the wind that brings the heat?"
"The South wind, Katy; and corn will grow,
And peaches redden for you to eat,
When the South begins to blow."

"Which is the wind that brings the rain?"
"The East wind, Arty; and farmers know
That cows come shivering up the lane,
When the East begins to blow."

"Which is the wind that brings the flowers?"
"The West wind, Bessie; and soft and low
The bircies sing in the summer hours,

When the West begins to blow."

EDMUND CLARENCE STEDMAN

Wind of the western sea,

Low, low, breathe and blow,

Wind of the western sea!

Over the rolling waters go,

Come from the dying moon, and blow,

Blow him again to me;

While my little one, while my pretty one, sleeps.

Sleep and rest, sleep and rest,

Father will come to thee soon;

Rest, rest, on mother's breast,

Father will come to thee soon;

Father will come to his babe in the nest,

Silver sails all out of the west

Under the silver moon:

Sleep, my little one, sleep, my pretty one, sleep.

THE WEST WIND

Beneath the forest's skirts I rest,

Whose branching pines rise dark and high,

And hear the breezes of the West

Among the threaded foliage sigh.

Sweet Zephyr! why that sound of woe?
Is not thy home among the flowers?
Do not the bright June roses blow,
To meet thy kiss at morning hours?

TENNYSON.

Thou wind of joy, and youth, and love;
Spirit of the new awakened year!
The sun in his blue realm above

Smooths a bright path when thou art here.

In lawns the murmuring bee is heard,
The wooing ring-dove in the shade;
On thy soft breath, the new-fledged bird
Takes wing, half happy, half afraid.

Ah! thou art like our wayward race;—
When not a shade of pain or ill
Dims the bright smile of Nature's face,

Thou lov'st to sigh and murmur still.

WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT.

(g) STORIES. Orpheus, a myth of the South Wind: The Wind and the Sun; The Bay of Winds.

Whichever way the wind doth blow,
Some heart is glad to have it so.

Then blow it east, or blow it west,

The wind that blows, that wind is best.

9. Ostrich Farming.

(a) THE OSTRICH. (1) Description. The ostrich is the largest and most valuable of all birds. This awkward, ungainly bird has an oval-shaped body, bare legs, rudimentary wings, long, bare neck, small, flat head, large eyes, and short, wide bill. A full grown bird will weigh from 350 to 450 pounds, stand eight feet high, and can reach up easily to the height of ten or twelve feet to get oranges or other fruits. Its strides, when running, are about 22 feet, and it can outrun the swiftest horse. Its voice is deep, hollow, and not easily distinguishable from that of the lion. It makes

a cackling sound, and when in the act of striking it hisses loudly. It has enormous muscles and can kick as hard as a horse. It kicks forward and downward, and has been known to kill large beasts with a single stroke. The ostrich lives from sixty to seventy years, and some birds have reached the age of one hundred years.

(2) The Food. The food consists principally of alfalfa, grain and vegetables. Ostriches are fond of oranges, apples, sand and gravel. The chicks are very delicate and eat nothing for the first four days. They are then fed chopped alfalfa, mixed with ground egg shells, and later soaked bran, corn, gravel, etc.

(3) Nest and Eggs. The nest is made by the male bird scooping out a shallow spot in the sand. The hen lays at the rate of one egg every other day until fifteen or eighteen have been deposited. The birds take turns in sitting upon the eggs, the male bird at night and the female during the daytime. The sitting lasts for six weeks. An ostrich egg is about thirty times as large as a hen's egg, and weighs three or more pounds. The eggs are not only used for food but the shells are made into spoons, ladles and various other articles.

(b) OSTRICH TAMING. Ostrich taming began about 1850, when a man in South Africa captured some wild chicks and after feeding and watching them for a time, decided that ostriches could be reared and their feathers plucked and sold at a great profit.

(c) OSTRICH FARMS. Large ostrich farms are at present established in different countries, as South Africa, Egypt, and the United States. In Cape Colony there are more than a quarter of a million ostriches cared for, and several million dollars' worth of feathers are yearly shipped from the Cape of Good Hope to London. This industry was established in the United States over twenty-five years ago. Great progress has been made during the past few years, and today thousands of ostriches are reared on farms in Florida, Arkansas, Colorado, Arizona and California.

(d) THE CAWSTON FARM. This farm is situated in South Pasadena, and is considered one of the most beautiful spots in southern California. It is surrounded with live oaks, orange trees, palms, roses, and all forms of tropical verdure. Here the visitor may see the ostrich feather industry from the beginning to the end-ostriches of all ages, ranging from one to eight feet in height; ostrich incubators where the young chicks are hatched; the factory where skilled workers manufacture beautiful feather goods, such as fans, boas, stoles, hat plumes, and all sorts of novelties made from feathers.

(e) PLUCKING. The first plucking takes place when the bird is about nine months old, and afterwards about three times every two years during the bird's life. The bird to be clipped is driven into a triangular enclosure, and a hood is drawn over its head. Then the two pluckers raise the wings and clip off the wing plumes first, twenty-five from each wing; those of the male are white and black, and those of the female white, tipped with gray or yellow. About three hundred feathers are taken from each bird. Plucking does not injure the bird nor cause pain. Ladies can wear ostrich plumes without feeling that in so doing they cause injury or pain to the birds.

(f) ITEMS OF INTEREST. (1) The chief ostrich-feather country of the world today is South Africa. Several hundred thousand pounds of feathers are now annually sent from Cape Colony to London, and many are shipped to our markets from Arizona and California.

(2) In London there are feather auctions every two or three months.

(3) Almost all the wild ostriches have been destroyed, and their feathers have at present but a small part in the world's commerce.

(4) The famous ostrich plumes, which grow anew in a few months after cutting, sell from a dollar or two to two hundred dollars apiece, according to size and quality.