The Nursery, No. 109, January, 1876, Vol. XIX. | Page 4

The Priceless Gem 288 Unchanging Love 289 True Love 293 A Birthday Wish 295 Remember Me 352 Thy Will be Done 358 Compliments of the Season 359 Forget me not 364 A Happy New Year 367
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[Illustration: CHRISTMAS AT THE NORTH.]
CHRISTMAS AT THE NORTH.
Hark! the bells are sounding; Christmas draweth nigh; Now let joy abounding Bid all trouble fly. Ye who pine in sorrow, Come, be cheered to-day; Of our gladness borrow, As you freely may.
First give your attention To our Christmas-tree; But pray do not mention All the things you see: These are for surprises To the children dear,-- To the Anns, Elizas, Johnnys, Charleys here.
Are you hale and hearty, And still young enough? Come, then, join our party, And play blind man's buff. But if with the coasters You would rather be, See them there, the boasters! Join them: you are free.
Hark! the sleigh-bells tinkle: Do you wish a ride? Will it smooth a wrinkle Just to have a slide? See, the road invites you; See, the ponds entice: Take, then, what delights you: Whether snow or ice.
If the path to glory Best your mood befits, If you'd live in story, And can brave hard hits, See, where heroes yonder Storm the fort with balls; Do not stop to ponder: Go where glory calls!
Or, perhaps, the skaters Now attract you most: We are patient waiters-- Will you skate, or coast? Do not fear a tumble; See poor Tommy there! Up, without a grumble, He will never care.
Welcome to our pleasures And our Christmas cheer! We'll not stint the measures: Would you all were here! Boys and girls together,-- From all parts and climes, To enjoy this weather, And these Christmas times!
ALFRED SELWYN.

[Illustration]
POMPEY GUARDING BABY.
My real name is Pompey; but Mr. John sometimes calls me Pompous. What he means by that I do not know. Perhaps it is a joke. Mr. John is the eldest brother of Dot, the baby.
I am put here to keep watch over Dot. That is a picture of me as I appear seated on a chair by the side of the cradle where Dot is sleeping.
I am very fond of babies. One reason of it, I think, is, that they cannot hurt me with their little hands. They pull my ears, but not so hard as to give me pain.
Once, on a hot day, when my mouth was open, and my tongue was out, Dot took hold of my tongue, and pulled it as hard as he could. I did not even say Bow-wow. I let him pull away.
I would have all people know that this baby is not to be touched while I am here. If you come near to disturb baby, I shall bark; but, if you try to touch him, I shall bite. So be careful. You must not even touch baby's rattle that lies on the floor.
I hear my mistress tell people what a good dog I am, and how she can trust me to take care of baby. Yes, I am proud to say I do my duty. I hold my head up, and keep my eyes wide open. That drawing of me is from a photograph, and is a very good likeness. As I can't write, I have got Master John to write this down for me.
MASTER JOHN.

THE PARROT FEEDING ITS YOUNG.
The parrot is a curious bird. Here is a picture of one feeding its young. It has a large hooked beak, and climbs trees by the aid of its beak and feet.
The plumage of parrots varies in color. I have seen it of a bright green, also, red and gray. These birds were well known to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who got them mostly from India and Africa.
The parrot, as every child knows, can be taught to talk. This power it shares with some other birds whose tongues are thick, round, and almost the same in form as that of the parrot. Starlings, blackbirds, jays, jackdaws, and ravens can imitate the human voice.
The parrot imitates all the noises it hears--the mewing of cats, the barking of dogs, and the cries of birds--as easily as it imitates speech. The parrots brought from Africa seem to prefer imitating the voices of children, and, on that account, more easily receive their education from them.
[Illustration]
But the gray parrot imitates the grave tones of