NEW INDESTRUCTIBLE PICTURE LIBRARY, Printed on Cloth. Consisting of amusing and instructive Stories for Young Children, profusely Illustrated by eminent Artists, price Gd. each ; ditto, very nicely coloured, price Is. each. \ Nursery Rhymes. Rhymes and Pictures. Pictures of Wild Animals. Birds of the Air. Stories of the Sea and Ships. Mary Mishap ; or, the Careless Child. Objects seen by Charley Bright. Poetical Robinson Crusoe. Little Fanny's Visit to her Grandmamma. A Book of Fables. Little Bo-Peep. The House that Jack Built. THE CHILD'S OWN INDESTRUCTIBLE SERIES. Price Is. each ; ditto, nicely coloured, price Is, 6d. each. THE CHILD'S OWN ALPHABET. Illustrated with 24 Pictures. THE CHILD'S OWN PRIMER.. Illustrated -with 67 Pictures. THE CHILD'S OWN READING BOOK. Illustrated with 22 Pictures. THE CHILD'S OWN SPELLING BOOK. Illustrated with 30 Pictures. CHARMjNG SERIES OF PLAY-BOOKS FOR CHILDREN. Clearly printed in large 4to size, and profusely Illustrated, price Is. each ; ditto, on strong cloth, price Is. 6d. each. 1. MERRY LITTLE STORIES OF FUNNY LITTLE SEEN;; with Pretty Little Pictures.by a Clever Little Pen. Comprising Histories of Sam Snoozeaway, the Idle Boy; Anthony Cribb, the Pilfering Boy; Tom Tearabout, the Tur- bulent Boy; and Miss Vanity, the Conceited Girl. 2. LITTLE WILLIE'S HOLIDAY ; or, a Visit to Cowslip Farm. Showing what a Little Boy and his Companions saw and did at a Farm- house. 3. ADVENTURES OF A HORSE, from the High Road to the Battle Field. 4. THE CHILD'S POEM, MY MOTH Kit. Il- lustrated witi 1 2 beautiful Coloured Illustra- tions. 4to. 5. THE TWO PATHS ; or, How to.be Happy. A Story about Schoolboys. 6. THE FATE OF TOM TORMENT>or, Cruelty Punished. WTierein you are told How the Boy who'd been Cruel was Bought and Sold. Dedi- cated to the Animals' Friend Society. Nume- rous Coloured Engravings. 7. THE ANIMALS' MENAGERIE; . or, What Became of the Naughty Boys. Showing the Animals' Garden of Wicked Wild Men, willi 'each Naughty Boy shut up in a Den. With numerous Coloured Engravings. 8. HAND SHADOWS ON THE WALL, with numerous amusing Illustrations. NEW SEBI ES, BY ALFEED C EQWQUILL. NEW SERIES OF FAIRY AND OTHER TALES, For the Nursery and School Room. Designed and Illustrated by Alfred Crowqnill. Clearly printed in large quarto size, each book containing 12 page descriptive Engravings, beauiifully coloured, price Is. Gd. each. THE GOOD AND BAD SPARROWS. HONESTY AND CUNNING; OR, THE FOX AND THE FARMER'S DOG. THE RED CAP. KINDNESS AND CRUELTY; OR, THE GRATEFUL OGRE. Just published, uniform with the Crowquill Series. DISOBEDIENT' DICK; OR, THE NAUGHTY CHICKEN. A most Amusing History. With numerous beautiful Coloured Illustrations. 4to. 'Wrapper on Ennisu-llH j Paper, price Is. 6^*<-^ £^c£~C<^ !^-^u-^o y^i A LITTLE BOOK ABOUT COUNTRY LIFE. jUttstntttfr foitjr €ig]jt Cotaeb f trtttm bg prfttt |ostn\ LONDON: WARD AND LOCK, 158, FLEET STREET. I 86: CONTENTS. THE HAY-FIELD JENNY'S RABBITS GARDEN FLOWERS CHARLIE THE SHEPHERD 15 THE GLEANERS 19 BLACKBERRYING . 23 FEEDING THE CALVES 26 THE WELCOME ROBIN . . . ... . . .29 o fi Jo THE HAYMAKERS. THE HAY-FIELD. fields have dry, sweet us go out into the air. It is spring-time. The sun shines warm. There are green leaves on the trees, and the birds sing among the bushes. The grass in has grown long, and cut it down. When it will be made into hay. It is fine fun to 4 THE HAY-FIELD. help to make hay. Boys and girls go with long forks and toss the grass about, so that the sun may shine on all of it ; and then men take great rakes made of wood, and rake the hay into rows, and when it is dry into heaps, which they call hay-cocks. If dark clouds come, and it looks as if it were going to rain, then all the men and boys, and women and girls, rake as hard as ever they can, to pile the hay into great heaps, so that it may not get wet. In a few days, if it be fine, they will come with carts and waggons, and take all the hay- cocks away to a corner of the field, and make them into one large hay- THE HAT-FIELD. stack. And they will cover the stack with a thatch of straw to keep the rain out. And when winter comes, and there is no grass in the fields, then the hay will be cut, and will be carried to the farm-yard for the horses and cows to eat. Good hay smells sweet, and it is very pleasant to walk amid it when it is newly mown, or to lie by the side of a hay-stack, and read a good story-book. Our dear little Mary and Ned Have come to the meadows to-day, Far better than lying abed, Is tossing about on the hay. 6 THE HAY-FIELD. Now Mary has covered Ned o'er, And only his feet can be seen ; She piles up the hay more and more, Till Ned is all buried in green. At last he jumps up with a shout, And scatters the hay far and wide, Then chases dear Mary about, With laughter on every side. PET RABBITS. JENNY'S RABBITS. AR away in the coun- try lives a little girl named Jenny Brown. She has a hutch full of pretty rabbits. You know the box with the bars in front, in which they keep rabbits ; they call that a rabbit-hutch. Jenny is very fond of her little pets, and feeds them twice every day. They eat bran, and carrots, and cabbage leaves, and many other kinds of green food. Some of Jenny's rabbits are white, some are red and white, some ;are black and white, some are quite 8 jenny's rabbits. black, and some are grey. Jenny likes a little black and white one best, and often takes it in her arms and lets it eat out of her hand ; its name is Beauty. When her young friends come to see her, Jenny is sure to take them to the yard where the rabbits' -hutch is, and then she lets the rabbits run about, and gives them carrots to munch. Close by Jenny's house there is a rabbits' warren, that is, a large bank of sandy earth, where hundreds of wild rabbits live in holes which are called burrows. On a bright evening, or on a moon- light night, it is very funny to watch them jump and skip about, and then, when they hear a noise, to see them jenny's rabbits. 9 run into their holes. Soon you may see two or three put out their noses again, and then more will come out, and stamp their feet, and wash their faces, as you see cats wash theirs. Presently, six or eight will run a race, and all jump into their holes. Then perhaps fifty or sixty will scamper away together, and run as if a dog were after them ; all of a sudden they will stand quite still, and then they will begin frisking about like kittens. They are comical little crea- tures, are they not? Wild rabbits are all of a light brown colour ; they feed on almost any green food they can get, and do nruch harm to young trees by nibbling the bark off. THE WOOD-MOUSE. Do you know the little Wood-mouse, That pretty little thing, That sits among the forest leaves, Beside the forest spring ? Its fur is red as the red chesnut, And it is small and slim; It leads a life most innocent, Within the forest dim. 'Tis a timid, gentle creature, And seldom comes in sight; It has a long and wiry tail, And yet both black and bright. It makes its nest of soft dry moss, In a hole so deep and strong ; And there it sleeps secure and warm, The dreary winter long. THE YOUNG GARDENERS. GARDEN FLOWERS. EKNY'S mother is very fond of flowers, and so is Jenny. Her father and brother often spend a long day in the gar- den ; and Jenny likes to be with them, to help to carry the flowers about, or to put them into pots to be set on the window-sill in- doors, or to nail up the rose-trees against the wall. Her little sister Maud likes to be in the garden too, and to have a pink to smell or a primrose ; and Jenny will often make 12 GAEDEN FLOWEBS. a daisy- chain for gentle Maud, and put it on her little head, or sometimes a wreath of violets. First she will put a purple violet on a twig, and then a white one, till she has covered the little stick all over, and only the sweet flowers can be seen. You would laugh to see the little girl crowned with a wreath of violets. She thinks it so grand, that she runs about for every one to look at her. Every Saturday afternoon in the sum- mer time, Jenny carries a pretty nosegay of garden flowers to a kind old lady, who lives in a house in the village, and the old lady always gives Jenny a sixpence to carry home, and some tarts or something nice for herself , GARDEN FLOWERS. 13 and little Maud. Jenny can arrange a garland very prettily ; this is how she says she makes it : — JENNY'S GARLAND. Here damask roses, white and red, Out of my lap first take I ; All these I run along the thread, My chiefest flowers these make I. Among these roses in a row Next place I pinks in plenty, These double pansies then for show, And will not this be dainty? A course of cowslips then I'll stick, And here and there (so sparely) The pleasant primrose down I'll prick, Like pearls that will show rarely. 14 GAEDEN FLOWERS. Then with these marigolds I'll make My garland somewhat swelling ; These honeysuckles then I'll take, Whose sweets shall help their smell- ing. The daffodil most dainty is To match with these in meetness ; The columbine compared to this, All much alike for sweetness. Sweet-williams, campions, sops-in-wine, One by another neatly. Thus have I made this wreath of mine, And finished it completely. THE tfHtPHERD-BOY. CHARLIE THE SHEPHERD. HARLIE CARTER the shepherd lives close by Jenny Brown. Charlie's mo- ther, whose cottage is just across the green, is a widow. He is shep- herd to Farmer Stone, at the Old Manor Farm. Charlie has a sister named Bessie, who is milk-maid at the same farm. When she has done milking, she will often walk a little way home with 16 CHARLIE THE SHEPHERD. Charlie. You can see they have just come to a gate, which he opens only a little way, so. that but one sheep at a time can go through. This is the way he counts them, to see if there are the proper number. Charlie has a black and white dog called Trusty, who takes great care of the sheep. Trusty is a very great help to Charlie, who could scarcely get on without him. He always shares the food which Charlie takes with him into the fields, and they both sit or lie under a great oak-tree to eat their dinner. Bessie and Charlie are very good to their mother, and always give her part of the money they earn. She is very old ; so when CHARLIE THE SHEPHERD. 17 Bessie has finished her work at the farm, she goes home, and makes tea for her and Charlie. Sometimes Bessie's mistress gives her a cake or some eggs to carry home, and always allows her to take some milk. Mrs. Carter can bake a little sometimes, with the help of Jenny's mother, who is very kind, and often goes to see her. Sometimes, on a Sunday, they have a joint of hot meat; it is a great treat, for they rarely have more than fat pork and bread. They have a garden, which Bessie and Charlie attend to when their day's work is over, and it looks quite gay with flowers in the summer-time. In one corner are cabbages, potatoes, 18 CHARLIE THE SHEPHERD. carrots, onions, and all sorts of greens ; there are also some goose- berry and currant-bushes, and an apple-tree. And under the apple-tree there are two bee-hives, and in some years they sell the honey for three or four pounds, which help to pay the rent of their cottage. Though they are poor, they are very happy and contented, and Bessie always keeps the house clean. She has to get up very, very early to do it, as she has to be at the farm by half- past five. THE GLEANERS. THE GLEANERS. UMMER is over now, |j£Sj^ and autumn is com- ing to change all the green leaves into red and brown, and the wheat to a golden yellow. And now the bright corn has been cut down, and harvest is nearly over. At Farmer Stone's the last load has been car- ried, and the gleaners are picking up the ears of corn which the farmer's men have left. At eight o'clock in the morning the church bell is rung, 20 THE GLEANERS. and then the gleaners may go into the fields that have been cleared; and at eight o'clock in the evening the bell will be tolled again, to tell them they must all go home. They call it the gleaners' bell. Bessie Carter and Mary Green, and her young brother Jack, have been glean- ing ever since breakfast, and you see they have each picked up a good sheaf. They are now waiting till the waggon has taken the last load from the next field. When the sun is not too hot, it is pleasant work enough. The gleaners take their dinners with them, and sit in the shade of the hedges or under the trees to eat it, and there is plenty of fun. Bessie THE GLEANERS. 21 Carter has taken Charlie's dog Trusty with her to watch her basket when she leaves it under the hedge, and Trusty would bark at a fine rate if any one were to touch it. But I dare say he will let us look in. What has Bessie got for her dinner? There is a little piece of pork on a shce of thick bread, and an apple turn- over, and a little bottle of water. At the end of harvest, Farmer Stone al- ways gives his men a supper, which they call the Harvest Home, when they are very merry. They have plenty of roast meat and plum-pudding, and some of the Farmer's strong ale, which you may be sure they like very much; and they finish the evening with a song. ..,--' • HARVEST HOME. Summer's toiling now is past, Harvest now hath sent her last, Her last, last load; If the field containeth more, Master, give it to the poor, Abroad, abroad. Let them through the corn-field roam, While we welcome harvest home. Harvest home, Harvest home ! While we welcome harvest home. -w BLACKBERRYING. T is Saturday afternoon, and a holiday for all the boys and girls at the village school. What are they so busy about ? They are getting blackber- ries out of the hedges. Do you know the blackberry bramble ? It grows very long, and trails on the ground, and has sharp thorns. In summer it has a pretty white blos- som, and jin the autumn a rich purple fruit, of which country chil- 24 BLACKBEKRYING. dren are very fond. Jenny Brown and Mary Green and her brother, and two or three more, have gone out for the afternoon, and have taken their baskets, so that they may get a great many of the berries. You see Jack has climbed up to the top of the hedge to get a big cluster he can see there. They are all happy, are they not? They will take the berries home to their mothers, who will make them into puddings or into jam for the young ones to eat with their bread. In some parts of Eng- land children gather bilberries, which grow on little shrubs near the ground, but they are not so large or so nice. Mulberries are something like black- BLACKBEERYIXG. 25 berries, but they grow on large trees in gardens, and poor children do not often get them to eat. When you go to gather blackberries, you must mind that you do not tear your dress, or prick your fingers too much. The bramble thorns are sharper than roses, and stronger. TO THE BRAMBLE FLOWER. Thy fruit full well the schoolboy knows, Wild bramble of the brake ! So put thou forth thy small white rose, I'll love it for his sake. Tho' woodbines flaunt and roses glow, O'er all the fragrant bowers, Thou need'st not be ashamed to show Thy satin-threaded flowers. FEEDING THE CALVES. PWN the lane by the side of Jenny Brown's cottage, you will find a farm-yard, with only an old barn and a few sheds for cattle. There is no cottage near, and it would have rather a desolate look were it not for a row of walnut trees that grow round the pond and overtop the barn, and in summer time give plenty of shade to the sheep. This is Far- mer Stone's off-farm, as he calls it, rEEDING THE CALVES. feeding the calves. 27 and there are almost always a score or two of bullocks, or cows and calves, to be seen there ; and this is the place where Bessie Carter has often to go a-milking. I have seen ten or twelve calves there at a time, and very funny it is to watch one of the boys take a keeler* full of milk, and see them run to him for a drink. They are rather rude, though, for they push each other about, and all try to get their noses into the tub at once. They are playful little fellows, are the young calves. They will frisk about like young lambs, only they are not so graceful, and they are very fond of butting each other's * A shallow tub. 28 FEEDING THE CALVES. heads, and sometimes they will run and butt against Bessie or the boy ; but they are not strong enough to do any harm. In the month of October, Farmer Stone's men thresh the walnut trees. Jenny Brown tells me when it is to be, and I always walk down the lane to see them. The men get up into the trees, and take long poles and knock the walnuts down ; and all the boys and girls of the village are ready to help to pick them up, on the chance of getting a few given to them for their trouble. You would laugh to see how many women and children have their fingers stained by the walnut shells when they go to church on the next Sunday. THE WELCOME ROBIN. INTER has now come, and the ground is covered with snow. One morning, as Jenny was at breakfast, she heard a little chirp out- side the window. She got up to see what it was, and there, hopping about on the white carpet, was a little Robin. Jenny went back for some bread, and to call her brother and sister to see him, and then she threw some crumbs on the snow. The cold made Bobbie very hungry, 30 THE WELCOME ROBIN. so he soon picked them up, and then chirped for more. Every morn- ing after that, as soon as Jenny had finished her breakfast, she took some little pieces of bread on a plate and crumbled them on to the ground, calling Bobbie, Bobbie, Bobbie! Very soon down came the little bird from a laurel bush close by, where per- haps he had slept all night. When spring comes, Bobbie will not often visit the cottage, for then he will find insects and worms, which he likes better than bread. But when Jenny walks in the garden, she will hear Bobbie singing to her one of his sweetest songs. THE ROBIN . -:FAST. ROBIN REDBREAST. Come here, little Robin, and don't be afraid, I would not hurt even a feather ; Come here, little Robin, and pick up some bread, To feed you this very cold weather. I don't mean to hurt you, you poor little thing, And pussy-cat is not behind me ; So hop about pretty, and put down your wing, And pick up the crumbs, and don't mind me. 3 A Now Ready, FRANK GOODCHILD'S LITTLE LIBRARY. most attractive and amusing Series of Books for Children. Each Part complete in Wrapper, containing Sixteen Pages, appropriately Illustrated, and published at the unprecedentedly low price of Twopkxce pee Book., or beautifully coloured, Threepence each. Prank Goodchild's Alphabet of Birds, Beasts, and Fishes. Prank Goodchild's Picture Primer. Frank Goodchild's Reading Book. Dr. Watts's Divine and Moral Songs (complete). 5. The Little Dog Trusty. 6. Frank Goodchild's Book of Scripture Texts. 7. Frank Goodchild's Book of Numbers. 8. Frank Goodchild's Book of Fables. 9. The Orange Man. 10. The Cherry Orchard. Just Ready, a New Child's Book of Pictures. THE CHILD'S OWN ALBUM, In Pictures and Verse, of Favourite Stories which all may rehearse. Folio. 265 Engravings. By the Brothers Dalziel. Printed on fine paper, boards, splendid Wrapper in Colours, price Ss?6d. ; ditto, Plates beautifully coloured, gilt edges, price 7s. 6d. ; ditto, partly coloured, red edges, price 5s. THE CHILD'S FAMOUS PICTURE BOOK. PLENTY TO LAUGH AT AND PLENTY TO LEARN. Upwards of 500 Pictures, and many pretty little Verses and Stories. Folio, boards, in a handsome Wrapper in Three Colours, half-bound, cloth, price 3s. 6d. ; ditto, beautifully coloured, gilt edges, price 7s. 6d. ; ditto, partly coloured, red edges, price 5s. *** No expense has been spared by the Publishers in the production of this very satisfactory volume for Children, and only a large sale can reimburse them for their great outlay. It is not too much to say, that this is the very best book of the kind ever produced. Second Edition now at Press. Now Ready, THE CHILD'S FIRST BOOK OF ABC, EASY WORDS, &c. Royal 16mo, numerous Illustrations, boards, wrappers in colours, price Is. ; ditto, coloured Illustrations, price Is. 6d. THE CHILD'S OWN BOOK OF PICTURES, TALES, AND POETRY. 192 pp., numerous Pictures. Engraved Title and Frontispiece. Cloth gilt, and gilt edges, price 3s. 6d. ; ditto, coloured, price 5s. CHILDREN'S NURSERY GIFT BOOKS, Royal Svo, numerous coloured Illustrations. Boards, half cioth, price as. 6d. ; ditto, mounted on cloth, price 5s. Charlie Cheerful Nursery Stories. j Pleasing Tales and Pretty Pictures. Pretty Ta."es for Good Little People. j Amusing Stories fur Good Boys and Girls. Grandma's Present Book. 4to, Just Ready, FAMOUS FAIRY TALES, BY ALFRED CROWQUILL; with beautifully Coloured Pictures, wrapper in Gold and Colours, boards, price 5s. ; ditto, cloth, extra gilt side and edges, price 6s. Containing, in one volume: — THE GOOD AND BAD SPARROWS. THE RED CAP. HONESTY AND CUNNING; and KINDNESS AND CRUELTY. LONDON : WARD AND LOCK, 158 FLEET STREET.