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choice wine become spoiled by an enemy so minute 

 as to be very seldom seen in the winged state. 



This fact points to the necessity of protecting the 

 corks of valuable wine by sealing-wax or metal capsules. 



SNOW CRYSTALS 



Winter does not afford many living creatures as 

 subjects for our study ; we 

 must therefore turn our atten- 

 tion to other natural objects. 

 To-day, as snow is falling, \vc 

 will go out with a powerful 

 magnifying glass and examine 

 the beauty of snow crystals. 



It is not always possible to 

 see the formation of snow ; 

 if there is much wind, the 

 crystals are apt to be broken, 

 and unless the cold is severe 

 the flakes melt away too soon 

 to allow us to examine them. 

 In sharp frost, on a calm day, 

 the first flake of snow we look 

 at through a lens will reveal 

 the beautiful si x-rayed crystals 

 of which it is composed, and 

 although each one has invari- 

 ably six points, yet the orna- 

 mentation is infinitely varied. 

 Each lovely star is fringed 

 with most delicate tracery, 

 and the flower-like forms 

 glisten like burnished silver. SNOV v CRYSTALS. 



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