28 CONVERSATIONS ON 



and bore holes in it, we passed by the tailor's 

 shop, near the church ; c and now,' said we, 

 'we have found out something which will 

 puzzle good Uncle Philip : there are surely no 

 tailors among the lower animals ; so we will 

 ask him to-day to talk about creatures that 

 can cut out cloth and sew it up with a 

 needle. 3 " 



" Ah, my dear children, there are a great 

 many things which would puzzle Uncle Philip. 

 I do not know every thing ; nor do I suppose 

 that I can find every trade in the world among 

 the dumb creatures which God has made. 

 But you have made a bad choice of a puzzle 

 this morning, my boys ; for there are tailors 

 among the inferior creatures, and some pretty 

 nice ones, too ; at any rate, they alm^s cut 

 so as to fit exactly." 



" Why, Uncle Philip ! You do not mean 

 to say that they can cut out cloth, and then 

 sew it up again with a needle and thread !" 



" No, boys ; I do not think it is to be ex- 

 pected that they should take a pair of shears 

 and cut a piece of cloth, or put a piece of 

 thread through the eye of a steel needle ; any 

 more than we expect the insect that saws, to 

 go to the cabinet-maker, and borrow his tool 



