40 



NATURE STUDY MADE EASY 



Then, from every nook and bower, 

 Peeps the dainty strawberry flower. 

 When the dear, enchanting summer 



Tosses beauties at our feet, 

 She delights each weary comer 



With her berries, fresh and sweet : 

 Springtide's blossoms, stored away, 



Ripen for us all to-day. 



DORA READ GOODALE. 



LESSON XIII 



LIFE HISTORY OF A MAPLE 



The maple is one of our most beautiful shade 

 trees. That is why our avenues are lined 

 with them. Just outside our schoolroom 

 window is a row of young maples. We 

 love to watch them in the early spring, 

 when their leaf buds burst forth under the warm sun. They 

 grow larger and larger, and greener and greener each day. 



All through the hot summer months they grow, kindly shading 

 the sidewalks from the burning sun, and giving homes to the happy 

 little birds who live in their branches. In autumn, when the sun's 

 rays become weaker, the green coloring in the leaves changes into 

 red and yellow, and other beautiful colors. One of the most beauti- 

 ful sights in our woods is the appearance of the maple trees in 

 autumn. 



