+Xmas.+, Christmas.
+yd.+, Yards.
+y.+ or +yr.+, Years.
+Zech.+, Zechariah.
+& Co.+, And Company.

SUPPLEMENT.

+Exercises on the Composition of the Sentence and the Paragraph+.

SELECTION FROM DARWIN.

Morren says that angleworms often lie for hours almost motionless close
beneath the mouths of their burrows. I have occasionally noticed the same
fact with worms kept in pots in the house; so that by looking down into
their burrows their heads could just be seen. If the ejected earth or
rubbish over the burrows be suddenly removed, the end of the worm's body
may very often be seen rapidly retreating.

This habit of lying near the surface leads to their destruction to an
immense extent. Every morning, during certain seasons of the year, the
thrushes and blackbirds on all the lawns throughout the country draw out of
their holes an astonishing number of worms; and this they could not do
unless they lay close to the surface.

It is not probable that worms behave in this manner for the sake of
breathing fresh air, for they can live for a long time under water. I
believe that they lie near the surface for the sake of warmth, especially
in the morning; and we shall hereafter find that they often coat the mouths
of their burrows with leaves, apparently to prevent their bodies from