2. Many things we use are made of it. The _steel_ of which our knives, tools, and other things are made, is made from iron. Iron is largely used for making bridges, railings, fire-grates, hammers. 3. Lead, copper, tin, and zinc are metals also. So are silver and gold. 4. Men must dig deep down into the earth to find them. The holes and passages which they make are called mines. 5. All metals are heavy. All will melt in great heat, and all can be hammered out into thin sheets or drawn out into wire. _Write and learn:_ Metals are-- Heavy. Useful. Plentiful. Metals can be-- Melted. Hammered out. Polished. The common metals are-- Iron. Lead. Tin and copper. NEEDLES. [_Page 71._ 1. Needles are made of steel wire. In a needle-factory there are hundreds of coils of wire. Some of the wire is thick enough for darning-needles; some very thin for making sewing-needles. 2. The wire is cut by a machine. The needles are pointed on a grindstone. The eyes are punched by another machine. Then the needles are filed to make them smooth. 3. To make them hard, the needles are made white-hot, and put into cold water until quite cool. They are then cleaned and polished. 4. They must be very dry before put into packets, or they will rust. 5. Many boys and girls, as well as men and women, work in needle-factories. _Write and learn:_ Needles are-- Smooth. Bright. Pointed. Needles have-- Eyes. Shanks. Points. Needles are used-- For sewing. For darning. For other work. THE KNIFE. [_Page 80._ 1. A knife is most useful for cutting. The blade is made of steel; the handle of ivory, bone, or wood. 2. The blade and handle are fastened together by a long, thin piece of iron which goes into the handle. The blades have to be heated as needles are, to make them hard. 3. A knife is blunt on one edge; sharp on the other. The grinder sharpens it on a huge stone which goes round and round. The blades are polished before being put into the handles, as well as after. 4. There are many kinds of knives. Pocket-knives have a spring to make them shut tightly. A table-knife is rounded at the end; the carving-knife has a sharp pointed blade. _Write and learn:_ Knives are-- Sharp. Bright. Useful. Knives have-- Blades. Handles. Springs. Knives are made-- In Sheffield. THE HEN. [_Page 83._ 1. The hen is a domestic bird. Some are white; some black; others many colours. The hen finds much of its own food in the fields. It is fed with barley, bread, potatoes, and other things from the house. 2. The hen has a small head with eyes at the sides. Its bill is strong and sharp. 3. The hen sleeps on a perch on one leg. It never falls off; its foot is made for grasping. 4. Hens are useful for the eggs they give us; and they are also good for food. Their feathers, too, are useful. _Write and learn:_