Stories are told of children diligent at their books, who were famous in after life. One lad, who was too poor to buy oil for his lamp, used to catch fire-flies and read by the pale-green light they gave. He put the fire-flies inside a tiny muslin bag, which he laid upon the page of his book, the light which they gave being just enough to let him follow his lesson, line by line. Another used to read by the light reflected from snow, as the day failed, or when the moon rose. A third used to fasten his book to the horn of the cow he was tending, so as to use the precious hours for study; while a fourth tied his queue to a rafter of the low roof above his head, so that when he became drowsy and nodded over his lesson, he might be wakened by the pain of having his hair pulled. Another kind of story helps to fix the written ‘characters’ in schoolboys’ memories. One of these tells how a scholar, called Li An-i, went to visit a rich boor named Ti Shing. When he reached the house and asked for the gentleman, a message was brought that he was not at home. Li An-i knew that this was not true, so he wrote the character for ‘afternoon’ on the door of Mr Ti’s house and went away. When asked why he had done so, he said that the character for afternoon meant ‘the ox not putting out its head.’ When you know that the character for afternoon is the same as the one for ox, but without the dot which makes the head of it, and that a stupid person is called an ox in China, much as he would be called an ass at home, you will understand Mr Li’s joke. He meant that the man, who had not ‘put out his head’ to see him, was a stupid ox. There are plenty of nursery rimes in China, one or two of which will show you that Chinese children are very much like our own. Here is one about our old friends the sparrows. “A pair of sparrows with four bright eyes, Four small feet that pop, pop so, Four wings that whirr, whirr, how they go! Pecking rice and grain likewise.” Another reminds us a little of the pig that would not get over the stile. “A bit of copper fell out of the sky, And hit an old man as he passed by. When the man began to jog, He struck against a dog. When the dog began to yell, It struck against a mill. When the mill began to fall, It struck against a hall. When the hall began to build, It struck against a stool. When the stool began to sit, It struck against a sheet. When the sheet began to tuck, It struck against a duck. When the duck began to wade, It struck against a blade. When the blade began to cut, It struck against a hat. When the hat began to wear, Catch the thief and slit his ear.” The following verse, which is often shouted by boisterous little scholars, pokes fun at a greedy schoolmaster, who has lost the respect of his pupils. The first and third lines are from the _Three Character Classic_, the first book a child learns; the others are hits at the master.