Page 136 - Third Book of Reading Lessons

READING LESSONS. 135 LESSON XII.
THE HABITATION OF IOLES,
HABITA1TION, n., a place of abode, a dwelling. F. habitation, om habeo, L., I have, hold, or keep.
DEPOS1IT, v., to put, place, or lay in. F. deposer, to depose or deposit. I. and L. depono,- , and pono, I put, &c.
CovEx1ITY, n., the external sur ce of a circular protuberance :-a bowl reversed ·or turned upside down shows its convexity or con­ vex sur ce, which can hold or retain nothing ; when restored to its natural position, it shows its concavity or internal concave sur ce, which can hold or contain. F. convexite, om L. ve o,-vexi-l carry (around or about). ,
fauNDA1TIONS, n., oods, over owings of water. F. inondations, om un , L., a wave.
QuEsT, n., a search, the act of seeking. F. quete or queste, om qu ­ ro, L., I seek, I ask.
PACE, n., a step ; the distance measured by the ot om point to point. F. pa.; L. passus, from passum, p. pt. of pandere, to open or stret ,-in reference to the movement of the legs in walking.
lAN'srnx, n., a residence: generally applied to a dwelling of consid­ erable magnitude. L. mansio, om manere, to stay or abide.
SoL1ITUDE, n., habitual retirement. F. soUtude, om solu.,, L., alone. AsY 1LU , n., a re ge. L. asylum; G. asylon,-a, not, and syle, plun­
der : as re gees were there secure om harm.
SoL'rn, a., rm, strong; not light. F. solide; origin doubt l
THE habitation where moles deposit their young, merits a particular description; because it is con­ structed with peculiar intelligence, and because the mole is an anial with which we are well acquainted. They begin by raising the earth, and rming a pretty high arch. They leave partitions, or a kind of pil­ lars, at certain distances, beat and press the ear , interweave it with the roots of plants, and render it so hard and solid, that the water cannot penetrate the
vault, on account of its convexity and rmness. They then elevate a little hillock under the principal arch; upon the latter they lay herbs and leaves, as a
I bed r their young. In this situation they are above 1 the level of the ground, and, of course, beyond the