about amongst the flowers than to card moss, away they flew to the gay garden by the bee-hives. While they were basking in the sun on a fine polyanthus, a little boy who was at play spied them out, and called to his sister that there were two butterflies, the first he had seen that year. Immediately a chase began; the poor butterflies were hunted from flower to flower round the garden, and at last one of them was crushed under the little boy's hat. The other escaped over the wall, and amused itself as long as the sun shone; but towards evening the air became very frosty, and the butterfly, pinched with cold, wished, but too late, for a warm habitation like Mrs. Humble's. He flew over the wall to the garden again, but the gay flowers could not shelter him from the night air, and before the morning he was starved to death.

Mrs. Humble, in the mean time, had made the most of her day; she had carded moss enough for the carpet of her house, and had begun to line the roof with cement to keep out the rain.

The next day and for several following days, she was equally busy. She ransacked the flowers on her bank for honey and materials for wax; then she formed a kind of paste, of which she built cells, and in these she laid three or four eggs. When this was done, she collected more wax and honey, made fresh paste, and continued to build more cells, and to lay more eggs.

Her first eggs were soon hatched, and the maggots, having eaten up all the nice honey and wax paste which had been provided for them, spun for themselves little cocoons, and changed into nymphs, and from nymphs to bees. The first produced were all workers; and they were no sooner bees, than their mother, Mrs. Humble, set them to work to enlarge their house. She taught them to be accommodating, and to help one another, which is a much quicker way of getting through business than when each works sulkily alone, or has every thing to do without the least assistance. She took them to a nice bed of moss near their house, and placed them in a line behind her; dragged out a piece of moss, combed it, and rolled it into a little ball with her fore feet and jaws, and with her hind legs pushed it back to the bee that stood close behind her. This bee sent it on in the same way to the next, and so on from one to the other till it reached the nest. In this manner they got on with their work faster and with less labour, than if each bee had carded a separate piece, and been obliged to trail it the whole way home.

Mrs. Humble laid a great many more eggs, and her numerous family, as they were hatched, laboured to enlarge the house; and besides helping their mother to make paste for fresh cells, they manufactured open round vessels, which they

C

filled with excellent honey. Their house was not so handsome, nor were their cells so beautifully shaped as those of the hive bees; but they were all contented and happy, because they were all busy and obliging. For better security, and to conceal the way to their increasing house from any curious passer by, they made an underground passage leading out at some distance from the nest, and nicely lined with moss. Fortunately they were not discovered by any of the enemies of their kind; no little field-mouse, or fierce polecat, made its way to this happy retreat. As the spring advanced, and the early flowers faded, still sweeter ones succeeded. The golden furze covered the sunny bank. Then came blue-bells, white-thorn, and honeysuckles; bean-flowers, purple clover, and tall nodding foxgloves. Later still, heath flowers were spread out in abundance. Though their family by midsummer consisted of above a hundred bees, they were plentifully supplied with honey and wax. They gathered from many flowers which hive bees would have passed over; for where the nectary or honey-cup is out of the reach of the trunk, the humble bee pierces the flower, and thus extracts its food. The bees produced from the eggs towards the end of summer, were chiefly females, and the kind called amongst hive bees drones. But in this happy family they did not deserve such a disgraceful

name; they were neither lazy, nor ill-treated, but shared in the common labour.

Thus in perfect harmony and peace they passed their happy days, till the leaves began to fall around them; and even till the latest autumn flowers faded. Then Mrs. Humble died in a good old age, having lived a whole year, which is a long life for a humble bee; and having given a good example of cheerfulness and constant industry to all her household.

Many of her children had dropped off before, and none long survived her except a few females; who finding that there were no more flowers to ransack, and that their once cheerful home was deserted, crept each into a warm hole to sleep till the next spring; then to wake sprightly and active, to be themselves mothers of more happy families.

TRAVEL.

A FATHER resolved to send his son, a painter, into foreign countries for the purpose of increasing his store of knowledge, and improving himself in his art. When the day of his departure drew nigh, the father conducted the youth into the garden, and named to him all the celebrated cities and countries which he was to visit.

His mother, who had gone out with them, when she heard this, was affrighted and said: Who will guide his steps, and take care of him during so long a pilgrimage, that he may keep in the right way.

The father answered and said: Concern not thyself about that-God and his own heart.

He then led his son to a bee-hive, and said: Observe the simple form and manners of these insects. Their vocation is to collect abroad, the juices and dust of the flowers of the fields, and to transform them into honey and wax. The bee accordingly goes forth, mindful of its home and its destination: and God guides the insect, so that it never loses its way, and supplies it with abundance of flowers and blossoms. The father thereupon turned to his wife, saying: Is not our son worth more than many bees? Then was the mother comforted and of good cheer.