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This  day  is  published,  in  one  volume,  12mo — price  8s. 

THE    SECOND    EDITION,    CONSIDERABLY    ENLARGED, 

A  NARRATIVE 

OF  A  THREE  YEARS'  RESIDENCE  IN 

ITALY, 

1819-1822. 

WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  THE  PRESENT   STATE  OF 
RELIGION  IN  THAT  COUNTRY. 


DUBLIN: 
PRINTED  FOR  W.  F.  WAKEMAN,  9,  D^OLIER-STREET. 

SOLD  BY  BALDWIN  AND  CRADOCK,  LONDON,  OLIVER  AM) 
BOYD,  EDINBURGH  ;  W.  COLLINS,  GLASGOW  ;  AND  MAY  BE 
HAD  OF  ALL  BOOKSELLERS. 


OPINIONS  OF  THE  PRESS. 

"  We  have  been  much  pleased  with  this  little  volume.  It  often 
happens  that  much  useful  information  might  be  obtained  fron  the 
publication  of  voyages  and  travels,  when  the  works  nevertheless 
are  in  some  respects  of  a  character  which  forbids  us  to  place  them 
in  our  libraries  or  on  our  tables ;  and  especially  is  it  a  fault  in 
many,  even  of  the  better  class  of  wanderers,  that  they  seem  not  in 
their  wanderings  to  recognize  the  presence  and  the  over-ruling 
power  and  providence  of  God.  We  have,  however,  now  before  us 
a  volume  of  a  different  kind,  not  only  calculated  to  give  a  very 
pleasing  representation  of  many  interesting  scenes  in  the  countries 
visited,  but  to  engage  the  attention  by  affecting  narratives  of 
domestic  affliction,  related  with  the  pathos  of  Christian  simplicity, 
and  brought  home  to  the  heart  in  a  way  very  conducive  to  the 
promotion  of  practical  piety. 

"  We  close  this  instructive  and  interesting  volume  with  senti- 
ments of  very  cordial  respect  for  the  writer,  and  a  sincere  wish 
that  all  travellers  from  this  country  were  fortified  and  directed  by 
similar  principles.  That  this  publication  should  not  meet  with 
the  suffrages  in  its  favour  of -all  who  read  it,  may  certainly  be 
expected:  the  flippant  and  foolish  spirit  which  scoffs  at  religion 
every  where  else,  is  not  very  likely  to  be  propitiated  by  its  un- 
looked-for appearance  in  a  book  of  travels  ;  and  a  still  larger  class 
of  readers,  who  would  not  quarrel  with  an  occasional  allusion  to  Di- 
vine Providence,  with  not  very  frequent  expressions  of  gratitude  to 
God  for  his  various  blessings,  cannot  at  all  endure  that  reflections 
of  this  kind  should  be  often  introduced  :  such  things  are  sufficient 
in  their  view  to  cast  a  very  sombre  shade  over  even  an  Italian 
landscape.  We  leave  these  persons,  as  leave  them  we  must,  to 
their  own  predilections;  and  we  have  to  request  that  they  will 
likewise  deal  with  equal  fairness  by  us.  They  would  probably 
applaud  this  volume  very  highly,  were  it  of  a  less  serious  charac- 
ter. We  recommend  it  most  especially,  because  of  the  pious 


and  devout  spirit  which  it  every  where  manifests.  They  will  read 
it  in  despite  of  its  religion :  we  are  particularly  delighted  with  it 
on  account  of  its  religion.  The  work  is  very  engaging  as  a  book 
of  travels :  to  us,  however,  its  principal  recommendation  is,  that 
it  is  written  by  a  Christian." — London  Christian  Observer.  March. 
1828. 

"  A  very  interesting  and  instructive  volume,  especially  to  those 
who  f  meditate  leaving  their  native  land  for  the  sake  of  educating 
their  children  abroad.  They  will  here  see  the  disadvantages  and 
difficulties  to  which  they  will  expose  them ;  the  danger  to  their 
health  is  not,  perhaps,  the  least  evil  to  be  dreaded :  and  if  they 
will  learn  from  the  experience  of  one  who  is  affectionately  inter- 
ested in  the  welfare  of  her  countrymen,  they  will  not  think  the 


"  The  narrative  contains  an  interesting  account  of  the  illness 
and  death  of  Sir  W.  S.  and  of  his  eldest  daughter,  from  which  we 
should  rejoice  to  extract  largely,  would  our  limits  allow.  It 
exhibits  also  many  instances  of  the  folly,  superstition,  and  idolatry, 
prevailing  at  Rome,  Naples,  &c.  which  will  well  repay  the  serious 
perusal  of  every  British  Protestant,  at  the  present  juncture." — 
London  Christian  Guardian,  April,  1828. 

"  We  shall  therefore  for  the  present  content  ourselves  with 
calling  the  attention  of  our  readers  to  this  small  and  unpretending 
volume,  as  containing  a  considerable  quantity  of  information  on 
Italy, — conveyed  in  an  agreeable  manner,  where  there  is  much  to 
edify,  much  to  affect,  and  nothing  to  offend.  Our  fair  traveller, 
indeed,  claims  a  fellow-feeling  from  us,  for  she  is  what  we  presume 
to  call  ourselves — a  Christian  Examiner.  Whatever  she  sees  she 
looks  on  with  the  eye  of  one  who  wishes  to  make  her  observations 
and  recollections  subservient  to  the  cause  of  religion,  and  as  aware 
that  religion  is  the  great  main-spring  that  sets  in  motion  the  ma- 
chinery of  social  and  individual  happiness,  she  has  passed  through 
Italy,  not  as  a  connoisseur  or  a  virtuoso,  not  as  an  agriculturist 
or  a  geologist,  but  as  a  Christian  philanthropist." 

"  There  is  one  death  recorded  in  this  volume  which  affected  us 
more  than  is  perhaps  usual  or  seemly  with  more  experienced 
reviewers ;  and  when  introduced  to  Anny,  the  author's  niece — 
the  grateful,  the  joyous,  the  beautiful  Anny — so  young  and  yet 
so  benevolent — so  inquisitive,  and  yet  so  spiritual ; — to  see  her 
wither  off  at  fourteen,  and  fall  like  a  primrose  before  the  mower's 
scythe,  called  forth  from  us  unbidden  tears." — Dublin  Christian 
Examiner,  April,  1828. 

"  We  wisn  we  nad  room  for  further  extracts  from  the  work  of 
this  pious  and  amiable  lady,  where  she  laments  over  the  bigotry 
that  will  not  allow  an  inclosure  to  be  made,  or  a  tree  planted  in 
the  garden  where  the  Protestants  are  buried  at  Rome,  and  where 
even  some  of  the  better  class  carry  their  ideas  of  exclusive  salva- 
tion, so  far  as  to  decline  the  enjoyment  of  English  society,  because 
they  could  not  bear  to  love  and  know  the  people  in  this  world, 
whom  they  believed  they  had  no  chance  of  meeting  in  the  next." 
— Dublin  Christian  Examiner,  June,  1828. 


A 

SISTER'S   STORIES. 


DEATH'S  HEAD  HAWK  MOTH. — Sphinx  atropos. 


BY  THE  AUTHOR  OF 

'THREE  YEARS'  RESIDENCE  IN  ITALY; 
"  PROTESTANT  RECTOR,"  &c.  &c. 


"  O  Lord,  how  manifold  are  thy  works !    In  wisdom  hast  thoa  made  them 
all ;  the  earth  is  full  of  thy  riches. — Psalm  civ.  24. 


KIRKBY  LONSDALE: 

PUBLISHED  BY  ARTHUR  FOSTER; 

AND  L.  B.  SEELEY  AND  SONS,  FLEET  STREET, 

LONDON. 

1833. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Brother  Robert's  Return  from  School       ....    page  1 

CHAPTER  II. 

The  Frog — Tree  Frog— Damon  and  Musidora,  two  pets— Edible 
Frogs  -Bull-  Frog — The  Toad—The  Death  Watch        .      9 

CHAPTER  III. 

Visit  to  Duncan's  Vale — The  Ants — The  Brown  Ant          .    22 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Black  Ant— Ant  Lion 43 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  White  Ant— Green  Ant— Red  Ant— Velvet  Ant- 
Fallow  Ants 61 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Insects  in  general — Cicada — Glow  Worm— House  Cricket- 
Mole  Cricket— Field  Cricket— Mantis  ....  87 

CHAPTER  VII. 

The  Caterpillar — An  Allegory— Butterflies— Papilio  Priamus 
— Papilio  Machaon,  the  Swallow-tailed  Butterfly— Pa- 
pilio lo,  the  Peacock  Butterfly— Marsh  Frittillary — Xet- 
tle  Tortoise-shell  Butterfly— Showers  of  blood— Papilio 
Paphia  —  Papilio  Phleas  —  Moths  —  Sphinxes  —  Sphinx 
Ligustri,  the  Hawk-Moth— Sphinx  Atropos,  the  Death's- 
head  Moth — Sphinx  Occellata — Phalaena  Pavonia  Minor, 
the  Emperor  Moth  —  Phalaena  Mori,  the  Silk-worm 
—  Phalsena  Caja,  the  Great  Tiger  Moth— Phalaena  Gros- 

sulariata,  the  Currant-Bush  Moth The  Ichneumon 

Fly 105 


VI 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  Spiders — Garden  Spider — Wandering  Spider — Jumping 
Spider — Water  Spider — Gossamer  Spider — Tarantula — 
Bird-catching  Spider 141 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Insects  in  general — The  Locust 160 

CHAPTER  X. 

The  Wasp  — Social  Wasps  —  Solitary,  or  Mason  Wasp — 
Ephemera — May  Fly — Libellula,  or  Dragon  Fly  .  .174 

CHAPTER  XL 

The  Bee— The  Honey- Bird —The  Humble- Bee— Carpenter- 
Bee—Upholsterer—  Mason-  Bee 186 


SISTERS   STORIES. 


CHAPTER   I. 


"  MAMMA,"  said  Emma,  one  morning  that  she  had 
been  particularly  inattentive  to  her  lessons,  "will 
dear  brother  Robert  ever  come  back  to  us?1' 

"I  hope  we  shall  have  him  with  us  very  soon, 
Emma;  perhaps  next  April." 

"  O  dear,  dear  mamma,  I  must  kiss  you  twenty 
times  for  telling  me  such  good  news.  When  will 
April  come?" 

"Don't  you  know,  Emma?  what  month  is  this?"" 

"Let  me  think:  O!  this  is  January,  and  then 
comes  February,  and  then  comes  March,  and  then 
April.  Oh  mamma,  mamma,  what  a  pleasant  month 
April  will  be !  We  shall  have  the  young  lambs, 
and  darling  brother  Robert !  Do  let  me  run  and 
tell  Georgiana,  and  William,  and  Rosa,  and  Annie." 


2  SISTER'S  STORIES, 

"Remember  however,  that  you  have  not  done 
with  your  lessons;  while  say  ing  them  this  morning, 
your  thoughts  were  I  don't  know  where — certainly 
not  where  I  would  have  had  them." 

"Dear  mamma,  I  could  not  help  thinking  how 
much  Robert  would  like  to  see  the  snowdrops  in 
his  garden,  and  the  nice  order  in  which  William 
and  I  have  kept  it  for  him.  May  I  run  now  and 
tell  them  ?  afterwards  I  will  look  over  all  my  lessons 
again,  and  try  to  say  them  better." 

"  Ten  minutes  then  I  give  you." 

The  little  girl  lingered  not  a  minute  longer ;  the 
given  time  was  sufficient  to  spread  the  good  news,  to 
join  in  the  acclamations  of  joy  which  it  caused,  and 
to  return  to  her  lessons;  to  which  she  now  applied 
herself  with  renewed  diligence,  and  soon  got  them 
over  to  her  mamma's  satisfaction. 

Many  a  time  the  months,  the  weeks,  and  the  days 
were  reckoned  before  the  verdure  of  April  covered 
the  ground,  and  the  happy  day  was  announced 
when  brother  Robert  was  to  return  from  England. 
He  had  been  two  years  at  school,  and  during  that 
long  period  had  not  once  seen  his  pleasant  home, 
nor  received  the  caresses  of  his  little  brother  and 
sisters;  who  were  assembled  with  papa  and  mamma 
outside  their  own  gate  in  expectation  of  his  arrival, 
and  many  a  long  look  was  directed  as  far  as  their 
sight  could  reach  along  the  high  road  which  ascend- 
ed and  descended  over  a  hilly  tract  of  country. 

"Will  he  ever  come,  mamma?"  said  Emma  anxi- 
ously. 


CHAPTER  I.  O 

"  How  glad  I  should  be,  Emma,  to  curb  that  im- 
patient disposition  of  yours !" 

"But,  dear  mamma,  he  was  to  have  been  here  at 
noon — does  not  that  mean  twelve  o'clock  ?  Now, 
papa,  please  tell  me  the  hour."" 

"Half-past  one." 

"Is  that  all?  I  thought  it  must  be  four  o'clock 
at  least.  There  is  still  no  carriage  to  be  seen  at 
the  top  of  any  of  the  hills." 

"  It  may  be  at  the  bottom  though  of  one  not  very 
far  off." 

No  sooner  had  mamma  said  the  word,  than  William 
cried  out,  "  I  see  it,  I  see  it,  there  it  is — mamma, 
papa,  there  is  the  coach." 

And  the  young  party  began  to  caper  and  dance, 
and  run  backwards  and  forwards  like  little  mad 
creatures.  Their  ecstacy  however  abated  as  the 
supposed  coach  advanced  and  proved  to  be  cart- 
loads of  turf.  Half  an  hour  more  passed  away  in 
impatient  expectation,  when  the  desired  object  ac- 
tually did  appear  in  view.  The  whole  group  could 
see  the  carriage  as  its  wheels  rolled  over  the  top  of 
the  hill,  and  watched  its  descent  until  another  accli- 
vity hid  it  from  their  eyes.  Again,  however,  it 
appeared,  and  the  children  could  not  be  kept  within 
bounds.  They  all  sprang  forward,  exclaiming, 
"  Robert,  brother  Robert  is  come,"  until  the  car- 
riage stopped,  and  all  the  little  arms  clasped  round 
him  in  glad  embraces. 

The  joys  of  the  evening  can  hardly  be  described. 


4  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

There  was  so  much  admiration  of  Robert,  so  much 
to  tell  him,  and  so  much  to  hear,  that  when  the 
hour  for  repose  arrived,  nobody  could  be  persuaded 
of  its  lateness.  These  children,  however,  had  been 
taught  to  do  as  they  were  bid,  and  retired  the  mo- 
ment they  perceived  their  mamma's  signal. 

Georgian  a  being  some  years  older  than  her  bro- 
thers and  sisters,  they  were  generally  committed  to 
her  care,  when  not  under  that  of  papa  and  mamma; 
and  though  not  always  as  attentive  to  her,  as  could 
be  wished,  yet  they  never  felt  that  their  pleasures 
could  be  complete,  when  she  was  not  present.  She 
planned  the  flower  beds  and  gravel  walks  in  each  of 
their  gardens,  taught  them  the  best  manner  of 
building  houses,  assisted  in  all  their  labours,  and 
was  hound  or  hare  in  the  chase ;  and  when,  wearied 
and  breathless  with  these  out-of-door  sports,  they 
sought  rest  and  shelter  in  the  bower,  she  was  ex- 
haustless  in  her  stock  of  pretty  stories — that  never- 
failing  source  of  amusement  to  all  children.  But 
Georgiana's  stories  were  not  of  fairies,  or  genii,  or 
enchanted  castles,  and  such  things  as  never  did  nor 
could  exist.  She  never  filled  her  own  mind  with 
such  'lying  wonders,'  and  therefore  could  not  relate 
them  to  others.  Those  she  did  relate,  however, 
though  perfectly  true,  were  no  less  astonishing; 
being  the  histories  of  little  animals  which  reared 
for  themselves  lofty  and  strong  edifices,  dividing 
them  into  various  apartments,  and  winding  galleries, 
supported  upon  ingeniously  constructed  pillars ;  and 


CHAPTER   I.  5 

forming  themselves  into  communities  where  the 
most  perfect  rules  and  orders  are  established;  with- 
out any  other  guide  or  director  than  that  natural 
instinct  with  which  the  Almighty  Creator  has  en- 
dowed the  most  diminutive  insect ;  thereby  marking 
out  for  us  a  right  line  of  conduct;  which  Georgi- 
ana  never  failed  to  point  out  to  her  little  brothers 
and  sisters,  as  often  as  she  saw  them  tempted  to 
crush  under  their  feet  a  crawling  insect.  On  such 
occasions  she  would  repeat  those  beautifully  appo- 
site lines  from  Shakespeare: 

"  The  poor  beetle,  that  we  tread  upon, 
In  corp'ral  sufferance  feels  a  pang  as  great, 
As  when  a  giant  dies." 

"Go,  poor  defenceless  animal,"  she  would  say;  "I 
will  not  deprive  thee  of  that  life  which  no  power  of 
mine  could  restore.  Thy  existence  was  given  thee 
by  the  same  Almighty  Power  which  breathed  into 
my  form  a  living  soul.  The  harmless  insect  mo- 
lests us  not,  as  it  crawls  along  to  screen  itself  under 
some  particle  of  earth.  And  oh !  must  it  not  feel 
exquisite  torture  when  its  little  body  and  limbs  are 
crushed  together  by  its  thoughtless  and  cruel  des- 
troyer ! 

( I  would  not  enter  on  my  list  of  friends, 

(Though  grac'd  with  polish'd  manners  and  fine  sense, 

Yet  wanting  sensibility)  the  man 

Who  needlessly  sets  foot  upon  a  worm.'" 

A  favourite  amusement  of  these  children,  was  an 


6  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

excursion  to  some  distant  fields  in  their  papa's 
domain,  where  a  murmuring  brook  rippled  over  its 
rocky  bed  among  the  hills,  whose  green  pasture 
was  enlivened  by  a  flock  of  sheep  with  their  young 
lambs.  This  sunny  spot  was  skirted  by  a  wood; 
beyond  which  were  rocks  and  mountains,  against 
whose  sides  the  sea  dashed  its  proud  waves.  Beyond 
the  fields  lay  a  valley,  through  which  the  brook 
wound  its  silvery  course;  it  was  thickly  covered 
with  beech,  fir  and  sycamore;  near  the  entrance 
was  a  neat  cottage  embosomed  among  the  trees. 
William  Duncan  was  its  proprietor,  from  whom  the 
valley  received  its  name.  A  few  mornings  after 
Robert's  return,  he  walked  with  his  papa  to  this 
beautifully  romantic  spot,  and  had  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  the  first  white  lamb  of  the  season. 

"  Let  me  carry  it  home,  dear  papa,  to  Georgiana, 
it  is  such  a  beautiful  creature." 

Permission  being  given,  Robert  took  the  lamb 
tenderly  in  his  arms,  and  held  it  across  his  bosom 
to  shelter  it  from  the  morning  breeze.  It  bleated 
however,  feeling  the  absence  of  its  mother's  fleecy 
resting  place.  Arrived  at  home,  he  placed  it  in  a 
covered  wicker  basket,  which  he  presented  to  his 
sister,  who  was  seated  in  the  arbour,  surrounded  by 
the  little  ones;  whose  delight  on  lifting  the  lid  and 
beholding  the  beauteous  deposit,  could  be  expressed 
only  in  rapturous  bursts  of  admiration.  But  the 
continued  bleating  of  the  little  lamb  damped  their 
joy. 


CHAPTEE    I.  7 

"  Let  us  restore  it  to  its  poor  mother,"  said  the 
good-natured  Emma. 

"  O  how  pleasant  it  would  be,"  exclaimed  the 
others,  "to  go  to  the  sheep  hills  this  sunny  day 
after  our  lessons  are  over!  Will  you  come,  Georgi- 
ana?" 

"  Most  willingly,"  was  her  obliging  answer,  "  if 
papa  and  mamma  have  no  objection." 

The  petition  was  made  by  the  assembled  little 
party  and  readily  granted.  And  to  render  their 
enjoyment  more  complete,  the  jaunting  car  was 
ordered  at  noon,  that  they  might  not  arrive  fatigued 
with  the  walk,  and  unable  to  frisk  among  the  young 
lambs,  which  was  their  joyful  anticipation:  but 
even  the  pleasures  of  childhood  are  often  clouded. 
At  the  appointed  hour,  the  horse  and  car  stood 
harnessed  at  the  door,  when  suddenly  the  blacken- 
ing sky  veiled  the  bright  sun,  and  loud  claps  of 
thunder  proclaimed  the  coming  storm.  Impatient 
fretfulness  would  now  have  succeeded  to  rapturous 
glee,  had  not  Georgiana  thought  upon  an  expedient 
to  reconcile  them  to  their  disappointment. 

"Our  pleasant  drive,  and  amusement  in  the 
fields,  we  must  forego  for  this  day,"  she  said;  "but 
still  we  may  make  ourselves  very  happy  at  home." 

"  Very  happy  indeed,"  replied  Robert,  "  shut  up 
in  these  dull  walls !  I  might  as  well  be  immured  in 
the  school  room  at  B ." 

"  The  poor  little  lamb  cannot  be  taken  to  its 
mamma,"  said  Emma,  whimpering. 


8  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

"  Let  us  think  no  more  of  our  disappointment," 
said  their  kind  sister;  "but  all  come  with  me — I 
think  I  can  amuse  you  with  a  nice  story." 

"  Oh  how  very  pleasant  that  will  be !"  cried  out 
all  the  children.  "A  story  is  a  delightful  thing; 
and  you  have  so  many  that  are  pretty,  we  can  never 
tire  of  listening  to  them." 

And  all  adjourned  to  the  apartment,  which  was 
sometimes  the  school-room  and  sometimes  the  play- 
room. Before  Georgiana  began  her  story,  she 
assigned  to  each  individual  some  employment,  that 
there  should  be  no  idle  hands,  which  she  could  not 
bear  to  witness ;  and  that  all  might  remain  quietly 
listening. 


CHAPTER  II. 


©? 


"  I  AM  not  going  to  tell  the  story  of  a  king  and  a 
queen,"  began  Georgiana,  "for  truly  many  I  have 
not  seen,  and  of  the  few  I  have  seen  I  know  but 
little.  Once  indeed  I  knew  a  little  boy  whom  every 
one  called  the  King  of  the  frogs  ;  but  why  they 
called  him  so,  I  never  could  learn  ;  that  slippery 
race  not  being  under  his  dominion,  neither  could  I 
discover  that  he  was  particularly  fond  of  frogs,  nor 
ever  attempted  to  make  pets  of  them." 

"Pets  of  frogs!  How  truly  ridiculous!"  inter- 
rupted Robert;  "who  in  the  world  ever  thought  of 
petting  a  nasty  frog?" 

"  Ridiculous  as  it  may  seem  to  you,"  his  sister 
replied,  "  such  things  have  been.  I  have  read  of 
a  gentleman  (Dr.  Townson)  who  kept  some  frogs  in 
a  window,  until  they  became  quite  tame.  They  were 
not  however  the  common  kind  of  frogs  which  you 
have  seen  leaping  in  marshy  places  in  this  country  ; 
but  which  you,  Robert,  may  remember  to  have  seen 
among  the  trees  in  Italy.  It  is  a  small  green  ani- 


10  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

mal,  elegantly  formed,  its  body  is  smooth,  and  has 
a  violet-coloured  streak  on  each  side.  It  is  called 
the  TREE-FROG;  because  in  summer  it  remains  on 
the  upper  branches  of  trees,  and  watches  for  insects 
among  the  foliage;  and  when  it  perceives  any,  it 
slyly  steals  forward  and  springs  upon  them.  It 
frequently  leaps  a  foot  high  when  it  wants  to  seize 
its  prey.  These  little  creatures  sometimes  hide 
under  the  leaves  of  the  trees,  and  sometimes  hang 
suspended  from  the  branches.  In  autumn,  they 
forsake  the  woods,  and  take  up  their  abode  in  the 
waters;  but  soon  afterwards  they  become  torpid, 
and  remain  under  banks  or  in  the  mud  all  the 
winter.  When  warm  weather  comes,  they  awake; 
and  having,  like  other  frogs,  left  their  spawn  or 
young  brood  upon  the  water,  they  return  to  the 
trees,  among  the  leaves  of  which  their  shrill  croak- 
ing is  often  heard  at  a  considerable  distance.  In 
the  evening,  and  at  the  approach  of  rain,  they  are 
more  noisy  than  usual,  and  for  this  reason  make 
good  barometers;  for  which  purpose  they  have 
been  sometimes  kept  and  fed  properly  in  glasses  in 
a  room. 

"What  curious  little  animals!"  exclaimed 
Robert;  "sometimes  perched  like  birds  on  the 
tops  of  the  trees ;  at  others,  floating  like  little  fish 
through  the  waters !" 

"  Can  any  one  tell  me,"  said  Georgiana,  "what 
those  creatures  are  called  which  can  live  either  in 
the  water  or  on  dry  land  ?" 


CHAPTER  II.  11 

"Amphibious,  to  be  sure,"  answered  Robert, 
with  a  toss  of  his  head ;  "  every  body  knows  that." 

"  I  at  least  know  it  very  well,""  said  his  sister 
Emma,  conceitedly. 

"But  I  did  not  know  it,"  said  William;  "nor 
I,"  said  Rosa. 

"Do  tell  us  more;"  said  Robert  impatiently; 
"  we  want  to  hear  of  the  gentleman  and  his  pet 
frogs." 

"  He  had  two  of  the  pretty  green  creatures  I 
have  already  described,""  continued  Georgiana ;  "  a 
male  and  female.  The  first  he  called  Damon;  the 
last,  Musidora.  He  was  very  fond  of  them ;  and 
kept  a  bowl  of  water  for  them  in  a  window,  which 
they  went  into  in  the  evening;  except  when  the 
weather  was  cold  and  damp,  in  which  case  they 
would  remain  out  of  it  for  two  days  at  a  time.  In 
hot  weather,  they  always  descended  to  the  floor, 
where  they  soon  grew  thin  and  lank ;  but  if  they 
saw  water  spilt,  they  would  press  their  bodies  to  it 
until  absorbed  through  their  skins,  which  restored 
their  plumpness.  In  half  an  hour,  a  tree-frog  has 
been  known  to  absorb  nearly  half  its  weight  of 
water.  Dr.  Townson  provided  a  store  of  flies  to  feed 
his  little  pet  Musidora  through  the  winter.  When 
laid  dead  before  her,  she  would  not  attempt  to 
touch  them;  but  the  moment  he  moved  them  with 
his  breath,  she  made  a  spring  like  a  cat  at  a  mouse, 
and,  seizing,  ate  them  immediately.  When  flies 
were  scarce,  he  used  to  substitute  bits  of  the  flesh 


12  SISTER  S  STORIES. 

of  a  tortoise,  which,  when  moved  in  the  same  way, 
she  caught  in  her  mouth,  but  no  sooner  tasted  than 
she  spit  them  out,  not  being  her  natural  food.  As 
soon  as  she  began  to  know  and  love  her  master, 
she  would  eat  either  living  or  dead  flies  from  his 
fingers.  He  relates,  that  he  has  seen  his  little  tree 
frog  attack  humble  bees,  and  after  some  contest, 
seemingly  devour  them;  but  their  stings  and  hairy 
coats  not  being  much  relished,  she  soon  threw  them 
back.  When  the  Doctor  wished  to  regale  himself 
with  fruit,  he  brought  forward  his  pets  to  protect 
him  from  flies." 

"What  dear  little  useful   animals!"   exclaimed. 
Annie;  "I  wish  I  had  such  a  pair." 

"And  I  too,"  reiterated  all  the  children,  in  a 
burst  of  rapture,  except  Robert,  who  thought  him- 
self too  manly  to  wish  for  pet  frogs;  he  felt  curious 
however,  to  hear  if  any  one  else  ever  thought  of 
such  a  thing. 

His  sister  told  him  of  another  gentleman  who 
had  a  similar  taste;  a  surgeon  in  Germany,  who 
had  a  tree-frcg  nearly  eight  years,  and  kept  it  in  a 
glass  vessel  covered  with  a  net.  During  the  sum- 
mer he  fed  it  with  flies,  but  in  winter  he  could  not 
perceive  that  it  ate  any  thing,  though  always  well 
provided  with  moistened  grass  and  insects.  It  used 
to  grow  very  thin ;  but  when  summer  returned,  and 
with  it  an  abundance  of  flies,  it  recovered  its  looks. 
During  the  eighth  winter  it  pined  away  till  it  died. 

"O.f  how  very  sorry  the  gentleman  must  have 


TREE-FKOG.— Ifyk  vulgaris. 


CHAPTER  II.  13 

been!"  cried  Emma;  "and  surely  such  pets  must 
be  very  useful,  as  well  as  pleasant." 

"  Useful  indeed !"  said  Robert,  contemptuously. 

"Yes,  Robert,  useful:  don't  you  remember  that 
Georgiana  told  us  they  make  excellent  barometers  ?" 

"  It  is  no  uncommon  thing,  I  believe,"  continued 
Georgiana,  "to  tame  toads  as  well  as  frogs;  I  have 
heard  of  the  former  being  made  so  familiar  as  to  sit 
on  the  hand,  while  carried  through  a  room  to  catch 
the  flies  which  had  settled  on  the  walls.  They  will 
leap  even  at  a  little  moving  shadow." 

aAre  tree-frogs  found  only  in  Italy?"  inter- 
rupted Robert. 

"  They  are  also  natives  of  France,  Germany,  and 
several  other  places  in  Europe,"  his  sister  answered; 
"though  not  any  where  in  Britain;  but  they  are 
found  in  America. 

"  I  wish  we  had  such  beautiful  little  creatures  in 
this  country,"  said  Rosa. 

"Although  we  have  them  not,"  answered  Geor- 
giana, "we  should  recollect  with  gratitude,  that 
neither  have  we  any  venomous  reptile.  When  the 
grass  is  dry  of  a  hot  summer's  day,  we  are  very 
fond  of  scampering  in  it,  and  find  no  carpet  so  soft 
and  pleasant,  and  no  shade  so  cool  and  delightful 
as  that  which  the  spreading  foliage  of  the  trees  af- 
fords; but  we  durst  not  enjoy  ourselves  in  this  way, 
if  we  did  not  know  the  moment  that  a  snake,  a 
viper,  or  a  serpent  should  glide  through  the  grass 
to  inflict  its  poisonous  dart." 


14  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

"I  read  an  account  of  a  tremendous  battle  be- 
tween a  tree-frog  and  a  snake,  on  the  top  of  a 
mangrove  tree.  The  latter  had  twisted  his  tail  round 
a  branch  of  the  tree :  he  was  about  the  size  of  a  large 
poker;  the  frog,  of  a  man's  shut  hand.  He  kept 
fast  hold  of  a  twig  with  his  hind  feet;  the  two 
branches  forming  a  straight  line  between  them. 
The  snake  had  got  hold  of  the  frog's  head  and 
shoulders  within  his  horrid  jaws;  and  great  were 
the  poor  fellow's  exertions  to  extricate  himself! 
The  contention  was  so  strong,  that  at  times  both 
parties  remained  stationary  to  take  breath;  but 
again  the  struggle  was  renewed,  until  at  length  the 
frog  was  dragged  from  his  hold,  and  by  degrees  was 
swallowed  by  his  more  powerful  enemy." 

"  Oh  the  horrible  beast !"  cried  Emma,  Rosa,  and 
William. 

"  If  I  had  been  there  with  a  good  stick  in  my 
hand" — said  Robert — 

"You  would  not  have  ventured  to  touch  him, 
I'll  engage,'1  interrupted  Emma;  "not  knowing  but 
he  might  make  a  spring  upon  yourself." 

Robert  looked  rather  indignant  at  his  sister  for 
entertaining  such  doubts  of  his  courage;  however 
he  said  no  more  on  the  subject,  but  asked  Georgiana 
what  kind  of  frogs  they  were  which  he  saw  skinned 
in  baskets  in  the  Roman  market  to  be  sold,  and 
looking  so  white  like  bits  of  chicken?  She  told 
them  they  were  edible  Frogs ;  that  is,  such  as  may 
be  eaten;  and  quite  a  different  species  from  those 


CHAPTER  II.  15 

of  which  they  had  been  speaking :  and  she  added, 
"they  were  much  larger  than  our  common  frog, 
though  that  also  is  found  on  the  Continent,  and  its 
hind-legs  used  for  food ;  fore-legs  and  livers  make 
soup.  But  the  frogs  in  Italy  which  are  most  relish- 
ed are  brought  from  the  country,  and  sold  to  great 
dealers  who  have  conservatories  for  them.  These 
are  large  holes  four  or  five  feet  deep  in  the  ground, 
covered  with  a  board  or  straw.  The  frogs  jtre  very 
voracious,  and  will  swallow  whole  young  birds,  or 
mice,  and  also  snails  and  worms.  At  four  years 
old  they  are  at  full  growth;  and  if  allowed,  would 
live  to  sixteen  or  seventeen  years  of  age.  Their 
colour  is  olive  green,  with  black  patches  on  the 
back  They  are  said  to  deposit  their  spawn  in 
June.  The  croaking  of  these  creatures  is  most 
discordant  and  deafening  to  the  ear;  at  least,  if  it 
were  the  same  I  heard  at  Genoa,  I  may  say  so.  I 
was  seated  at  an  open  door  where  I  enjoyed  all  the 
fragrance  and  bloom  of  a  spacious  garden  in  the 
latter  end  of  May.  But  instead  of  my  ears  being 
regaled  with  the  melody  of  birds,  they  were  assailed 
with  a  loud  incessant  croaking;  and  when  I  asked 
from  whence  it  proceeded,  I  was  told  it  was  the 
croaking  of  frogs :  I  have  since  thought  they  were 
probably  kept  there  to  be  fattened  and  eaten." 

Robert  asked  his  sister  if  she  could  give  them 
any  account  of  the  BULL-FROG? 

And  she  said,  that  it  received  its  name  from  its 
croaking  being  compared  to  the  hoarse  lowing  of 
a  bull,  so  loud  that  on  a  calm  night  it  is  heard  at 


16  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

the  distance  of  a  mile  and  a  half.  She  also  told  them, 
that  the  colour  of  these  animals  is  dark  olive,  spot- 
ted with  black,  and  that  they  measure  a  foot  and  a 
half  in  length,  and  are  chiefly  found  in  the  interior 
parts  of  America. 

"  They  must  be  odious  creatures,"*  said  Emma, 
"with  their  horrid  bellowings,  and  their  great  size. 
How  they  must  frighten  a  traveller  in  the  night 
who  had  never  heard  of  them  P 

"  Instances  are  recorded,"  answered  her  sister,  "of 
the  alarm  given  by  these  frogs:  I  have  read  of  a 
person  whose  name  was  Kami;  he  was  out  riding, 
and  felt  assured  that  the  noise  he  heard  was  the 
enraged  roaring  of  a  ferocious  bull  in  the  neigh- 
bouring thickets;  not  knowing  which  way  to  escape, 
he  asked  direction  of  a  party  of  Swedes,  who 
removed  his  terror  by  letting  him  know  that  the 
animal  which  occasioned  it  was  only  a,  frog" 

This  so  much  excited  the  merriment  of  Georgia- 
na's  little  auditors,  that  her  narrative  was  interrupted 
until  composure  and  attention  were  re-established. 
Robert  then  asked  her  if  the  bull-frog  was  found 
any  where  else  ? 

She  answered  that  they  were  found  in  Virginia, 
where  they  are  very  numerous :  and  further  said, 
that  the  natives  imagine  they  purify  the  water;  and 
feel  for  them  a  kind  of  deference,  believing  them  to 
be  the  genii  of  the  fountains.  There  is  scarcely  a 
spring  or  rill  in  which  a  pair  of  them  are  not  found, 
They  sit  in  the  water,  grass,  or  rushes  with  their 


CHAPTER  II.  17 

heads  up,  croaking  at  intervals  the  night  through. 
When  frightened,  this  animal  will  leap  to  the 
distance  of  three  yards ;  and  has  been  known  to 
escape  the  pursuit  of  an  American  Indian,  whose 
running  was  compared  to  the  swiftest  course  of  a 
horse.  They  lie  torpid,  buried  in  the  mud,  during 
the  winter,  but  revive  in  spring  and  resume  their 
bellowing. 

"Are  bull-frogs  ever  eaten?""  enquired  Emma. 

"  They  are,11  Georgiana  answered;  "and  have  as 
much  meat  on  them  as  a  young  fowl.  They  prey 
upon  ducks,  goslings,  and  chickens,  which  have 
the  temerity  to  approach  their  ponds.11 

"  Well,11  said  Emma,  "  I  am  sure  no  one  would 
ever  think  of  petting  these  noisy  things.11 

"I  think  not  indeed,11  replied  Georgiana.  "It 
has  been  said,  that  frogs  were  worshipped  by  the 
Egyptians,  many  of  whose  little  idols  were  reptiles.1' 

"O  what  foolish  people,11  exclaimed  Emma,  "to 
think  that  a  little  senseless,  ugly  frog  could  have 
divine  power!"1 

"  Yes,11  rejoined  her  sister;  "and  if  it  be  so,  how 
justly  were  they  punished  by  the  plague  of  the 
frogs,  when  that  which  they  venerated,  became  such 
a  nuisance  as  to  swarm  through  their  land,  and  come 
into  their  houses,  and  bed-chambers  and  beds,  and 
into  their  ovens,  and  kneading-troughs :  the  rivers, 
and  streams,  and  ponds  were  full  of  them,  and 
poured  them  out  upon  the  land;  so  that  its  wretched 
inhabitants  could  neither  eat,  drink,  nor  sleep  for 
c2 


18  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

these  loathsome  reptiles.  The  whole  face  of  the 
earth  seems  to  have  been  alive  with  them,  so  as  to 
make  the  smell  abominable  when  the  frogs  died 
and  were  gathered  together  upon  heaps.* 

"  TOADS  were,  as  well  as  I  can  recollect,  among 
the  number  of  the  Egyptian  divinities.  I  think, 
Emma,  that  I  already  mentioned  the  facility  with 
which  they  have  been  tamed."" 

"Oh!"  cried  out  the  little  girl,  "who  could 
think  of  taming  an  ugly  toad?" 

"Dear  Emma,"  answered  Georgiana,  "we  ought 
to  conquer  those  feelings  of  disgust  towards  crea- 
tures formed  by  the  Almighty.  The  ugliness  of 
the  poor  toad  has  obtained  for  it  the  very  unjust 
character  of  being  poisonous;  and  therefore  it  is 
too  frequently  persecuted  to  death.  When  irritated, 
it  emits  from  its  body  a  froth  which  is  perfectly 
innoxious,  being  merely  a  watery  liquid.  The  form 
and  colour  of  the  skin  are  certainly  not  pleasing, 
but  the  beauty  of  its  eyes  is  noted.  It  is  easily 
tamed.  We  are  told  of  a  toad  which  became  so 
domesticated,  that  for  above  thirty-six  years,  he 
frequented  the  steps  of  a  gentleman's  hall  door  in 
Devonshire.  He  was  regularly  fed;  and  when  a 
candle  was  brought  out  in  the  evening,  he  always 
came  out  of  his  hole,  and  looked  up  as  if  he  expected 
to  be  carried  into  the  house  to  be  fed  with  insects, 
which  was  often  done.  It  was  considered  so  extraor- 
dinary, that  an  animal  universally  avoided  and 

*  Exodus  viii.  2  to  14. 


CHAPTER  II.  19 

disliked  should  be  taken  so  much  notice  of,  that  it 
excited  the  curiosity  of  every  one  who  came  to  the 
house;  and  even  those  who  were  accustomed  to 
turn  away  with  abhorrence  from  a  loathsome  toad, 
often  requested  that  this  one  might  be  fed  before 
them.  It  was  fond  of  maggots ;  and  used  to  follow 
them  round  the  table  until  sufficiently  near  to  take 
them  on  the  tip  of  its  tongue,  on  which  was  a 
glutinous  substance.  Before  it  threw  out  its 
tongue,  which  it  did  to  a  considerable  length,  it 
would  fix  its  eyes,  and  remain  motionless  for  a  little 
time,  as  if  preparing  for  the  dart,  which  was  mo- 
mentary, as  was  also  the  swallowing  of  the  insect. 
The  life  of  this  poor  toad,  after  the  expiration  of 
more  than  thirty-six  years,  was  shortened  by  a  tame 
raven,  who  found  it  one  day  at  the  mouth  of  its  hole 
and  wounded  it  to  death.11 

"Oh  how  sorry  I  am  for  the  poor  dear  toad!11 
said  little  Rosa  in  a  half  crying- voice.  "  I  wish  I 
had  such  a  one  to  carry  about  in  my  hand,  and 
give  it  all  the  troublesome  flies  to  feed  on.  I  would 
take  good  care  that  no  raven  should  get  it.  Are 
there  any  more  pets  that  you  could  tell  us  of, 
Georgiana?"* 

"Yes,  a  great  many.  But  do  not  suppose  that  it 
is  merely  for  the  purpose  of  amusement  that  these 
little  animals  have  been  tamed.  There  are  men 
who  make  a  study  of  their  history;  to  be  enabled 
to  make  new  discoveries  respecting  them,  and  to 
tame  them  by  their  continual  observations  and 


20  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

attentions  towards  them.  These  men  are  called 
Naturalists. 

"Do  you  remember  my  once  telling  you  of  a 
little  insect  that  makes  a  noise  like  the  ticking  of  a 
watch  ?" 

"  O  yes,  and  that  the  nursery-maid  called  it  the 
DEATH-WATCH.  I  have  often  heard  it  since,  and 
should  have  wondered  greatly,  if  I  had  not  heard  of 
it  beforehand.  Can  you  describe  to  me,  Georgiana, 
what  kind  of  creature  it  is,  that  I  may  know  it,  if  I 
should  ever  happen  to  see  one  ?" 

"There  are  two  species  of  insect  called  the  Death- 
Watch.  One  is  the  Termes  pulsatoritim.  It  very 
much  resembles  a  creature  which  is  seen  on  dirty 
people;  and  beats  like  a  watch,  only  in  the  heat  of 
summer,  and  it  does  so  without  intermission  for  a 
considerable  length  of  time.  It  has  no  wings:  but 
the  other  insect  has:  it  also  is  called  the  Death- 
Watch,  or  Ptinus  fatidicus.  It  is  a  little  hairy 
creature  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  long,  and  so 
nearly  the  colour  of  old  dry  wood  that  it  is  not 
easily  distinguished,  The  noise  it  makes,  which  is 
very  like  the  ticking  of  a  watch,  is  not  from  its  voice, 
but  by  beating  on  any  thing  hard  with  a  little  kind 
of  shield  on  the  forepart  of  its  head.  It  makes 
distinct  and  regular  strokes,  seven,  nine,  or  eleven 
at  a  time,  like  beating  with  your  nail  on  the  table. 
It  is  supposed  to  be  their  way  of  calling  each  other. 
Mr.  Stackhouse  kept  one  for  a  fortnight  in  a  box, 
and  watched  carefully  its  manner  of  beating.  He 


DEATH  WATCH. 
A  Anobium  pertinax.    B  A.striatum.    C  A.  ttsselatum. 


These  insects  make  the  same  clicking  noise,  though  they  are  not  the  same 
as  are  mentioned  in  the  text.  Latreille  says,  this  sort  of  ticking  is  produced 
by  the  whole  genus  Anobium* 


CHAPTER  II.  21 

says  that  it  raised  itself  on  its  hinder  legs,  and  -with 
the  body  a  little  inclined,  beat  its  head  with  great 
force  and  agility  against  the  place  on  which  it 
stood.  You  will  be  amused  to  hear  that  this  little 
animal  has  been  tamed  so  as  to  be  made  to  beat 
occasionally;  by  taking  it  out  of  its  box  and  beating 
with  the  nail  or  point  of  a  pen  on  the  table,  it 
immediately  answered  the  beats,  and  continued  to 
do  so  as  often  as  required.  Dr.  Derham  kept  two 
of  these  insects,  a  male  and  female,  in  a  box  for 
some  weeks;  he  used  to  make  them  beat  as  often 
as  he  wished  by  imitating  their  noise.  At  last  one 
poor  little  fellow  died;  and  the  other,  determined 
not  to  remain  after  its  companion,  gnawed  its  way 
out  and  escaped.11 

"  O  what  dear  droll  little  pets  the  death-watches 
must  be!"  said  Emma.  "Can  you  tell  us  more, 
Georgian  a  ?"" 

"Not  at  present,"  answered  her  sister;  "mam- 
ma's bell  rings;  I  think  she  wants  me:  and  while  I 
am  with  her,  you  can  amuse  yourselves  with  battle- 
door  and  shuttle-cock." 


CHAPTER  III. 


"Tnis  day  surely,  we  may  go  to  Duncan's  Vale," 
said  Robert  to  Georgiana  and  Emma,  when  the 
bright  sun  and  cloudless  sky  proclaimed  a  renewal 
of  fair  weather  after  several  showery  days.  "  The 
heat  of  the  sun,"  he  continued,  "  will  soon  dry  up 
the  grass  and  the  ground,  and  then  we  may  have 
delightful  play  ;  so  do  let  us  make  haste  with  our 
lessons." 

The  little  girls  were  of  the  same  opinion,  and  so 
were  papa  and  mamma,  who  were  so  indulgent  as 
to  remit  some  of  the  usual  tasks;  and  once  more 
the  horse  and  car  stood  ready  harnessed  at  the  door. 
No  disappointment  this  day  awaited  the  young 
party,  who  with  much  mirth  and  glee  were  soon 
seated  in  it,  accompanied  by  the  lamb  adorned 
round  its  neck  with  a  blue  ribbon,  lying  in  its  basket, 
and  the  little  brown  spotted  dog  called  Dido,  which 
was  still  Georgiana's  favourite,  and  though  now 
getting  old,  so  frisky,  from  the  good  care  she  took 
of  it,  that  no  amusement  could  be  complete  without 


CHAPTEE  III.  23 

its  company.  So  away  they  drove  merrily,  all  as 
noisy  and  as  happy  as  children  generally  are  who 
are  dismissed  with  full  liberty  to  enjoy  themselves 
harmlessly.  Robert  and  William  up  and  down  on 
the  seat  every  moment,  hallooing,  and  Dido  bark- 
ing, and  the  little  girls  laughing:  the  poor  lamb 
seemed  the  only  uncomfortable  being  in  the  party; 
joined  to  hunger,  the  unusual  noise  frightened  it, 
and  it  began  to  bleat  piteously  ;  but  it  too  was  soon 
comforted,  for  they  arrived  at  the  field,  where  its 
mother  was  browzing  on  the  grass,  green  and  fresh 
from  the  late  showers.  She  was  soon  discovered 
among  the  other  sheep,  who  had  each  their  lambs 
at  their  side,  from  her  solitary  and  disconsolate  air. 
Her  lamb  being  placed  near  her  by  the  little  girls, 
she  ran  at  the  sound  of  its  cry,  and  soon  comforted 
it  in  the  way  that  mothers  use  to  do  their  babies. 

Our  little  party  now  left  them  to  their  enjoyment, 
while  they  pursued  each  other  in  their  nimble  move- 
ments round  and  round  the  beautiful  field.  Hound 
and  hare  was  their  play ;  and  their  motions  were 
little  less  fleet  than  the  animals  they  imitated.  At 
length  they  threw  themselves  breathless  on  the 
mossy  bank,  and  began  to  devise  some  new  sport. 
"Let  us  rest  ourselves  first,11  said  Robert,  "and 
then  we  may  walk  to  Duncan1s  cottage;  old  Molly 
will  have  some  pleasant  story  to  tell  us." 

"No,"  answered  Georgiana,  "we  must  not  go 
there ;  we  obtained  no  permission  to  ramble  beyond 
these  precincts." 


SISTERS  STORIES. 


"What  do  you  call  '  these  precincts,1  Mrs.  Spoil- 
sport  ?"  said  Robert.  "  We  have  the  whole  day  to 
play,  and  we  may  go  where  we  please."" 

"  Papa  and  mamma  desired  us  not  to  go  into  any 
of  the  cottages,  as  you  very  well  know,  Robert," 
returned  Georgiana.  "  Be  content  where  you  are, 
and  let  us  amuse  each  other  by  relating  stories.'1'' 

"I  know  of  no  story  to  tell,"  said  Robert;  "besides 
how  can  I  be  content  here  ?  I  am  all  stung  with 
ants  —  this  moss  is  full  of  them  —  look,  look  at  Em- 
ma^s  frock  and  Rosa^s,  come  away  from  this  —  we 
shall  be  stung  to  death." 

The  children  smarting  with  the  stings  of  the 
ants,  were  glad  to  remove  to  a  spot  which  was  free 
from  them,  which  they  happily  found  under  the 
foliage  of  a  spreading  oak. 

"  I  cannot  see  an  ant  here,"  said  Emma.  "  We 
may  now  listen  to  any  story  you  have  to  tell  us, 
Georgiana;  so  do  pray  begin." 

"I  hate  ants,"  said  Robert,  "and  all  crawling 
insects,  and  would  kill  them  if  I  could." 

"  I  am  sorry,  "answered  Georgiana,  "  to  hear  you 
express  so  cruel  a  sentiment.  Those  numerous 
tribe  of  insects  which  you  behold  with  disgust,  if 
you  could  see  them  through  a  microscope,  would 
excite  your  admiration;  their  elegant  forms  and 
dress  sometimes  sparkling  with  little  gems,  and 
fringed  with  a  texture  more  soft  and  shining  than 
the  richest  silk.  When  they  spread  their  light 
wings  to  take  their  airy  flight,  the  finest  gauze  or 


1  Formica  herculanea.    2  Black  Ant  (Worker.)   3  Small  Garden  Ant. 


CHAPTER  III.  25 

lace  in  comparison  would  appear  coarser  than  can- 
vass; and  the  cases  or  covers,  under  which  these 
little  wings  lie  concealed  and  defended,  shine  like 
the  most  glossy  varnish  studded  like  radiant  dia- 
monds; some  of  them  are  ornamented  with  fluting 
or  pinked  wings  with  holes  in  the  most  elegant 
patterns." 

Robert  said,  "these  must  be  flies  and  beetles, 
some  of  which  I  know  are  very  beautiful ;  but  what 
beauty  can  there  be  in  these  hateful  little  stinging 
ants  ?" 

"  The  history  of  the  ANTS,  and  all  their  wonder- 
ful operations,  would  take  some  hours  to  describe," 
answered  Georgiana. 

"Do  tell  us  all  about  them,"  said  Emma. 

"All  I  know,"  returned  Georgiana,  "I  have 
chiefly  collected  from  a  pleasant  book  called  '  Nature 
Displayed,1  that  my  papa  read  to  me. — Ants  are 
gregarious." 

"What  is  gregarious?"  inquired  Emma. 

"Gregarious  are  all  the  living  tribes  that  go  to- 
gether in  flocks  or  herds.  Like  the  human  species, 
the  ants  seem  to  order  all  their  affairs  according  to 
some  regular  plan.  The  Scriptures  direct  our  at- 
tention to  them  as  setting  us  an  example  of  industry. 
4  Go  to  the  ant,  thou  sluggard,  consider  her  ways 
and  be  wise :  which  having  no  guide,  overseer,  or 
ruler,  provideth  her  meat  in  the  summer,  and 
gathereth  her  food  in  the  harvest.'" 


26  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

"Where  do  you  find  that  in  the  Bible ?"  said 
Robert. 

"In  the  sixth  chapter  of  Proverbs,  sixth  verse," 
answered  his  sister;  "and  again  in  the  thirtieth 
chapter  the  Wisest  of  men,  who  was  Solomon, 
says;  'the  ants  are  a  people  not  strong,  yet  they 
prepare  their  meat  in  the  summer.1  Their  wisdom, 
ingenuity,  skill,  and  perseverance  appear  in  digging 
under  ground,  building  their  houses,  and  forming 
the  little  cells  or  granaries  in  which  they  store  up 
their  provision  of  corn.11 

"Do  listen  to  her,  Emma,11  cried  Robert,  "talk- 
ing of  ants  with  their  little  spades  digging  down  in 
the  ground  !" 

"Yes,11  said  Emma  laughing,  "and  the  little  ant 
masons  building  their  houses  I11 

"  Wonderful  as  it  may  appear  to  you,11  answered 
Georgiana,  "it  is  nevertheless  most  true;  they  do 
not  however  use  spades,  as  their  claws  answer  that 
purpose.11 

"  They  must  be  very  tedious,  indeed,  with  their 
claws  as  slender  almost  as  a  hair,11  said  Robert,  "mak- 
ing any  thing  like  a  hole  in  the  ground.11 

"They  do  not,11  said  Georgiana,  "spend  so  much 
time  about  it  as  you  may  suppose.  Many  hands 
make  light  labour,  is  an  old  adage.  The  numerous 
labourers  all  assisting,  and  carrying  on  the  work  in 
union,  smooths  every  difficulty;  and  when  their 
habitation  and  cells  are  prepared,  then  they  carry 
in  their  provisions.  I  have  often  watched  them  in 


CHAPTER  III.  27 

Italy  when  they  were  employed  in  this  manner, 
their  backs  laden  with  a  burden  larger  than  the 
little  body  which  dragged  it  along;  and  when  one 
of  them  was  ready  to  be  crushed  under  the  weight, 
I  have  seen  its  good  natured  companion  run  to  put 
its  own  shoulder  to  the  burden.  Often  they  stop, 
and  cut  the  bit  of  straw  or  grain,  or  whatever  the 
load  may  be,  in  two,  and  then  each  ant  takes  up  his 
share,  and  proceeds  on  the  regular  track,  from  which 
they  do  not  deviate,  so  that  a  road  is  formed  by 
their  little  feet  moving  on  in  the  order  of  a  regiment 
of  soldiers.  Before  they  lay  up  their  corn  in  their 
subterraneous  cells,  they  bite  off  the  top  to  prevent 
germination."" 

"What  is  germination?"  said  Emma. 

"Budding,"  said  Georgiana.  "The  sagacious 
little  ant  must  be  taught  by  the  God  of  nature  to 
know  that  if  that  little  bud  of  the  grain  of  corn 
were  not  nipt,  it  would  grow,  and  no  longer  be 
food  so  nourishing  for  its  use." 

"You  talk  of  them,"  said  Emma,  "as  if  they 
were  little  men." 

"I  compared  them  to  soldiers,"1  answered  her 
sister,  "in  their  regular  order  of  marching;  I  might 
also  do  so  in  their  manner  of  fighting.  I  was  wit- 
ness to  one  of  their  battles  at  Sorento,  in  Italy, 
where  a  considerable  space  of  ground  was  thickly 
covered  with  them,  all  engaged  in  a  furious  combat, 
tearing  each  other  limb  from  limb,  so  that  the  field 
of  battle  was  literally  spread  over  with  legs,  arms, 
heads,  and  half  bodies  of  ants." 


28  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

"O  how  droll!"  cried  Robert:  "do  tell  us,  Geor- 
giana,  what  kind  of  weapon  they  made  use  of." 

"Their  own  venomous  little  jaws,"  answered  his 
sister:  "they  inflict  a  very  deep  bite,  into  which,  I 
have  heard,  they  have  the  power  of  instilling  a 
poisonous  juice.  Some  species  of  ants  have  the 
power  of  inflicting  a  sting  like  a  bee." 

"That  I  know  to  my  cost,"  cried  Robert;  rub- 
bing his  hands;  "look  at  these  little  white  lumps, 
the  smarting  of  which  is  not  yet  quite  over.1'1 

"Do  tell  us  more  about  the  ants,  dear  Georgiana," 
said  Emma;  "  I  never  knew  before  that  they  were 
such  amusing  little  things." 

"  In  building  their  houses,"  continued  Georgiana, 
"the  different  species  of  ants  have  different  plans, 
and  use  different  materials;  the  small  kind  con- 
struct them  of  clay  in  regular  apartments,  and  suc- 
cessive stories ;  when  one  set  of  li ttle  workmen  are 
busy  at  an  upper  story,  another  set  are  excavating 
below,  and  throwing  up  the  materials  to  their  fel- 
lows. The  ceilings  are  supported  by  little  pillars 
and  walls.  In  some  places  they  make  broad  arches 
and  long  passages  to  their  range  of  apartments. 
They  sagaciously  carry  on  their  labours  only  when 
the  earth  is  softened  by  rain  or  dew,  when  there  is 
moisture  sufficient  to  admit  of  the  clay  adhering." 

"Like  mortar,"  interrupted  Robert. 

"Exactly  so,"  said  Georgiana.  "I  have  read  of 
a  Mr.  Huber  who  used  curiously  to  watch  their 
operations;  when  he  observed  that  they  discontinu- 


CHAPTER  III.  29 

^d  their  works,  on  account  of  the  dryness  of  the 
atmosphere,  he  used  to  damp  the  ground  by  shaking 
a  wet  brush  over  it,  which  immediately  collected  the 
ants  to  renew  their  employment." 

"I  suppose,"  said  Robert,  "it  was  something  of 
this  kind  which  brought  them  out  in  such  swarms 
on  the  bank  there,  after  the  rain;  and  they  spite- 
fully stung  us,  because  we  disturbed  them,  or  per- 
haps demolished  some  of  their  grand  operations." 

"Very  probably,"  said  Georgiana:  "our  sitting 
upon  them  must  certainly  be  a  great  inconvenience, 
and  quite  sufficient  to  rouse  their  revengeful  feel- 
ings." 

"  I  wish  we  had  a  microscope,"  said  Emma,  "  I 
should  like  so  much  to  peep  into  their  houses." 

"They  carefully  shut  them  up  at  night,"  con- 
tinued Georgiana,  "to  prevent  any  other  insects 
from  intruding  upon  them.  A  few  ants  always  re- 
main outside  as  sentinels  to  give  the  alarm  if  they 
see  any  approaching  danger." 

"But  how  can  they  do  so?"  said  Emma,  "can 
they  speak  a  language  of  their  own?" 

"  They  certainly  have  some  means  of  communi- 
cating their  ideas  to  each  other,  as  has  been  ascer- 
tained by  different  experiments,"  answered  Geor- 
giana. "Dr.  Franklin  tells  of  one  he  made,  by 
putting  an  earthen  pot  with  some  treacle  in  it  where 
were  a  number  of  ants;  they  quickly  found  it  out 
,and  devoured  almost  the  whole  of  the  contents, 
which  he  perceiving,  shook  them  out,  and  tied  the 

D2 


30 


SISTER  S  STORIES. 


pot  with  a  string  to  a  nail  which  he  fastened  to  the 
ceiling  of  the  closet  where  they  were,  and  left  it 
hanging  by  the  string.  One  ant  happened  to  re- 
main in  the  pot,  where  it  continued  to  feast  itself, 
until,  quite  satisfied,  it  wanted  to  get  away,  and  ran 
about  the  bottom  of  the  pot  for  some  time  like  a 
mad  thing;  at  last  it  climbed  up  the  side  and  found 
the  string,  which  served  it  as  a  ladder  to  the  ceiling; 
then  it  ran  on  to  the  wall,  and  from  thence  to  its 
companions,  to  whom  it  soon  gave  information  of 
the  depository  of  sweets:  for  they  all  began  to  file 
off  in  order,  mounted  the  wall,  and  proceeded  along 
the  ceiling  until  they  reached  the  cord,  by  means 
of  which  they  descended  into  the  pot,  where  they 
ate  as  much  as  they  wished  for,  and  then  gave  place 
to  another  swarm ;  and  this  they  continued  to  do, 
ascending  and  descending,  until  they  had  licked 
away  every  particle  of  treacle." 

"You  told  us  some  time  ago,"  said  Robert,  "that 
ants  feed  on  corn." 

"I  also  told  you,"  said  Georgiana,  "that  there 
are  different  species  of  ants.  Their  food  is  of  various 
kinds,  many  of  them  are  carnivorous." 

"What  is  carnivorous ?v  asked  Emma. 

"  All  animals  who  feed  on  flesh,"  answered  Geor- 
giana. 

"  If  that  be  so,"  said  Emma,  "  I  am  carnivorous 
myself;  for  I  like  to  eat  beef  and  mutton  and  turkey 
and  goose,  and  every  kind  of  meat  I  get." 

"And  I  also,"  said  William,  who  had  hitherto 


CHAPTER  III.  31 

given  no  heed  to  his  sister's  entertaining  account  of 
the  ants,  but  continued  running  backwards  and  for- 
wards with  the  two  younger  girls. 

"Tell  us  more,"  said  Emma. 

"Their  sense  of  smelling  is  wonderfully  acute," 
continued  Georgiana,  "and  useful  in  directing  them 
to  their  food,  and  also  in  following  the  track  of  their 
companions."" 

"They  must  have  noses  like  dogs,'1  said  Robert. 

"  I  have  heard,"  proceeded  Georgiana,  "  that  if 
a  person  were  to  draw  a  finger  across  the  line  of 
their  march,  the  ants  stop,  as  if  they  had  lost  the 
scent,  and  wander  from  the  straight  course  until 
they  find  it  again,  and  then  all  fall  into  it  in  the 
same  regular  order.  Some  cruel  person  made  an 
experiment  by  cutting  off  the  smelling  organs  of 
several  labouring  ants,  and  replacing  them  near 
their  nests,  observed  that  they  wandered  in  all 
directions  as  if  in  a  delirium.  Continuing  to  watch 
their  movements,  he  perceived  some  of  their  com- 
panions coming  towards  them,  and  with  much 
compassion  licking  the  wounded  part,  to  which  they 
seemed  to  apply  an  anointing  liquor  from  their 
mouths."" 

"Those  were  their  doctors,  I  suppose,"  said 
Robert. 

"Doctors  indeed!"  said  Emma,  "how  ridiculous!" 

"In  some  countries,  particularly  South  America, 
the  ants  are  quite  a  nuisance,  from  their  prodigious 
numbers  and  ferocious  habits;  even  men  cannot 


32  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

approach  them  without  danger;  they  have  been 
known  to  devour  cows  in  their  stalls.  An  army  of 
them  has  been  seen  a  quarter  of  a  mile  long;  and 
nothing  can  stop  their  course  but  a  train  of  gun- 
powder set  fire  to.  The  ant-hills  which  they 
inhabit  are  some  of  them  twelve  feet  high,  at  a 
distance  resembling  the  rude  huts  of  savages." 

"  Are  all  their  habitations  of  the  kind  you  have 
already  described?"  enquired  Robert. 

"Not  all,"  answered  Georgiana;  "they  are  as 
various  as  the  ants  themselves.  Some  build  their 
houses  of  bits  of  leaves  of  trees,  bark,  and  straw. 
Others  work  themselves  into  the  crevices  of  ruinous 
buildings;  or  establish  themselves  under  a  stone." 
"  Yes,"  said  Robert,  "  those  are  the  kind  with 
which  I  am  best  acquainted ;  I  have  often  lifted  a 
stone  and  found  swarms  of  ants  under  it." 

"  Trees  and  wood,"  continued  Georgiana,  "  serve 
as  a  comfortable  dwelling  for  one  species  of  ants; 
they  scoop  in  them  commodious  little  cells,  divided 
into  partitions  so  thin  that  the  whole  will  crumble 
into  powder  when  pressed  between  one's  fingers." 

"  I  shall  take  care  that  it  shall  not  be  between 
mine;  they  would  soon  be  well  stung  for  their 
pains,"  said  Robert.  "  Many  a  time  I  have  seen 
ants  running  in  and  out  of  holes  in  trees,  without 
ever  thinking  that  they  were  doors  of  their  houses." 
"  The  brown  ants  are  the  best  masons.  Their 
habitations  I  have  already  described,  as  constructed 
of  moistened  clay  perfectly  smooth  inside,  consisting 


CHAPTER  III.  33 

of  chambers  in  parallel  stories  with  long  galleries  of 
communication;  and  large  central  halls,  from 
which  numerous  passages  branch  off,  like  streets 
and  lanes  to  a  market  place.  The  outside  covering 
has  several  outlets,  which  are  kept  open  while  the 
ants  wish  to  go  in  and  out;  but  when  the  sun 
shines  strongly  they  dislike  the  heat,  and  closing  up 
their  doors,  enjoy  the  cool  of  their  subterraneous 
passages  which  they  traverse  up  and  down,  remain- 
ing at  home  until  a  shower  again  refreshes  the 
ground,  which  is  a  signal  for  them  to  renew  their 
labours :  and  soon  the  busy  crowd  of  masons  arrive 
in  every  direction  loaden  with  building  materials. 
Observing  the  most  exact  order  in  their  opera- 
tions, they  hasten  their  labours  forward  while  the 
clay  continues  moist ;  but  no  sooner  does  a  drying 
wind  pass  over  it,  than  all  seems  to  have  been 
rendered  useless,  if  they  have  not  completely  roofed 
in  their  dwellings ;  and  when  their  walls  begin  to 
crumble,  with  one  accord  they  destroy  the  fabric 
upon  which  they  had  bestowed  some  hours  of 
unwearied  diligence,  and  carry  off  the  materials  to 
cover  an  upper  story.  To  watch  their  interesting 
operations  affords  endless  amusement." 

"  It  would  to  me  I  am  sure,"  said  Robert;  "  I 
only  wish  I  could  see  them." 

"  And  I  too,"  said  Emma. 

"Remember,  however,"  said  Georgiana,  "that 
they  are  not  to  be  seen  in  perfection  but  in  the 
hotter  climates;  and  we  ought  to  accustom  our- 


34  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

selves  to  wish  only  for  such  things  as  are  attainable. 
Have  you  heard  enough  about  ants  for  the  present  ?" 

"O  no,  tell  us  more,"  they  both  answered  at 
once. 

"  I  must  first  see  what  is  become  of  William  and 
the  two  little  girls,"  said  Georgiana;  of  whom  they 
had  lost  sight,  and  calling  them  on  all  sides  they 
received  no  answer.  After  some  search,  Annie,  the 
youngest,  was  discovered  in  a  thicket  she  had 
entered  in  pursuit  of  a  butterfly. 

"Where  are  William  and  Rosa?"  inquired 
Georgiana. 

"  They  are  gone  to  Duncanns  cottage,"  answered 
the  little  girl;  "William  said  he  knew  the  way, 
and  that  Robert  had  said,  that  old  Molly  could  tell 
them  pretty  stories,  and  they  were  tired  of  yours, 
and  glad  to  go  away;  and  they  would  not  let  me 
go  with  them,  because  they  said,  I  was  too  little  to 
climb  over  the  fence;  and  I  began  to  cry  when 
they  left  me,  but  when  I  saw  the  pretty  butterfly 
I  tried  to  catch  it  that  I  might  bring  it  to  you." 

Georgiana,  frightened,  and  angry  with  herself  for 
being  so  heedless  of  the  charge  committed  to  her 
care,  went  in  pursuit  of  the  little  fugitives,  accom- 
panied by  Robert,  Emma,  and  Annie.  The  path 
to  the  cottage  wound  through  a  deep  dell,  for  nearly 
a  quarter  of  a  mile,  and  then  struck  off  in  a  different 
direction  up  the  wooded  bank,  at  the  top  of  which 
a  gate  fastened  with  a  padlock  put  a  stop  to  their 
progress. 


CHAPTER  III.  35 

"How  is  this?"  said  Robert,  "here  is  a  wall 
built  and  a  gate  locked — there  never  used  to  be  any 
such  impediments;  how  can  William  and  Rosa 
have  got  over  it  ?  Wait  here,  Georgiana,  while  I  go 
and  look  for  some  gap,  or  the  end  of  this  wall, 
which  they  may  have  crossed  lower  down.  There 
used  to  be  a  broken  fence  here  with  plenty  of  gaps, 
but  this  is  quite  a  new  work." 

While  Robert  was  gone  to  explore,  a  wood- 
ranger  accosted  the  little  party,  civilly  asking  them 
if  they  wanted  to  pass  through  the  gate,  the  key  of 
which  he  held  in  his  hand.  Georgiana  thanking 
him,  said  she  wished  much  to  have  it  unlocked,  and 
left  open  until  her  return,  which  would  be  very 
soon  as  she  would  merely  go  to  Duncan's  cottage, 
which  appeared  at  a  short  distance  among  the  trees, 
to  bring  from  thence  her  little  brother  and  sister. 

"How  long  have  they  been  there,  miss?"  inquir- 
ed the  woodranger  as  he  unlocked  the  gate. 

"It  is  not  an  hour,"  answerd  Georgiana,  "since 
I  missed  them  from  my  side." 

"They cannot  then  be  at  that  cottage," replied  he, 
"  for  the  gate  has  not  been  opened  since  this  morning 
early,  and  there  is  no  other  way  of  getting  out." 

"Where  can  the  children  have  strayed?1  said 
Georgiana  in  much  alarm.  At  hearing  her  say  so, 
the  two  little  girls  began  to  weep  bitterly ;  which 
called  forth  the  compassionate  feelings  of  the  kind 
hearted  woodranger,  who  offered  to  go  in  quest  of 
them  if  they  would  wait  his  return;  which  offer 


36  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

Georgiana  thankfully  accepting,  he  set  off,  accom- 
panied by  Robert,  who  had  returned  from  his  fruit- 
less search.  They  were  but  just  out  of  sight,  when 
the  screams  of  a  child  in  some  dreadful  alarm,  as- 
sailed the  ears  of  Georgiana  and  her  already  terrified 
companions;  all  of  whom  looked  towards  the  place 
from  whence  the  cries  proceeded,  and  through  the 
bars  of  the  gate,  they  saw  a  little  girl  running  to- 
wards it,  pursued  by  a  furious  bull,  which  tore  up 
the  ground  with  its  horns.  Georgiana,  with  great 
presence  of  mind,  pushed  back  her  sisters,  opened 
the  gate,  drew  in  the  child,  closed  and  locked  it 
against  the  enraged  animal,  which  made  fruitless 
efforts  to  push  through.  The  whole  action  was  in- 
stantaneous, or  it  could  not  have  availed,  and  when 
it  was  over,  with  her  heart  and  lips  she  praised  Him 
whose  strong  arm  can  alone  deliver  from  every  im- 
pending danger.  The  rescued  child,  panting  and 
breathless,  flung  herself  upon  the  ground,  where 
she  lay  colourless  as  the  white  handkerchief  which 
covered  her  neck,  until  Georgiana  took  her  in  her 
arms  and  carried  her  to  the  little  brook  which  rip- 
pled beneath  the  bank,  and  having  tasted  of  the 
clear  stream,  she  seemed  revived.  She  opened  her 
eyes,  but  their  wild  expression  was  quite  alarming, 
as  she  again  screamed,  "O  the  bull!  the  bull!  save 
me,  daddy — O!  daddy,  daddy!11 

"You  are  safe,  my  little  girl,""  said  Georgiana 
pressing  her  to  her  bosom ;  "no  bull  can  touch  you 
here.  Look  around,  my  little  dear,  the  bull  is  gone.11 


CHAPTER  III.  37 

"But  where  is  my  daddy r"  screamed  the  tremta 
ling  child.  "  The  bull  will  come  again." 

" He  cannot  come  here,"' said  Georgiana;  "the 
gate  is  shut  against  him.*" 

"He  will  leap  over  it,"  said  the  little  girl. 

"  He  cannot,  only  look  how  high  it  is,v  said  Geor- 
giana. At  length  the  poor  child  became  pacified, 
by  degrees  her  terror  wore  off,  and  she  looked  with 
pleasure  at  Emma  and  Anne  twining  wreaths  of 
wild  flowers. 

"Where  do  you  live?1'  inquired  Georgiana. 

"Down  there,"  she  answered,  pointing  with  her 
finger,  "at  the  bottom  of  the  hill.  My  mammy 
sent  me  to  call  daddy  home  to  dinner,  and  I  did 
not  go  the  way  she  bid  me,"  she  continued  in  a 
crying  voice,  "out  of  the  little  gate  at  the  foot  of 
the  garden  into  the  wood;  but  I  went  the  way  she 
bid  me  not,  round  the  field,  thinking  to  find  wild 
violets;  and  I  forgot  all  that  she  told  me  about  the 
bull  being  there  until  I  saw  him  running  towards 
me;  and  then  I  called  for  my  daddy  to  save  me, 
but  he  did  not  hear  me,  and  I  don't  know  where  he 
is;  and  I  am  sure  my  mammy  will  beat  me  when  I 
go  home,  for  doing  what  she  bid  me  not."  And 
again  the  little  girl  renewed  her  lamentations, 

"You  are  very  much  to  blame  indeed,  my  poor 

child,"   said  Georgiana.      "Your  disobeying  your 

mother  would  have  been  the  cause  of  your  death, 

had  not  a  good  and  merciful  God  saved  you.     I 

E 


38  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

trust  your  escape  will  make  an  impression  on  your 
mind  never  to  be  forgotten/1 

"O!  I  never,  never  will,  I  hope,  disobey  my 
mammy  again,  or  my  daddy  either,4"  sobbed  out  the 
little  girl. 

Georgiana's  anxiety  respecting  the  safety  of  her 
brother  and  sister  increased  every  minute.  The 
sight  of  the  bull  so  near  them,  added  much  to  her 
apprehensions  for  their  safety,  and  she  would  have 
gone  herself  in  search  of  them,  but  that  she  dared 
not  to  trust  the  little  ones  by  themselves,  and  she 
equally  feared  bringing  them  with  her.  Her  anxi- 
ous looks  were  directed  hither  and  thither,  with  an 
agonized  intensity  of  feeling,  as  restless  fancy 
brought  before  her  eyes  her  dear  brother  and  sister 
gored  by  the  frightful  bull,  and  lying  perhaps  at  no 
great  distance  weltering  in  their  blood;  and  at  the 
dreadful  thought,  a  faintness  came  over  her  from 
the  fluttering  of  her  heart.  But  she  remembered 
her  heavenly  Father,  who  is  as  a  shield  and  a  buck- 
ler to  all  who  put  their  trust  in  him ;  and  she  thought 
of  her  earthly  parents  as  she  mentally  said,  "Ah! 
no,  it  cannot  be,  that  the  children  of  so  many  pray- 
ers should  come  to  an  untimely  end.1''  While  she 
was  alternately  agitated,  and  quieted  by  the  variety 
of  her  feelings,  she  did  not  for  a  moment  withdraw 
her  regards  from  the  little  girls  at  her  side,  whose 
terrors  had  subsided  like  all  the  momentary  griefs 
of  childhood,  and  again  the  harmless  chase  of  the 
butterfly  flitting  from  flower  to  flower  occupied  all 


CHAPTER  III.  39 

their  cares,  in  which  they  were  joined  by  the  little 
stranger  who  had  glided  from  under  the  encircling 
arms  of  Georgiana  for  the  purpose. 

While  Georgiana  kept  the  children  in  her  view, 
she  paced  backwards  and  forwards  with  eyes  direct- 
ed upwards  to  Him  who  is  the  hearer  of  prayer, 
while  the  tears  that  gushed  from  them  flowed  down 
her  cheeks.  At  length  the  tall  figure  of  the  wood- 
ranger  appeared  among  the  distant  trees,  but  she 
could  not  see  that  he  was  accompanied;  as  he  ad- 
vanced, however,  she  joyfully  beheld  the  little 
truants,  whose  hand  he  held  at  each  side,  as  if  fear- 
ful that  they  would  again  elude  his  vigilance.  And 
now  Georgiana's  sorrows  were  literally  changed 
into  fits  of  laughter,  in  spite  of  herself,  at  the  ridi- 
culous appearance  of  William  and  Rosa,  who  had 
each  towering  caps  on  their  heads  of  green  rushes, 
and  held  whips  in  their  hands  made  of  the  same 
material;  their  faces  and  hands  were  besmeared 
with  mud,  and  Rosa^s  frock  hung  literally  in  tatters 
about  her.  William's  dress,  being  made  of  stronger 
manufacture,  escaped  better.  They  both  held  down 
their  heads,  while  the  woodranger  was  beginning  to 
speak,  but  he  was  prevented  from  proceeding  by 
the  child  whom  Georgiana  had  saved  from  the  bull. 
The  moment  she  perceived  him  she  sprung  round 
him,  crying  out,  "O!  daddy,  daddy,  you  are  come 
at  last :  but  you  did  not  come  in  time  to  save  me 
from  the  bull  in  the  outside  field;  he  would  have 
killed  me  quite  dead  if  the  young  lady  had  not 


40  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

opened  the  gate  and  pulled  me  in,  and  shut  it  close 
against  his  ugly  cross  face  and  horns." 

"What  brought  you  into  the  field,  Nanny?"  said 
he,  taking  the  little  girl  up  in  his  arms;  "your mo- 
ther and  I  have  often  warned  you  not  to  go  there, 
where  the  cattle  are  constantly  grazing;  that  bull 
has  already  done  much  mischief,  which  was  the  rea- 
son of  the  gate  being  kept  locked.  O !  how  merci- 
ful the  Lord  has  been  in  the  preservation  of  my 
child;  'it  is  good  to  trust  in  him  at  all  times/" 
Then  turning  to  Georgiana,  he  added,  "  I  cannot 
but  admire,  at  that  Providence,  miss,  which  made 
you  the  means  of  saving  my  child,  whilst  I  was 
directed  to  the  spot  where  your  little  brother  and 
sister,  as  I  may  say,  hung  over  a  yawning  precipice. 
You  know  those  high  rocks  hanging  over  the  sea, 
there  I  spied  them  out  at  last,  after  a  wearisome 
search,  perched  like  two  little  birds;  and  such 
scrambling  as  I  had  to  get  at  them !  Sure  enough 
I  thought  I  could  never  get  through  the  bushes 
and  brambles  and  over  the  rough  rocks,  but,  thank 
God,  we  are  all  here  together,  safe  and  well;  and 
I  hope  the  little  bruises  and  scratches  they  have 
got  will  be  of  use  to  them,  in  keeping  them  from 
running  again  into  such  dangerous  places.  The 
first  thing,  they  tell  me,  they  did,  was  to  make  their 
grand  caps  and  whips,  with  rushes,  which  they 
pulled  at  the  ditch  side,  and  there  they  waded  above 
their  ancles  in  water;  then  they  went  to  gather  wild 


CHAPTER  III.  41 

flowers,  and  crowned  all,  by  making  little  goats  of 
themselves  by  climbing  up  the  rocks." 

After  Georgiana  had  again  and  again  thanked 
the  woodranger,  she  asked  William  and  Rosa  what 
they  had  done  with  their  cap  and  bonnet? 

"O!"  said  William,  "that  is  true — Rosa  what 
did  you  do  with  my  cap  and  your  bonnet,  which  I 
gave  you  to  keep  safe  while  I  was  platting  the 
rushes  ?" 

"  I  don't  know,"  answered  the  little  girl,  "  I  left 
them  somewhere." 

"And  your  gloves?" 

"  They  are  lost  too,"  said  Rosa. 

"  There  is  no  time  now  to  look  for  them,"  said 
Georgiana;  "we  must  hasten  home  as  quickly  as 
possible,  lest  papa  and  mamma  should  feel  uneasy 
at  our  long  absence." 

The  woodranger  promised  he  would  seek  for  the 
cap,  bonnet  and  gloves,  and  carry  them  to  their 
house  in  the  morning;  the  children  took  leave  of 
him  and  his  little  daughter  and  proceeded  home- 
wards with  much  less  glee  than  they  had  set  out  in 
the  morning. 

The  two  little  culprits  hung  down  their  heads 
when  they  appeared  in  the  presence  of  papa  and 
mamma,  who  in  a  moment  perceived  that  all  was 
not  right. 

"  There  has  been  some  naughtiness  I  see,"  said 
papa,  "you  know  I  always  like  to  hear  a  true  and 
circumstantial  account  from  the  lips  of  the  offender," 


42  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

"No  one  was  naughty  but  Rosa  and  me,  papa,v 
said  the  blushing  boy  in  accents  of  deep  contrition. 
He  attempted  to  proceed,  but  tears  and  sobs  for 
that  time  put  a  stop  to  his  confession.  Rosa^s 
efforts  to  speak  were  equally  ineffectual,  so  that 
both  were  of  necessity  dismissed,  until  the  burst  of 
grief  was  over.  In  their  absence  Georgiana  related 
all  which  had  happened,  and  the  children  were 
punished  severely  by  not  being  permitted  to  appear 
before  their  papa  and  mamma  for  the  remainder  of 
the  evening.  The  next  morning,  however,  they 
were  forgiven,  on  their  still  evincing  shame  and 
penitence,  and  promising  that  they  would  try  to 
remember  always  to  pray  to  God  to  save  them  from 
sin  and  running  into  any  kind  of  danger. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


©I?  THI1 
(CONTINUED.) 


"GEORGIANA,"  said  Emma,  one  day  when  the 
children  were  all  seated  in  the  arbour  to  rest,  after 
some  hours  of  toil  in  the  sun  had  been  spent  in 
gravelling  their  garden  walks,  in  weeding,  in  plant- 
ing and  transplanting;  "do  you  remember  the 
day,  when  William  and  Rosa  frightened  you  so 
much  by  straying  out  of  sight ;  and  when  the  good- 
natured  woodranger  went  to  look  for  them,  and 
found  them?" 

" I  recollect  it  perfectly,"  said  Georgiana;  "my 
memory  would  be  bad  indeed  if  I  did  not,  as  it  was 
but  a  week  or  ten  days  since." 

"Well  then,  do  you  remember  just  at  the  time 
you  missed  them,  what  you  were  telling  us  about?" 

"Let  me  think;  was  it  not  the  history  of  ants? 

"Yes,  and  I  have  been  often  thinking  of  them, 


44  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

and  wishing  to  find  you  at  leisure  to  tell  us  more ; 
for  even  Robert  was  amused." 

"  'Even  Robert!111  cried  out  the  offended  boy, 
"do  you  think  I  never  like  to  hear  any  thing  but 
what  is  foolish.  Miss  Emma?  You  so  much 
younger  than  I  am,  to  fancy  yourself  wiser !" 

"No  matter  now,"  said  Georgiana,  "which  is  the 
wisest.  I  have  still  a  great  deal  to  tell  you  re- 
specting the  ants;  therefore,  listen  with  attention." 

"You  told  us  that  they  lay  up  stores  of  corn  for 
their  winter's  provision!" 

"They  certainly  store  it  up,"  said  Georgiana, 
"although  it  is  generally  supposed  that  they  lie 
torpid,  in  heaps  together,  during  the  severe  winter 
months.  The  corn  and  other  materials  which  they 
had  brought  to  their  retreat,  seem  to  serve  as 
fences  to  shelter  them  from  the  cold.  In  April  they 
awake  from  their  lethargy,  and  the  ant-hill,  which 
before  seemed  deserted,  now  swarms  with  inhabi- 
tants. The  first  day  they  spend  in  running  all 
over  their  hill,  which  they  regard  as  their  citadel, 
examining  any  injuries  it  may  have  sustained,  and 
planning  probably  the  labours  of  the  ensuing  day. 
Their  care  and  love  for  their  young  are  very 
remarkable.  When  the  female  ants  are  going  to 
lay  their  eggs,  they  alight  near  the  nest,  where  the 
labourers  or  servants  seize  upon  them,  and  pull  off 
their  wings,  that  they  may  not  have  power  to  fly 
away  again.  Then  they  drag  them  into  the  nest 
where  they  are  kept  like  prisoners  until  after  their 


CHAPTER  IV.  45 

eggs  are  laid.  Each  lady-ant  has  a  number  of 
these  servants  who  wait  upon  her,  and  obey  all  her 
commands,  treating  her  with  the  utmost  respect. 
They  supply  her  with  every  thing  she  may  wish 
for;  and  if  any  of  them  die,  they  lick  the  bodies 
for  several  days,  as  if  they  hoped  to  restore  them 
to  life." 

"  But  however,"  said  Emma,  "  I  do  not  think 
they  begin  very  respectfully  or  lovingly  either,  by 
tearing  off  their  poor  mistresses1  wings  and  making 
prisoners  of  them.*  What  sort  of  things  can  their 
eggs  be?" 

"They  are  so  small  that  you  could  hardly  see 
them.  There  are  little  white  balls  which  have 
been  mistaken  for  the  eggs ;  but  they  are  the  young 
ants  in  their  maggot  state,  wrapped  up  in  a  covering, 
which,  like  the  silk-worm,  they  have  spun  for  them- 
selves. The  egg,  when  seen  through  the  microscope, 
is  polished  and  shining.  It  seems  to  be  part  of  the 
business  of  the  working  ants  to  take  care  of  them. 
In  cold  weather,  they  take  them  in  their  mouths, 
but  so  gently  as  never  to  do  them  the  least  injury ; 
and  carry  them  to  the  deepest  and  most  sheltered 
part  of  the  habitation.  On  a  fine  day  they  again 

*  Some  naturalists  say  that  the  queens  throw  off  their  own 
wings.  Huber  indeed,  made  the  experiment  by  covering  one  with 
a  glass  bell  under  which  he  had  put  a  little  earth.  She  extended  her 
wings,  crossed  and  threw  them  from  side  to  side,  and  after  several 
curious  contortions,  her  four  wings  fell  off  at  the  same  moment. 
After  this  change  she  reposed,  brushed  her  corselets,  and  sought  a 
hiding-place  under  some  loose  earth. 


46  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

remove  them  with  the  same  caution,  where  the  heat 
of  the  sun  may  help  to  bring  them  forward.  Should 
their  habitation  be  destroyed,  the  first  care  of  these 
wonderful  insects  is  directed  to  their  young  brood, 
which  they  have  been  seen  to  carry  in  different 
directions,  as  they  ran  about  wildly  seeking  a  place 
of  safety.  When  water  is  thrown  in,  they  immedi- 
ately dig  down  to  deposit  their  eggs  in  a  dry  place, 
and  when  moisture  is  necessary  for  them  they  bring 
them  to  where  they  may  enjoy  and  suck  it  in. 
They  are  always  licking  them ;  and  if  any  of  them 
are  killed,  they  carry  off  the  body  piecemeal  in 
their  arms/1 

"How  do  the  ants  roof  their  galleries?"  Robert 
inquired. 

"  Some  of  them  place  bits  of  twigs  over  them, 
which  answer  the  purpose  of  rafters ;  while  one  set  of 
workmen  are  employed  in  this  way,  others  lay 
pieces  across  these,  and  cover  all  over  with  rushes, 
weeds,  and  dried  grass,  so  firmly  and  securely,  that 
the  heaviest  rain  cannot  penetrate  their  magazines. 
The  ground-work  of  these  buildings  is  formed  of  earth 
mixed  up  with  a  certain  glutinous  substance  pro- 
duced from  their  bodies. 

"  In  Sweden  there  is  a  species  of  ant  which  the 
natives  eat  with  great  pleasure.  A  young  gentle- 
man near  Gottenburg  was  observed  by  Mr.  Consett 
to  sit  down  on  an  ant-hill  and  feast  himself  on  these 
insects,  first  nipping  off  their  heads  and  wings. 
He  described  the  flavour  to  be  acid  like  a  lemon, 


CHAPTER  IV.  47 

but  much  more  agreeable  to  the  taste.  A  very 
grateful  acid  is  to  be  obtained  from  them  by  distilla- 
tion. 

"Dampier,  in  speaking  of  the  ants  of  South 
America,  says  that  the  stings  or  bites  of  the  Black 
Ants  are  as  bad  as  those  of  a  scorpion.  And  there 
is  a  small  yellow  ant  which  inhabits  the  boughs  of 
trees;  and  in  a  moment,  before  a  person  is  aware, 
he  may  be  covered  with  them  and  receive  stings, 
as  if  a  shower  of  fiery  sparks  had  descended.  Their 
winter  abode  is  the  nest  they  form  of  the  size  of  a 
hogshead  on  the  stems  of  great  trees  between  the 
spreading  boughs.  In  the  dry  season,  they  leave 
their  nests  and  swarm  over  the  woodlands,  where 
paths  may  be  seen  made  by  them  three  or  four 
inches  broad.  They  go  out  unencumbered,  but 
return  heavily  laden,  bearing  upon  their  backs  pieces 
of  green  leaves,  all  of  the  same  size  and  substance, 
so  large  as  to  hide  the  insect  under  his  burthen. 
They  marched  on  stoutly,  and  in  such  numbers 
that  the  green  path  appeared  to  move  forwards, 
presenting  a  curious  and  pretty  sight.  These  ants 
never  appear  in  the  savannas. 

"What  is  a  savanna,  Georgian  a  ?"  inquired 
Emma. 

"  It  is  an  open  meadow  free  from  wood,"  answered 
her  sister.  *'  The  male  and  female  ants  have  four 
wings.*  They  appear  to  be  the  masters  and  mistresses 

*  Take  notice,  that  all  winged  insects  are  the  same  with  the 
wingless ;  but  in  another  stage  of  existence.  In  this  respect,  anU 
go  through  the  same  changes  as  caterpillars  and  butterflies. 


48  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

of  the  others;  as  they  go  about  idle,  and  amuse  them- 
selves, while  the  latter  are  always  labouring  hard. 
Their  hills  are  generally  formed  near  some  large 
tree  and  a  stream  of  water;  that  they  may  obtain 
food  from  the  one,  and  moisture  from  the  other. 
Paths  are  seen  in  different  directions  leading  from 
their  dwelling  to  the  tree  and  the  water,  where  they 
are  always  busily  employed  passing  and  repassing. 
Their  chief  employment  is  carrying  home  provisions 
for  the  idlers,  as  well  as  for  themselves.  They  kill 
and  devour  small  insects.  First,  they  satisfy  their 
own  appetite,  and  then  carry  off  the  remainder. 
When  they  meet  with  an  insect  too  large  for  them  to 
manage  singly,  a  number  of  them  assail  and  tear  it 
to  pieces;  then  each  takes  up  his  load,  and  carries 
it  away  in  triumph  to  the  general  repository,  where 
there  is  no  distinct  property;  the  whole  community 
is  at  liberty  to  resort  to  it  to  help  themselves.  But 
they  make  it  a  rule  never  to  intrude  on  each  others^ 
dwellings.  Were  an  ant  to  venture  into  a  nest 
which  was  not  her  own,  she  would  immediately  be 
turned  out  and  punished.  The  experiment  was 
made  by  putting  an  ant  of  one  nest  into  another,  but 
she  ran  out  again  in  a  great  hurry  pursued  by  two 
or  three  others;  she  was  thrown  back  several  times 
until  at  last  the  enraged  little  animals  fell  upon  her 
and  tore  her  to  pieces.  When  pursued  and  fright- 
ened from  their  own  nest  to  the  entrance  of  another, 
they  will  stop,  and  try  every  means  of  escape,  or 
suffer  themselves  to  be  taken  rather  than  go  into 


CHAPTER  IV.  49 

any  door  but  their  own;  though  they  are  always 
ready  to  help  each  other  in  carrying  loads,  which 
they  lay  down  at  the  entrance,  for  the  inhabitants 
to  carry  in." 

"  I  think  it  is  very  cruel  to  teaze  them  by  making 
such  experiments,"  said  Emma. 

Her  sister  admitted  that  it  was  certainly  cruel ; 
but  that  it  is  the  only  mode  of  ascertaining  that 
these  things  are  real.  And  she  added,  "if  you  are 
not  tired,  Emma,  I  shall  tell  you  of  some  very  in- 
teresting experiments  which  have  been  made." 

"I  am  not  tired,  but  very  much  amused;  there- 
fore do  tell  me  all  you  have  read  of  these  curious 
little  creatures;"  Emma  quickly  replied. 

"A  gentleman  of  Cambridge,  one  day  saw  an 
ant  dragging  along  what,  in  comparison  with  itself, 
might  be  called  a  great  piece  of  timber.  Others 
also  were  laboriously  employed,  each  in  its  own 
way.  The  timber  carrier  came  to  an  ascent,  up 
which  he  could  not  pull  it,  with  all  his  efforts. 
Three  or  four  others  came  goodnaturedly  to  his 
assistance,  and  pushed  it  up ;  and  when  on  level 
ground,  they  left  it  with  him,  and  returned  to  their 
own  work.  The  poor  little  fellow  began  afresh  te 
tug  his  piece  of  wood,  which  was  thicker  at  one  end 
than  the  other;  unluckily  he  got  it  wedged  in  be- 
tween two  bits  of  stick,  in  such  a  manner  that  he 
could  not  with  all  his  exertions  force  it  on.  At 
last  he  ran  to  the  thick  end,  pulled  it  back,  turned 


50  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

it  on  its  edge,  and  then  ran  again  to  the  other  end, 
and  pulled  it  on  without  difficulty."" 

"Just  as  a  little  man  would  have  done!11  observ- 
ed Emma. 

"The  same  gentleman,  one  day  sitting  in  the 
garden  of  his  college,  saw  an  ant  busily  employed 
in  some  work  which  caused  him  to  go  back  and  for- 
ward very  often  over  the  same  ground.  He  traced 
him  to  the  entrance  of  a  community,  whence  he  ob- 
served him  to  take  up  the  dead  body  of  an  ant  in  his 
fangs,  and  run  away  with  it  to  some  distance,  where 
he  dropped  it,  and  returned  for  another,  which  had 
been  carried  out  during  his  absence,  and  left  ready 
for  him  on  his  return  at  the  door  of  the  nest. 

"A  gentleman  of  the  French  Academy  had  a 
box  of  earth  in  the  window  of  a  room  which  had 
been  long  empty ;  it  had  been  imbued  with  water, 
and,  from  the  falling  of  some  plaster,  rendered  a  dry 
barren  soil.  It  was  in  a  southern  aspect,  sheltered 
from  wind  and  rain,  and  in  the  neighbourhood  of  a 
granary.  So  many  advantages  combined  could 
not  fail  to  attract  some  communities  of  ants,  which 
are  endued  with  instinct  resembling  in  many  re- 
spects human  intellect.  The  ants  had  made  three 
nests  in  the  box,  when  the  owner  of  it  wished  to 
transplant  some  tulips;  but  observing  their  move- 
ments, he  became  so  much  interested  in  them,  that 
he  threw  aside  the  flowers,  resolving  to  assist  rather 
than  do  them  any  injury.  As  he  expresses  himself, 
'This  was  all  they  wanted;  their  policy  and  social 


CHAPTER  IV.  51 

order  being  more  perfect  than  that  of  the  wisest 
republics;  they  have  nothing  to  fear,  unless  a  new 
legislator  should  attempt  to  change  their  form  of 
government.  I  procured  them  all  conveniences.  I 
took  out  of  the  box  every  thing  troublesome,  and 
frequently  visited  and  studied  the  actions  of  my 
ants.  I  went  to  see  them  work  in  a  moonlight 
night;  and  frequently  watched  their  labours  during 
the  night;  they  were  always  passing  to  and  fro 
busily,  so  that  one  might  think  they  never  sleep.** 
In  the  day  time  ants  issue  from  their  holes,  carry- 
ing the  corn  from  their  granaries  under  ground  to 
dry  it  in  the  sun.  But  these  ants  brought  out 
theirs  only  by  moonlight.  This  gentleman  soon 
found  out  their  sagacity  in  this  particular,  so  differ- 
ent from  the  usual  practice  of  their  species.  There 
was  a  pigeon-house  in  the  vicinity;  had  they  ex- 
posed their  corn  in  the  day  time,  these  and  other 
birds  would  soon  have  demolished  it.  This  they 
had  certainly  experienced  to  be  the  case.  The 
gentleman  contrived  to  banish  the  birds,  which  had 
been  in  the  habit  of  hovering  over  and  alighting  at 
the  nests.  The  ants  being  delivered  from  their 
robbers,  took  courage,  and  brought  out  their  corn 
in  the  sun,  first  with  caution  in  small  quantities, 
watching,  and  looking  every  way,  that  they  might 
be  ready  to  carry  it  off  in  case  of  an  invasion. 
Finding,  however,  that  they  had  nothing  to  appre- 
hend, they  grew  bolder,  and  carried  all  their  corn 


52  SISTER'S  STORIES* 

out  in  good  order  every  day,  and  brought  it  back 
at  night. 

"  They  gather  many  particles  of  dry  earth,  bring 
them  every  day  out,  and  place  them  round,  to  heat 
in  the  sun.  Every  ant  brings  one  particle,  lays  it 
by  the  hole,  and  then  fetches  another.  Thus,  in  a 
quarter  of  an  hour,  many  such  particles  are  heaped 
up  round  the  hole  upon  that  earth.  They  lay  their 
corn  under  ground,  and  cover  it  with  the  same; 
this  work  is  done  most  days  during  the  sun's  heat; 
and  though  the  sun  went  from  the  window  about 
four  o'clock,  they  did  not  remove  their  corn  and 
the  particles  of  earth,  because  the  ground  was  very 
hot,  until  the  heat  was  over. 

"The  ants  having  brought  out  the  particles  of 
earth,  then  carry  out  their  corn,  and  place  it  round 
the  earth;  but  they  take  care  to  do  so  only  when 
the  weather  is  clear,  and  the  sun  shining  bright. 
One  day  the  gentleman  of  whom  I  told  you,  saw 
them  bring  it  out  at  eleven  o'clock,  and  he  was  very 
much  surprised  to  see  them  take  all  up  again  upon 
their  shoulders  and  carry  it  back  before  one;  which 
was  very  unusual,  the  sun  being  hot  and  the  sky 
serene.  Soon  after,  it  became  clouded  and  a  light 
shower  fell,  which  of  course  the  ants  foresaw." 

"The  ants  are  wiser  than  I  am,"  said  Robert;  "if 
I  saw  the  sun  bright,  and  the  sky  clear,  it  would 
never  come  into  my  head  that  rain  would  soon  come. 
When  the  sun  shines,  I  just  go  on  as  if  it  were 
always  to  shine." 


CHAPTER  IV.  £3 

"We  are  too  apt  to  be  improvident  in  regard  to 
what  more  materially  concerns  us;  so  that  in  this 
instance  also,  we  may  go  to  the  ant  for  instruction," 
answered  Georgiana. 

"The  gentleman  tells  us,"  she  continued,  "that 
his  ants  fetched  their  corn  out  of  a  garret,  from 
whence  they  always  chose  the  best  grains.  They 
were  glad  of  wheat  when  they  could  find  any; 
but  when  they  could  not,  contented  themselves 
with  rye,  oats,  millet,  and  even  crumbs  of  bread: 
any  of  these  they  preferred  to  barley,  which  they 
only  took  when  they  could  procure  nothing  else. 
The  gentleman  who  watched  them  closely,  put  a 
small  heap  of  wheat  into  a  corner  of  the  room  where 
they  were;  and  to  prevent  their  going  to  the  garret, 
he  shut  the  window  and  stopt  up  all  the  crevices. 
The  poor  ants  were  at  a  great  loss,  not  knowing 
that  there  was  a  supply  of  provisions  so  near,  and 
took  long  and  painful  journeys  in  quest  of  them; 
and  often  seemed  not  to  like  what  they  brought 
home;  yet  none  returned  empty-handed;  if  they 
could  get  nothing  else,  they  came  loaded  with  a  bit 
of  earth.  For  a  length  of  time  he  continued  to 
observe  whether  their  sense  of  smelling,  or  any 
other  means  would  direct  them  to  the  hoard  in  the 
corner.  They  continued  however  to  weary  them- 
selves by  long  excursions,  the  window  looking  into 
the  garden  being  two  stories  high.  Some  traversed 
the  garden,  and  others  mounted  up  the  wall  to  the 
fifth  story;  which  was  a  laborious  journey  for  a 


SISTER'S  STORIES. 


little  ant  loaded  with  a  large  grain  of  corn;  they 
•were  often  four  hours  in  performing  it;  whence  its 
labours  are  compared  to  those  of  man  who  should 
walk  four  leagues  every  day,  carrying  a  heavy  load 
upon  his  shoulders.  They  travel  easily  upon  flat 
ground;  but  when  they  are  obliged  to  climb  walls 
with  their  head  downwards  and  their  body  upwards, 
carrying  a  burden  as  large  as  themselves,  it  must 
be  hard  work  for  such  a  little  animal.  Only  those 
who  watch  their  movements  can  conceive  it.  Their 
frequent  stops  in  the  most  convenient  places  plainly 
indicate  weariness.  Some  seemed  puzzled  how  to 
proceed;  and  while  they  delayed,  the  stronger  and 
less  weary  having  left  their  burdens  at  home,  re- 
turned to  their  assistance.  Some  poor  little  fellows 
fell  down  with  their  load  when  nearly  at  the  nest. 
One  in  particular  was  observed  to  fall,  after  a  very 
laborious  march  which  he  had  made,  carrying  with 
wonderful  pains  a  large  grain  of  wheat.  He  must 
have  been  vexed,  yet  with  much  patience  took  up  his 
grain  of  corn  again  in  his  paws,  and  repeated  the  weary 
journey.  Three  times  this  misfortune  happened; 
sometimes  when  half  way  to  his  house,  and  again 
when  he  had  advanced  farther.  Still  he  kept  fast 
his  hold,  and  was  not  discouraged.  At  length  how- 
ever his  strength  failed,  and  he  waited  until  another 
ant  came  and  helped  him  to  carry  it.  While  climb- 
ing, should  their  grain  of  corn  accidentally  fall  from 
their  paws,  if  possible  they  seize  it  again  ;  but  if 
they  cannot  find  it,  they  take  up  another,  or  some 


CHAPTER  IV,  55 

burden,  being  ashamed  to  go  home  empty.  This 
experiment  was  made  by  the  gentleman  taking  up 
the  grain  of  corn  when  it  dropped  from  their  paws. 
At  last  he  took  pity  upon  them,  and  threw  one  of 
the  largest  ants  upon  the  small  heap  of  wheat.  He 
was  frightened,  I  suppose,  at  being  carried  off  in 
such  a  strange  manner,  as  he  ran  away  to  the  nest 
without  taking  up  a  grain  of  the  wheat;  but  how- 
ever he  told  his  companions  of  it,  for  they  all  filed 
off  to  the  same  heap,  and  soon  there  was  not  a  grain 
left  which  they  had  not  carried  off.  The  gentleman 
supplied  them  with  more,  that  he  might  ascertain 
the  quantity  which  would  satisfy  them  to  have  in 
their  stores. 

"The  three  ants'  nests  were  like  three  cities 
governed  by  the  same  laws.  One  amongst  them 
was  superior  to  the  others;  the  inhabitants  being 
more  numerous,  larger,  stronger  and  better  regu- 
lated; their  provisions  were  in  greater  plenty  and 
of  a  better  kind.  In  short,  this  was  the  principal 
nest,  to  which  the  others  seemed  to  be  in  some  de- 
gree subservient  The  box  in  which  this  settle- 
ment was  established,  was  in  a  dry  situation;  yet 
occasionally  the  rain  beat  in  upon  it  to  the  great 
inconvenience  of  its  inhabitants.  The  ants  of  the 
principal  nest  warded  it  off  by  an  ingenious  expe- 
dient. They  found  a  small  piece  of  slate,  which  a 
number  of  the  strongest  surrounded  and  drew 
along  in  wonderful  order  over  the  hole  of  their 
dwelling,  when  they  foresaw  it  would  rain,  and  also 


56  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

almost  every  night,  removing  it  in  the  morning. 
It  was  most  curious  to  see  those  little  animals 
engaged  in  such  a  work.  The  ground  being  made 
uneven  by  their  labours,  the  slate  did  not  lie  flat, 
but  left  a  free  passage  underneath.  The  ants  of 
the  other  nests  did  not  contrive  so  well ;  they  laid 
pieces  of  old  plaster  over  their  holes  which  defended 
them  badly  from  the  rain;  and  were  often  busily 
employed  after  it  was  over  in  repairing  the  damage 
they  had  received.  Ants  dislike  rain  so  much,  that 
if  it  surprise  them  when  on  their  way  for  provisions, 
they  take  shelter,  and  remain  until  the  rain  is  quite 
over. 

"  The  same  gentleman  tells  of  another  experiment 
he  made  to  force  some  ants  to  forsake  their  old 
tenement,  which  was  in  bad  order,  and  form  another 
in  his  box.  He  destroyed  it  several  times,  but  they 
always  repaired  it ;  until  at  last  he  blew  it  up  with 
gunpowder,  and  carried  off  all  the  ants  he  could 
find  to  the  new  nest  which  he  had  partly  made,  and 
furnished  them  with  materials  to  finish  it.  Wet 
weather  coming  on  at  the  time,  favoured  his  plan, 
which  was  at  length  completed,  in  the  establishment 
of  the  new  colony." 

"What  a  delightful  thing  it  would  be  to  have 
pet  ants,"  said  Emma,  "they  would  be  more  amus- 
ing than  dogs,  cats,  birds,  or  even  monkeys.  Is 
there  any  thing  more  about  them  in  that  pleasant 
book  ?" 

"Yes,  you  have  not  yet  heard  of  various  species 


CHAPTER  IV.  57 

of  ants,  amongst  which  are  AMAZON  ANTS,  and  the 
enemy  of  ants,  the  Ant  lion.1' 

"  The  first,  I  suppose,"*  said  Robert,  "must  have 
got  their  names  from  their  warlike  propensities." 

"  You  judge  very  rightly,""  said  his  sister.  "  The 
business  of  their  lives  is  war  and  rapine.  They  at- 
tack the  weaker  ants,  and  after  a  desperate  battle, 
plunder  them  of  their  eggs  and  larvae,  which  they 
carry  off  to  their  own  nests.  The  eggs  are  hatched 
and  reared  by  ants  of  their  own  species,  which  had 
been  brought  into  subjection  to  the  Amazons  in  the 
same  way." 

" Georgiana,"  said  Robert,  "this  reminds  me  of 
the  slave  trade!" 

"I  believe,  indeed,"  answered  his  sister,  "there 
is  nothing  else  in  nature  which  can  be  compared 
to  it.  In  one  thing,  however,  the  Amazon  ants 
are  much  more  kind  than  the  human  species.  The 
young  ants  which  they  rear  up  with  themselves  are 
treated  with  tenderness  and  care ;  but  when  fit  for 
labour,  become  the  servants  of  the  Amazons,  who 
do  no  work  themselves,  but  live  like  gentlemen 
with  their  domestics  waiting  upon  them;  these  at- 
tend them  with  the  affection  of  children  to  their 
parents,  retaining  no  sense  of  the  injury  done  them 
in  their  subjugation." 

Robert  next  asked  his  sister  to  give  them  an  ac- 
count of  the  ant  lion  (Formica  leo)  which  she  did  as 
follows : 

"  The  ANT  LION  is  a  very  curious  insect,  to  all 


58  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

appearance  the  most  helpless  and  slow  of  animals. 
But  what  it  wants  in  activity  it  makes  up  by  stra- 
tagem. Not  having  the  power  of  pursuing  its  prey, 
it  forms  a  comical  pit  to  entrap  insects.  Its  body, 
composed  of  wings,  resembles  that  of  a  wood-louse. 
It  has  six  legs,  a  pair  of  hooked  jaws,  and  six  eyes 
at  each  side  of  its  head,  which  render  it  very  quick- 
sighted.  It  feeds  on  the  juices  of  ants  and  other 
insects.  In  forming  its  pit,  it  chooses  a  dry  sandy 
soil  under  a  tree  or  some  old  wall,  where  there  is 
generally  a  plentiful  resort  of  ants.  It  begins  its 
operation  by  tracing  a  circular  furrow,  and  placing 
itself  within  side.  It  uses  the  hind  part  of  its  body 
as  a  ploughshare  to  turn  up  the  sand,  and  one  of  its 
fore-legs  serves  as  a  shovel  to  throw  it  upon  its  flat 
square  head;  which  when  sufficiently  loaded,  it  jerks 
the  whole  beyond  the  outward  circle  which  it  has 
made,  to  an  astonishing  distance.  Its  movements 
are  all  backwards;  and  when  it  has  excavated  one 
circle  it  begins  another  in  the  opposite  direction, 
and  so  on  until  its  pit  is  completed,  ending  in  a 
point.  It  uses  its  inner  leg  in  loading  its  head 
with  sand,  which  it  takes  care  always  to  remove 
from  within  the  circle,  never  touching  what  is  out- 
side; for  which  reason  the  inside  legs  only  can  be 
used;  and  that  both  may  work  in  their  turn,  the 
clever  little  engineer  makes  its  furrows  in  opposite 
directions.  When  pebbles  obstruct  its  labours,  it 
places  them  on  its  head  and  tosses  them  beyond  the 
margin  of  the  pit.  When  any  of  these  are  too 


ANT-LION.-— Formica  leo. 
(Perfect  Insect) 


Trap  of  Larva. 


CHAPTER  IV.  59 

heavy  for  its  head,  it  works  its  tail  under  the  peb- 
ble, and  by  moving  the  rings  of  its  body  it  hoists 
the  load  on  its  back,  and  walks  backwards  up  the 
sloping  side  of  the  pit.  Should  the  burden  un- 
happily tumble  off,  it  renews  its  efforts  again  and 
again  until  success  attends  them.  When  all  is 
finished,  it  lurks  at  the  bottom  of  its  pit  for  its 
prey,  of  the  approach  of  which  it  is  warned  by  the 
falling  in  of  some  grains  of  sand;  then  the  ingenious 
insect  immediately  throws  up  showers  of  sand  with 
its  head,  which  never  fail  to  precipitate  the  luck- 
less ant  into  the  expanded  jaws  of  its  destroyer. 
When  it  has  sucked  out  the  juice  of  the 
ant,  it  casts  out  the  empty  skin  as  far  as 
possible  beyond  the  brink  of  the  pit.  It  then 
climbs  up  to  repair  any  injuries  that  the  edge 
may  have  sustained,  and  again  buries  itself 
to  wait  for  another  meal.  Through  the  forceps 
it  takes  in  nourishment;  and  holds  at  the  tip  of 
them  any  animal  it  has  seized.  They  serve  as 
syringes,  to  draw  into  its  stomach  the  juices  of  the 
bodies  which  it  feeds  upon.  There  is  neither  mouth, 
trunk,  nor  other  organ,  about  its  head,  which  could 
answer  the  purpose  of  eating.  The  head  seems 
only  intended  for  throwing  up  sand.  If  any  acci- 
dent deprives  it  of  its  jaws  or  forceps,  they  grow 
again;  being  necessary  to  its  existence. 

"It  is  now  in  its  larva  state;  when  that  is  overs 
it  leaves  its  pit  and  buries  itself  under  the  surface 
of  the  sand,  and  winds  itself  up  in  a  fine  silken. 


60  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

web  in  which  it  is  to  pass  into  a  winged  state.  This 
creature  spins  its  web  as  the  spiders  do,  and  with  a 
quantity  of  the  grains  of  sand  cements  it  together 
by  a  glutinous  substance  which  it  exudes  from  its 
pores.  This  is  but  an  outward  covering  to  defend  it 
from  injuries,  and  would  be  much  too  harsh  for  its 
soft  and  delicate  body,  which  is  beautifully  enve- 
loped within  a  covering  of  pure,  fine  pearl  coloured 
silk.  When  it  has  lain  some  time  in  this  case,  it 
disengages  itself  from  its  outer  skin,  and  becomes 
an  oblong  nymph  or  chrysalis,  in  which  a  nice  ob- 
server may  trace  the  form  of  the  fly  into  which  it 
is  to  be  transformed.  This  nymph  makes  about  half 
its  way  out  of  the  shell,  and  so  remains  without 
further  life  or  motion,  till  the  perfect  fly  comes  out 
of  a  slit  in  the  back.  In  this  its  last  state,  it  re- 
sembles the  dragon  fly."" 

"Well,1'  said  Emma,  "this  is  a  curious  story  in- 
deed. I  wish,  dear  Georgiana,  you  could  go  on ; 
but  I  suppose  we  must  leave  off  for  a  little  time." 


CHAPTER  V. 


©F   TOU  WJflnTll 


GEORGIAXA  being  seated  in  her  favourite  bower, 
deeply  occupied  in  that  delightful  study  to  which 
her  dear  father  had  lately  directed  her  attention, 
her  meditative  mind  found  abundant  scope  for  re- 
flection; and  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  the  calm 
evening  hour  and  tranquil  scene,  her  thoughts  left 
all  terrestrial  things  behind,  and  soared  to  the  high 
heaven  of  God's  creation ;  when  the  whole  train  of 
her  ideas  was  suddenly  broken  by  the  entrance  of 
Robert,  Emma,  and  William,  in  breathless  haste 
trying  who  should  reach  her  first. 

"Here  we  are,  dear  Georgiana,"  began  Robert, 
"wearied  out  with  running  up  and  down  the  banks 
of  the  glen,  hunting  Dido  after  the  rabbits,  and 
watching  how  she  chased  them  into  their  holes,  and 
sometimes  scratched  with  her  paws  as  if  determined 
G 


62  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

to  pull  them  out  again.  We  want  now  to  sit  with 
you  to  rest  ourselves,  if  you  will  tell  us  something 
more  of  the  dear  little  ants." 

Georgiana  from  childhood  accustomed  to  relin- 
quish her  own  gratification,  when  called  upon  to 
oblige  or  be  serviceable  to  others,  now  cheerfully 
laid  aside  "Dick's  Christian  Philosopher"  which  she 
had  been  reading,  and  opened  "  Bingley's  Animal 
Biography,"  at  the  account  of  the  white  ants,  that 
she  might  refer  to  it  as  often  as  her  memory  wanted 
refreshing. 

"  You  will  not,  I  think,  call  the  species,  I  shall 
now  tell  you  of,  'dear  little  ants/  when  you  hear 
that  their  depredations  is  the  cause  of  their  being 
dreaded  by  the  human  race  wherever  they  establish 
themselves.  They  are  called  Termites,  Termes 
fatalis,  or  WHITE  ANTS,  and  are  found  in  the  East 
Indies,  Africa,  and  South  America.  They  erect 
their  hills  on  the  surface  of  the  ground  to  such  an 
extent  and  size,  as  at  a  little  distance  to  be  taken 
for  villages  of  negroes'  huts.  They  are  in  the  form 
of  a  cone,  rising  ten,  twelve,  or  twenty  feet  high." 

"O  Georgiana,"  said  William,  "what  sort  of 
ants  can  these  be?  surely  they  must  be  beasts  as 
large  as  horses  or  cows !" 

"By  no  means,  William,  they  are  not  even  as 
large  as  beavers.  The  animals  which  rear  for 
themselves  such  lofty  dwellings,  are  but  the  fourth 
of  an  inch  long;  some  of  our  ants  are  larger. 
I  speak  of  those  only  who  are  the  builders; 


CHAPTER  V.  63 

there  being  three  different  orders  among  the  in- 
habitants of  each  hill,  which  are  three  transmigra- 
tions or  changes  in  the  same  insect.  The  first 
is  the  smallest  and  most  numerous,  (the  larvce) 
they  are  called  Labourers.  In  the  second  state, 
(nymphce)  they  increase  to  fifteen  times  the  size, 
and  are  called  Soldiers,  having  now  no  other  employ- 
ment than  to  guard  and  defend  the  settlement. 
The  last  state,  which  is  the  perfect  insect,  is  digni- 
fied with  the  title  of  nobility  or  gentry,  or  Kings 
and  Queens.  The  soldiers  not  only  increase  in  size, 
but  acquire  a  different  form.  The  head  grows 
strong,  horny,  and  larger  than  all  the  rest  of  the 
body;  and  those  organs  which  had  been  calculated 
merely  for  gnawing,  now  become  jaws,  hard  as  the 
claws  of  a  crab,  and  sharp  as  awls,  to  cut  and  pierce 
through  every  obstacle.  The  last  change  is  the 
most  remarkable  of  the  three;  the  head  and  thorax 
or  chest  become  totally  different  from  the  same 
parts  in  the  labourers  and  soldiers,  from  whom  they 
differ  as  much  in  character  as  in  appearance;  from 
being  the  most  active,  industrious,  and  rapacious  of 
little  animals,  they  become  idle,  harmless,  cowardly, 
and  helpless.  This  change  happens  just  before  the 
rainy  season;  and  in  the  buffetting  of  the  storm, 
their  mangled  remains  cover  the  ground  and  the 
waters.'1 

"How  foolish  they  are,"  said  Emma,  "for  leav- 
ing the  shelter  of  their  comfortable  hill!  How  do 
they  contrive  to  get  to  any  distance  from  it  ?" 

"By  the  new  acquisition  of  four  large,  brown 


64  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

transparent  wings,  which  measure  two  inches  and  a 
half  from  tip  to  tip,  their  bodies  being  three  quar- 
ters of  an  inch  long.  When  they  emigrate,  or  fly 
from  the  nest,  their  numbers  are  very  great;  but 
the  enemies  they  meet  with  are  even  greater.  They 
not  only  become  the  prey  of  every  species  of  ant 
and  carnivorous  reptile,  but  are  eaten  by  the  inha- 
bitants of  many  parts  of  Africa,  and  considered  a 
great  delicacy.  The  taste  is  compared  to  sugared 
marrow  and  to  sugared  cream,  and  a  paste  of  sweet 
almonds.  The  day  of  their  flight  is  that  of  their 
massacre,  from  which  very  few  escape;  those  only 
can  who  are  so  fortunate  as  to  be  found  by  some  of 
the  labouring  insects,  which  are  continually  running 
about  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  under  their 
covered  galleries.  When  a  pair  are  found,  they  are 
elected  king  and  queen  of  a  new  community;  and 
to  protect  them  from  innumerable  enemies,  they 
are  immediately  immured  in  a  small  clay  chamber 
proportioned  to  their  size,  to  which  the  doors  are 
sufficiently  large  for  the  labourers  and  soldiers  to 
enter,  but  too  small  for  creatures  more  than  double 
the  size  of  the  latter  to  get  out." 

"That  makes  prisoners  of  them,  instead  of  kings 
and  queens,"'  said  Emma. 

"The  remainder  of  their  lives  they  must  pass  in 
confinement,  but  they  are  in  a  place  of  safety ;  sur- 
rounded by  willing  subjects,  who  do  every  thing  in 
their  power  to  promote  their  ease  and  comfort,  and 
who  take  upon  them  the  task  of  providing  for  the 


CHAPTER  V.  65 

young  brood,  as  well  as  defending  them.  The 
queen's  body  fills  with  eggs,  and  becomes  a  thousand 
times  heavier  than  the  king.  In  twenty-four  hours, 
her  attendants,  of  whom  there  are  always  a  number 
waiting  in  the  adjacent  galleries,  carry  off  her  eggs, 
and  deposit  them  in  nurseries  which  are  made  in  a 
straight  line,  sometimes  four  or  five  feet  distant. 
There  the  eggs  are  hatched,  and  the  young  ants 
are  watched,  and  provided  for  until  sufficiently 
grown  to  become  labourers  themselves.  The  nur- 
series are  constructed  of  wooden  materials,  joined 
together  with  a  glutinous  substance,  quite  different 
from  all  the  other  apartments  which  are  made  of 
clay.  Here  they  have  also  a  kind  of  little  gardens 
for  the  cultivation  of  a  species  of  microscopical 
mushroom,*  as  food  for  the  young  insects."" 

"  What  kind  of  mushroom  can  that  be,"  inquir- 
ed Emma. 

"  Too  minute,  I  suppose,  to  be  discerned  by  the 
naked  eye.  Here  also  they  form  their  magazines, 
which  are  well  stored  with  provisions.1' 

"What  are  their  provisions?' 

"When  examined  closely  with  a  microscope,  they 
were  found  chiefly  to  consist  of  gums  and  juices  of 
plants,  which  they  lay  together  in  different  masses 
or  heaps.  Some  of  a  finer  description  than  others 
looked  like  sugar  over  preserved  fruits ;  some  were 
transparent  like  the  tears  of  gum ;  and  some  resem- 
bled pieces  of  amber:  but  without  the  microscope, 

*  Nature  Displayed. 
G2 


OO  SISTER  S  STORIES. 

the  whole  seemed  to  be  nothing  better  than  the 
raspings  of  wood  and  plants. 

"  These  sagacious  little  animals  take  the  wisest 
precautions  to  protect  their  habitations  from  the 
injuries  of  the  weather,  and  from  the  attacks  of 
of  their  enemies.  The  interior  building  is  fortified 
by  an  exterior  covering  or  large  clay  shell,  shaped 
like  a  dome. 

"When  the  hills  are  first  seen,  they  are  in  the 
form  of  conical  turrets  about  a  foot  high,  the  num- 
bers of  them  increasing  until  the  underworks  are 
entirely  covered.  The  turrets  in  the  centre  being 
the  highest,  when  the  intervals  between  each  are 
filled  up,  the  whole  is  at  last  collected  into  one 
great  dome.  The  chamber  of  the  queen  is  gener- 
ally on  a  level  with  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and 
as  nearly  as  possible  the  central  apartment,  in  the 
form  of  an  oval  oven  or  half  an  egg.  In  the  in- 
fant state  of  the  colony,  it  is  not  more  than  an  inch 
in  length,  but  it  is  enlarged  to  eight  inches  or  more 
in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  queen,  who  increases 
in  bulk  as  in  age.  At  first  the  nurseries  are  close  to 
her  chamber;  but  as  she  grows  larger,  they  are 
pulled  to  pieces  to  make  room,  and  rebuilt  on  a 
larger  scale,  and  in  greater  numbers,  at  a  more  con- 
venient distance;  the  queen  requiring  this  from 
laying  a  greater  quantity  of  eggs,  and  wanting 
more  numerous  attendants.  Thus  are  these  busy 
animals  constantly  employed  in  pulling  down,  re- 
pairing or  rebuilding,  and  they  perform  all  their 


WHITE  ANT.— Termes  Bellicosus. 


CHAPTER  V.  67 

operations  with  wonderful  sagacity,  regularity  and 
foresight.  The  numerous  apartments  compose  an 
intricate  labyrinth,  which  extends  a  foot  or  more  in 
diameter  from  the  royal  chamber  on  every  side. 
The  nurseries  and  magazines  are  separated  by  small 
empty  chambers  and  galleries  which  surround  them, 
and  communicating  with  each  other,  are  continued 
on  all  sides  to  the  outward  shell,  and  reach  up  to 
within  two-thirds  or  three-fourths  of  its  height, 
leaving  an  open  area  in  the  middle  under  the  dome, 
which  resembles  the  nave  of  an  old  gothic  cathe- 
dral. This  area  is  surrounded  by  large  gothic 
arches,  which  are  sometimes  two  or  three  feet  high 
next  to  the  front  of  the  area,  but  diminish  rapidly 
as  they  recede,  like  the  arches  of  aisles  in  perspec- 
tive, and  are  lost  among  the  numberless  chambers 
and  nurseries  behind  them.  All  these  are  arched 
and  naturally  contribute  to  the  support  of  one  ano- 
ther. The  inferior  building,  or  assemblage  of 
nurseries,  passages,  Sec.  has  a  flattish  roof  without 
any  perforation  or  opening;  by  which  contrivance, 
should  water  penetrate  the  outer  dome,  it  could  not 
injure  them.  The  area  above  the  royal  chamber 
has  also  a  flattish  roof;  and  being  water-proof,  is 
so  constructed  that  should  water  gain  admittance, 
it  runs  off  through  subterraneous  passages  which 
are  cylindrical  or  tubelike,  some  of  them  thirteen 
inches  in  diameter.  These  subterraneous  passages 
are  thickly  lined  with  the  same  kind  of  clay  of 
which  the  hill  is  composed,  and  wind  in  a  spiral 


68  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

form  inside  the  outer  covering  to  the  top  of  the 
building,  intersecting  and  communicating  with  each 
other  at  different  heights.  From  every  part  of 
these  galleries  a  number  of  pipes,  or  smaller  galle- 
ries, communicate  with  the  different  apartments  in 
the  building.  There  are  other  passages  which  lead 
downwards  in  a  sloping  direction  three  or  four  feet 
perpendicular  under  ground,  among  the  gravel 
where  the  labouring  ants  select  the  finer  parts  which 
they  work  up  in  their  mouths,  to  the  consistency 
of  mortar.  Of  this  composition  their  hills  are  con- 
structed, and  it  becomes  solid  like  stone.  They 
form  passages  in  every  direction,  to  great  distances 
under  ground,  but  near  the  surface,  for  the  purpose 
of  foraging. 

"  The  account  given  of  the  police  of  these  insects 
is  very  remarkable,  respecting  the  different  occupa- 
tions of  the  soldiers  and  labourers.  The  nest  may 
be  termed  a  city  having  its  civil  and  military 
establishments.  When  a  breach  is  made  in  any 
part  of  the  building  with  an  axe  or  other  instrument, 
a  soldier  immediately  appears  and  walks  about  the 
place  where  the  damage  is  done,  seemingly  to 
examine  into  its  extent,  and  to  ascertain  the  nature 
of  the  enemy.  He  then  returns  from  whence  he 
came,  and  having  given  the  alarm,  troops  rush  out 
as  fast  as  the  breach  will  permit — and  now  the 
battle  becomes  furious.  It  would  be  difficult  to 
describe  the  rage  of  these  little  insects.  They 
frequently  roll  down  the  sides  of  the  hill,  but 


CHAPTER  V.  69 

quickly  recover  themselves,  biting  all  before  them, 
and  striking  against  the  building  with  their  forceps, 
which  makes  a  vibrating  crackling  noise  heard  at 
the  distance  of  several  feet.  While  the  attack  upon 
their  wall  continues,  nothing  can  exceed  their  bustle 
and  agitation,  numbers  still  coming  forward  to 
recruit  their  forces ;  and  if  they  can  get  hold  on 
any  part  of  a  man's  body,  they  inflict  a  painful 
wound;  if  upon  the  leg,  the  blood  on  the  stocking 
extends  above  an  inch  in  width.  They  make  their 
hooked  jaws  meet  at  the  first  stroke,  and  never 
quit  their  hold;  but  will  allow  themselves  to  be 
torn  to  pieces  without  any  attempt  to  escape. 

"When  no  further  disturbance  is  given,  they 
retire  into  the  nest,  and  the  labourers  take  their 
place  to  repair  the  damage.  Each  workman  comes 
with  his  mouth  filled  with  tempered  mortar,  which 
he  sticks  upon  the  breach  as  fast  as  he  arrives. 
The  work  goes  on  with  wonderful  despatch  and 
regularity;  and  although  the  numbers  are  immense, 
they  never  interrupt  each  other.  People  standing 
by  and  watching  this  operation,  are  agreeably 
surprised  to  see,  amidst  apparent  hurry  and  con- 
fusion, the  wall  regularly  and  gradually  arise  to 
fill  up  the  chasm.  While  the  labourers  continue  at 
work,  the  soldiers,  all  but  a  few,  remain  within. 
One  soldier  walks  about  among  six-hundred  or  a 
thousand  labourers,  as  if  to  order  and  direct  them ; 
but  he  never  attempts  to  touch  the  mortar.  Another 
takes  his  stand  close  to  the  wall  where  they  are 


TO  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

repairing  the  breach;  he  turns  himself  leisurely  on 
all  sides,  and  at  intervals  of  a  minute  or  two,  beats 
with  his  forceps  against  the  building,  making  the 
vibrating  noise  already  mentioned,  and  he  is  im- 
mediately answered  by  a  loud  hiss  from  within; 
that  it  is  for  the  labourers  is  apparent,  by  their  re- 
doubling their  exertions  as  often  as  the  signal  is 
repeated. 

"Another  attack  on  the  building  changes  the 
scene  of  action  in  a  moment.  The  labourers  run 
into  their  pipes  and  galleries,  while  the  soldiers 
again  rush  out  to  resume  the  combat.  Should  they 
find  it  a  false  alarm,  they  return  leisurely  from 
whence  they  came,  and  the  labourers  again  appear 
loaded,  and  actively  and  industriously  apply  them- 
selves to  work,  with  an  inspecting  soldier  every 
here  and  there  dispersed  as  before.  Every  renewal 
of  an  attack  produces  the  same  effects;  and  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  them  alternately  fighting  and 
working  may  be  obtained  as  often  as  it  is  repeated. 
The  soldiers  and  labourers  never  interfere  with  each 
other's  particular  employment,  however  great  the 
emergency,  The  devotion  of  the  former  is  most 
extraordinary:  they  fight  to  the  very  last,  and  often 
drive  away  the  negroes,  who  are  without  shoes. 

"  The  Europeans  mount  the  buildings  of  these 
ants,  to  look  over  the  grass,  which  in  that  country 
grows  upon  an  average  thirteen  feet  high.'" 

"How  do  people  ever  contrive  to  see  the  interior 
of  these  buildings  ?"  inquired  Robert, 


CHAPTER  V.  71 

"  They  have  been  explored  with  difficulty, "  an- 
swered Georgiana.     "  In  battering  down  the  fabric* 
the  apartments  surrounding  the  royal  chamber,  the 
nurseries,  arches,  and  galleries  are  so  constructed, 
that  in  attempting  to  remove  one,  two  or  three  are 
demolished.     Another  great  obstacle  is  from  the 
desperate  courage  of  the  soldiers,  who  dispute  every 
inch  of  ground  with  the  desperation  of  those  who 
will  conquer  or  die.     And  all  the  while,  the  labour- 
ers are  equally  indefatigable  in  barricading  the  way, 
and  stopping  up  the  different  passages  which  lead 
to  the  various  apartments;  but  particularly  to  that 
of  the  king  and  queen ;  all  the  entrances  to  which 
they  fill  up  so  artfully,  that  externally  it  has  the 
appearance  of  a  shapeless  lump  of  clay,  and  could 
not  be  distinguished,  but  from  its  situation  with 
respect  to  the  other  parts  of  the  building,  and  by 
the  crowds  of  soldiers  and  labourers  which  surround 
it,  and  who  prove  their  loyalty  and  fidelity  by  dying 
under  its  walls.     When  the  royal  chamber  is  at 
length  burst  open,  it  is  found  to  be  sufficiently 
capacious  to  contain  many  hundreds  of  attendants, 
besides  the  king  and  queen,  whose  faithful  subjects 
do  not  forsake  them  even  in  the  last  extremity.    An 
experiment  was  made  by  a  person,  who  carried  off 
the  royal  chamber  and  placed  it  in  a  glass  bowl. 
The  numerous  attendants  followed,  running  in  the 
same  direction,  round  the  king  and  queen  with  the 
greatest  solicitude,  some  of  them   stopping  at  the 
head  of  the  queen,  as  if  to  give  her  something. 


72  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

They  were  seen  taking  away  her  eggs,  and  piling 
them  up  in  some  part  of  the  chamber,  or  in  the 
bowl  under  some  pieces  of  clay  which  happened  to 
be  in  it." 

"You  said  that  these  ants  are  dreaded  by  the 
natives  of  those  countries  where  they  establish 
themselves,  but  you  have  not  yet  told  us  of  any 
mischief  they  do,"  said  Robert.  "I  cannot  but  like 
them  the  better  for  the  wounds  they  inflict  in  their 
own  defence,  and  it  does  not  appear  that  they  ever 
attack  any  one  unless  they  are  first  molested." 

"They  do  incalculable  injury,"  answered  his 
sister,  "in  carrying  on  their  covered  ways,  in  every 
direction  where  plunder  may  be  obtained;  and  in 
destroying  every  substance  which  can  be  penetrated 
by  their  sharp  forceps.  They  devour  the  whole 
inside  of  trees,  eat  through  floors,  and  the  internal 
part  of  the  props  of  houses,  which  must  consequent- 
ly fall,  but  by  an  extraordinary  power  preventing 
the  destruction  it  would  bring  upon  themselves, 
they  are  enabled  to  fill  up  the  hollows  with  their 
mortar,  which  hardens  like  stone,  and  renders  the 
support  to  the  house  much  more  solid  and  durable 
than  the  wooden  one  could  have  been," 

"This,  though,  is  doing  good,  not  harm,  Geor- 
giana,"  observed  Robert. 

"  I  think  so  too  in  this  instance,  which  is  no  in- 
considerable one  either.  I  recollect  another  piece 
of  service  in  which  they  are  very  active.  They 
rapidly  remove  dead  trees,  and  other  substances, 


CHAPTER  V.  73 

which  by  their  slow  decay  would  encumber  the 
ground  for  a  length  of  time.  By  means  of  these 
diminutive  animals,  the  ruins  of  deserted  towns 
have  been  so  effectually  cleared  away,  that  in  two 
or  three  years  not  a  vestige  of  them  remained,  and 
the  ground  has  been  covered  with  a  thick  wood." 

"Can  you  mention   any  particular  instance  in 
which  they  do  harm?"  asked  Emma. 

"Yes,  several  have  been  recorded,  of  another 
species  of  white  ants.  Mr.  Forbes,  in  his  Oriental 
Memoirs,  says,  he  could  mention  many  curious 
instances  of  their  depredations ;  he  relates  one  which 
happened  to  himself.  In  the  rainy  season,  he  left 
Anjengo  for  a  few  weeks;  first  locking  up  the 
apartment  which  contained  his  books,  drawings, 
and  other  valuable  articles.  The  walls  of  the  room 
were  white-washed;  on  them  were  suspended  some 
prints  and  drawings,  framed  and  glazed  in  the 
English  style.  The  room  had  not  been  entered 
during  his  absence.  It  was  evening  when  he  re- 
turned, and  by  candle-light  every  thing  appeared 
to  remain  in  the  order  he  had  left  it.  In  the  morn- 
ing, however,  he  found  it  was  far  otherwise.  Great 
works  had  been  carried  on  in  various  directions  to- 
wards his  pictures,  the  glasses  of  which  looked 
strangely  dull,  and  the  frames  covered  with  dust: 
on  attempting  to  wipe  it  off,  he  found  the  glasses 
were  fixed  to  the  wall,  no  longer  in  their  frames,  as 
he  had  left  them,  but  encrusted  round  by  the 
cement  of  the  white  ants,  which  had  totally 
a 


74?  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

lished  the  frames,  back -boards,  and  the  greater  pa# 
of  the  paper,  leaving  little  but  their  covered  ways 
or  incrustations  which  upheld  the  glasses." 

"How  provoking,"  said  Robert,  "to  have  such 
mischief  done  by  so  diminutive  a  creature." 

"  The  white  ant  of  India  is  particularly  fond  or 
burrowing  in  the  mud  walls  of  Indian  houses," 
continued  his  sister.  "  In  the  Edinburgh  Philoso- 
phical Journal  a  correspondent  writes,  that  his  at- 
tention was  one  morning  directed  to  a  wet  spot  on 
the  coloured  wall  of  his  apartment  which  he  knew 
could  not  have  been  occasioned  by  damp.  On 
slightly  touching  it,  the  plaster  gave  way,  and  he 
discovered  that  there  was  a  hollow  behind.  On  a 
closer  investigation  he  found  that  the  ants  had 
established  a  nest  there,  and  heard  their  mimic 
alarm-beat.  Immediately  afterwards,  a  number  of 
them  appeared  with  their  mouths  filled  with  wet 
mud,  with  which  they  repaired  the  breach  in  a  few 
minutes.  This  gentleman  frequently  after  amused 
himself  by  pulling  down  the  wall  which  they  had 
repaired,  that  he  might  observe  them  rebuild  it, 
and  hear  the  alarm-beat,  which  was  always  the  case 
before  they  proceeded  to  work." 

"It  would  be  a  good  plan,"  observed  Emma, 
"to  destroy  their  building  as  often  as  they  repaired 
it,  to  keep  them  always  busy  at  the  same  work  and 
so  prevent  farther  depredation." 

"From  their  clay  nests,  they  excavate  tunnels 
all  round,  often  to  the  extent  of  several  hundred 


CHAPTER  V.  75 

feet;"  resumed  Georgiana.  "They  carry  them  on 
under  the  foundation  of  houses,  rise  again  through 
the  floors,  and  are  expeditious  in  destroying  the 
wainscoting,  shelves  and  other  fixtures;  and  if  the 
house  is  not  inhabited,  they  totally  demolish  it  in 
a  very  short  space  of  time.  It  is  truly  astonishing 
how  so  diminutive  an  animal  can  do  such  extensive 
injury.  With  the  most  extraordinary  art  and  skill 
they  eat  away  all  the  inside  of  what  they  attack, 
leaving  but  a  few  fibres  here  and  there,  so  as  to 
keep  the  sides  or  top  and  bottom  connected;  and 
as  they  carefully  avoid  piercing  through  the  surface, 
(unless  a  book  or  any  other  tempting  material  lay 
upon  it,)  the  appearance  of  solidity  remains,  when 
the  reality  is  gone.  The  white  ants  of  Japan  have 
been  compared  to  miners  at  work.  Keempfer  re- 
lates a  curious  instance  of  the  rapidity  of  their 
operations.  Upon  rising  one  morning,  he  observed 
that  a  gallery  about  the  thickness  of  his  little  finger 
had  been  formed  across  his  table,  and  that  a  pas- 
sage had  been  bored  of  the  same  thickness  up  one 
foot  of  the  table,  and,  carrying  on  the  gallery,  had 
pierced  through  another  foot  into  the  floor,  all 
within  the  space  of  time  which  intervened  between 
his  retiring  to  rest  and  his  rising.  They  are  also 
extremely  expeditious  in  making  their  way  into 
trunks  and  boxes,  even  though  made  of  mahogany ; 
destroying  papers,  cloth,  linen,  books,  and  every 
thing  they  contain,  they  construct  their  galleries 


76  SISTER'S  STORIES* 

and  frequently  take  up  their  abode  in  them.*  You 
are  now  convinced,  Robert,  that  these  little  animals 
do  mischief." 

"  I  think  we  may  be  very  glad  that  we  have  no 
such  nuisance  here,v  he  replied;  "yet  still  I  should 
like  much  to  see  them  fighting  and  labouring.  I 
could  submit  to  a  great  deal  of  their  mischief,  if  I 
might  have  that  pleasure." 

"These,  however,  are  a  different  species  from 
those  I  first  told  you  of,"  continued  Georgiana. 

"  I  have  been  reading  a  very  entertaining  book 
this  morning,  lately  published  by  Mr.  Murray — 
the  first  volume  of  "the  natural  history  of  insects." 

"Is  there  any  thing  in  it  about  ants?"  asked 
Emma. 

"Yes,  a  great  deal  which  would  amuse  you  ex- 
ceedingly. There  is  the  account  given  by  different 
naturalists.  In  GouhTs  observations  it  is  said,  that 
in  whatever  apartment  a  queen  condescended  to  be 
present,  she  commanded  obedience  and  respect; 
and  not  only  that,  but  universal  gladness,  which 
made  her  attendants  skip  and  dance  and  leap 
around  her,  standing  upon  their  hind-legs  and 
prancing;  which  frolics  they  also  practise  when 
they  meet  each  other  after  an  absence,  as  a  kind  of 
congratulation.  An  instance  is  given  by  Huber  of 
their  attachment  and  recognition  of  each  other  after 
a  long  absence.  He  placed  an  ant-hill  under  a 
glass  hive,  allowing  a  number  of  ants  to  escape, 

*  London  Encyclopaedia. 


CHAPTER  V.  77 

which  formed  a  nest  for  themselves  in  his  garden. 
The  hive  he  removed  to  his  study  for  the  pur- 
pose of  watching  their  operations.  After  the  expi- 
ration of  four  months  he  carried  it  to  the  garden, 
and  left  it  within  fifteen  paces  of  the  nest.  Imme- 
diately their  former  companions  recognized  them, 
caressed  them  with  their  antennae,  and  taking  them 
up  in  their  mandibles,  brought  them  to  their  own 
nest.  Others  arrived  in  crowds,  and  did  the  same; 
so  that  in  a  very  few  days  scarcely  was  there  an 
ant  to  be  seen  in  the  artificial  nest,  while  all  were 
peaceably  lodged  in  the  natural  one." 

"  Are  their  mandibles  their  little  hands  ?"  asked 
Rosa. 

"No,  though  they  serve  the  purpose  of  hands, 
they  are  the  upper  jaws.  Huber  gives  a  curious 
account  of  their  battles,  which  sometimes  arise  from 
disputed  property,  such  as  a  few  square  feet  of 
dust,  the  carcase  of  a  worm,  a  straw,  or  a  single 
grain  of  wheat ;  for  which  mighty  prize,  myriads 
will  engage  in  wars  so  furious  as  to  leave  the  ground 
covered  with  their  pigmy  dead.  In  one  such  battle, 
he  describes  the  two  armies  meeting  at  a  distance 
from  their  respective  habitations,  upon  a  high 
ground.  They  fought  in  pairs,  holding  firmly 
their  antagonist  by  their  mandibles ;  while  some 
were  engaged  in  the  attack,  others  were  leading 
away  the  prisoners,  which  made  several  ineffectual 
efforts  to  escape,  seemingly  aware  that  a  cruel  death 
awaited  them  when  they  arrived  at  the  camp.  As 

H2 


78  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

the  battle  raged,  the  ants  in  groups  and  chains 
seized  each  others  legs  and  pincers,  rolled  on  the 
ground  and  raised  themselves,  each  dragging  its 
adversary.  Two,  holding  each  others  mandibles, 
raised  themselves  upon  their  hind-legs  and  spurted 
out  their  venom.  When  their  strength  was  equal, 
the  wrestlers  remained  immoveable,  until  a  third 
interfered  to  decide  the  contest.  They  were  as- 
sisted often  on  both  sides,  in  which  way  whole 
groups  got  enchained,  until  compelled  by  other 
warriors  to  let  go  their  hold.  They  continued  to 
fight  until  the  approach  of  night  drove  them  to 
their  respective  homes;  but  before  the  dawn  of 
morning  they  returned  to  the  field  of  battle,  and 
the  carnage  recommenced  with  increased  despera- 
tion. Towards  mid-day  they  appeared  to  gain 
some  ground,  and  crowds  of  ants  were  seen  running 
to  and  fro  to  join  the  combatants,  and  escort  the 
prisoners.  At  length  a  heavy  fall  of  rain  put  an 
end  to  this  war,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  to  the  animo- 
sity which  subsisted  between  the  two  republics."" 

"Why  truly,  Georgiana,"  said  Robert,  "while 
listening  to  your  account  of  this  battle,  I  could  not 
help  fancying  that  you  were  telling  me  of  contend- 
ing nations." 

"  You  will  be  much  amused,  Robert,  if  you  read 
the  book  from  whence  I  have  taken  it,"'  answered 
Georgiana.  "For  the  present  we  can  talk  no  more 
of  the  ants.  I  hear  the  bell  which  summons  us  to 
prepare  for  dinner." 


CHAPTER  V.  79 

"I  hope  we  shall  soon  resume  the  subject,"  said 
Emma.  "Perhaps  this  evening." 

"O  yes,11  said  they  all;  "do,  Georgiana,  tell  us 
more  after  dinner." 

Their  kind  sister  readily  complied  with  their 
wishes,  and  all  being  again  assembled  she  continued 
her  narrative. 

"You  asked  me  once,  Robert,"  said  Georgiana, 
what  was  the  favourite  food  of  the  common  ants; 
and  at  the  time  I  did  not  fully  explain  to  you  the 
merciful  provision  which  Providence  has  allotted 
for  them.  Have  you  ever  remarked  a  little  green 
insect  on  rose-trees,  beans,  and  other  plants?" 

"I  have,"  Robert  answered,  "and  wherever  they 
fix  themselves,  the  plant  is  much  injured  in  its 
growth.  One  of  my  prettiest  moss-rose-trees  was 
quite  spoilt  by  them." 

"  They  are  called  Aphis  or  Plant  lice.  No 
wonder  they  cover  a  tree  with  such  rapidity,  since 
the  descendants  of  only  one  will  in  five  generations 
amount  to  five  thousand  nine  hundred  and  four 
millions.  It  exudes  a  kind  of  honey  from  its  body, 
which  the  ants  relish  much;  and  it  has  been  said, 
that  the  aphis  gives  out  this  juice  when  invited  by 
the  ant  striking  it  gently  with  its  antennae  or  horns, 
in  the  same  way  as  when  caressing  its  young.  What 
confirms  the  supposition  of  this  food  being  pur- 
posely provided  for  the  ants  is,  that  the  ant  and 
the  aphis  become  torpid  at  the  same  time.  Some 
species  of  ants  bring  these  insects  to  their  own 
I 


80 


SISTER  S  STORIES. 


nests,  and  lodge  them  near  the  vegetables  on  which 
they  feed,  and  guard  and  defend  them  with  as  much 
care  as  they  do  their  own  young.  They  collect 
the  eggs  of  the  aphis,  and  superintend  their  hatch- 
ing; continually  moistening  them  with  their  tongue, 
and  bestowing  upon  them  as  much  attention  as  on 
the  eggs  of  their  own  species.  If  any  thing  happens 
to  disturb  or  endanger  them,  they  take  them  up  in 
great  haste  and  carry  them  off  to  a  place  of  safety. 

"Ants  are  very  fond  of  animal  food,  which  has 
been  found  useful  to  anatomists.  When  they  wish 
to  have  the  skeleton  of  an  animal  too  small  and  de- 
licate to  admit  of  its  being  prepared  in  the  usual 
way,  it  is  placed  in  a  proper  position,  in  a  small 
box  with  holes  in  the  lid,  and  deposited  in  a  large 
ant-hill.  The  ants  immediately  get  to  it,  and  eat 
away  all  the  flesh,  leaving  the  very  elegant  and 
perfect  skeleton  of  a  frog,  a  snake,  &c." 

"You  say,  Georgiana,"  said  Robert,  "that  there 
are  different  kinds  of  ants — of  what  description 
are  they?" 

"  There  are  eighteen  species  of  ants,"  answered 
Georgiana;  "in  Captain  Cook's  voyages  there  are 
Green,  Black  and  Red  Ants  described,  which  were 
found  in  New  South  Wales.  The  green  are  in 
colour  like  the  leaves  of  the  trees  where  they  build 
their  nests  of  different  sizes;  some  as  large  as  a 
man's  head,  others  about  the  size  of  his  shut  hand: 
the  structure  is  curiously  ingenious,  formed  by  the 
binding  down  broad  leaves,  the  points  of  which  are 


CHAPTER  V.  81 

glued  together  as  a  purse.  The  viscous  matter 
used  for  this  purpose  is  a  juice  which  the  little 
animal  exudes  from  its  own  body — so  wonderfully 
does  bountiful  Providence  supply  the  wants  of 
every  diminutive  animal  and  insect  to  which  life 
is  given.  While  every  other  living  creature  wait 
upon  God  to  give  them  their  meat  in  due  season, 
man  alone  is  ready  to  distrust  and  to  murmur  when 
any  of  his  comforts  fail.  Does  this  remind  you, 
Emma,  of  any  part  of  the  chapter  which  you 
repeated  to  mamma  this  morning?"" 

"  'Behold  the  fowls  of  the  air;  for  they  sow  not, 
neither  do  they  reap,  nor  gather  into  barns;  yet 
your  heavenly  Father  feedeth  them.  Are  ye  not 
much  better  than  they?'  How  can  these  idle  birds 
be  compared  to  the  industrious  little  ants  ?" 

"  We  are  not  comparing  them,  Emma;  but  the 
ingratitude  and  want  of  confidence  in  the  human 
race  towards  their  heavenly  Father,  who  provides 
with  much  more  care  and  much  more  love  for  them 
than  for  any  other  being  he  has  formed.  Each  of  the 
living  tribes  are  seen  daily  performing  their  allotted 
labour.  The  birds  are  far  from  being  idle ;  they  set 
us  a  wonderful  example  of  industry  in  the  construc- 
tion of  their  little  nests.  Man  is  also  to  pursue  his 
daily  task,  while  he  ought  to  cast  all  his  cares  upon 
God,  who  careth  for  him.  But  let  us  resume  our 
subject.  Captain  Cook  goes  on  to  describe  the 
GREEN  ANT,  as  follows:  'Their  method  of  first 
bending  down  the  leaves  we  had  no  opportunity  to 


82  SISTER  S  STORIES. 

observe;  but  we  saw  thousands  uniting  all  their 
strength  to  hold  them  in  this  position,  while  other 
busy  multitudes  were  employed  within,  in  applying 
this  gluten,  that  was  to  prevent  their  returning  back. 
To  satisfy  ourselves  that  the  leaves  were  bent  and 
held  down  by  these  diminutive  artificers,  we  dis- 
turbed them  in  their  work;  and  as  soon  as  they 
were  driven  from  their  station,  the  leaves  on  which 
they  were  employed,  sprang  up  with  a  force  much 
greater  than  we  could  have  thought  them  able  to 
conquer  by  any  combination  of  their  strength.  But 
though  we  gratified  our  curiosity  at  their  expence, 
the  injury  did  not  go  unrevenged;  for  thousands 
immediately  threw  themselves  upon  us,  and  gave 
us  intolerable  pain  with  their  stings,  especially  those 
which  took  possession  of  our  necks  and  hair,  from 
whence  they  were  not  easily  driven.  Their  sting 
was  scarcely  less  painful  than  that  of  a  bee;  but 
unless  repeated,  the  pain  did  not  last  longer  than  a 
minute.' 

"The  BLACK  ANTS  are  also  extraordinary  in 
their  operations  and  manner  of  life.  Their  habi- 
tations are  the  branches  of  trees  hollowed  by  their 
own  ingenuity.  They  work  out  the  pith  even  to 
the  extremity  of  the  slenderest  twig;  the  tree  still 
flourishing  as  if  unpeopled.  Several  branches  were 
gathered,  and  found  teeming  with  life.  Legions  of 
animals  swarmed  from  every  broken  bough,  and 
inflicted  stings  incessant  and  violent  on  the  dis- 
turber of  their  territories. 


CHAPTER  V.  83 

"The  RED  ANTS  were  found  nested  in  the  root 
of  a  plant,  which  grows  like  misletoe  on  the  bark  of 
a  tree.  The  root  is  the  size  of  a  large  turnip  :  the 
ants  perforate  it  in  innumerable  intersected  passages 
which  are  full  of  them,  yet  the  vegetation  of  the 
plant  did  not  seem  injured.  They  are  smaller  than 
the  red  ants  of  England,  and  do  not  inflict  so 
pungent  a  sting.  When  the  root  was  cut,  the  ants 
swarmed  out  of  it  so  as  to  cover  the  hands,  &c.  and 
produced  a  titillation  not  to  be  endured. 

"  The  MUTILL A  or  VELVET  ANT  is  an  inhabi- 
tant of  North  America.  Its  head  and  body  are 
like  crimson  velvet ;  and  it  is  covered  with  a  shell 
so  hard,  that  though  trampled  upon  by  men  and 
cattle,  it  receives  no  fracture.  It  carries  a  long 
sting  in  its  tail,  which  causes  severe  pain  and  in- 
flammation for  an  hour.  The  barefooted  negroes 
often  suffer  from  their  stings.  Their  dwelling 
place  is  usually  found  under  moss,  where  they  love 
to  conceal  themselves.  Some  of  them  have  wings 
wkich  shine  like  pearls,  and  they  move  with  rapi- 
dity." 

"  What  beautiful  little  animals  these  must  be," 
said  Emma;  "how  very  unlike  all  the  other  ants 
you  have  described." 

"It  is  said,"  continued  Georgiana,  "that  ants 
chiefly  communicate  by  signs  and  touch.  One  strikes 
its  head  against  the  corselet  of  the  other  which  is 
the  signal  of  danger.  The  alarm  instantly  spreads 
through  the  colony ;  sentinels  are  stationed  outside 


84  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

their  habitations  during  the  night  as  well  as  the 
day ;  and  on  the  approach  of  danger  they  suddenly 
descend  into  the  midst  of  the  tribe,  and  give  notice; 
being  apprised  of  the  danger,  the  greater  number 
rush  forward  to  repel  it  with  every  symptom  of  rage; 
while  such  as  have  the  care  of  the  eggs  and  larvae 
entrusted  to  them,  fly  with  their  charge  to  places  of 
more  security.  The  fathers  and  mothers  of  the 
community  do  the  same, 

"All  the  remarks  which  have  been  made  in  re- 
gard to  these  diminutive  insects  beautifully  illustrate 
the  benignity  of  that  Power,  which  wisely  orders 
and  provides  what  is  necessary  for  the  existence  of 
the  smaller  as  well  as  the  larger  bodies,  to  which  life 
is  given. 

"  It  is  supposed  that  ants  are  directed  in  their 
course  by  the  scent;  but  they  have  various  other 
means  of  finding  their  way ;  such  as  memory  of  local 
circumstances,  besides  sight  and  touch.  When  they 
find  any  thing  unpleasant  in  their  nest,  and  wish 
to  remove,  the  labourers  disperse  themselves  abroad 
in  different  directions  to  find  out  a  suitable  abode; 
and  the  one  who  is  so  fortunate  as  to  make  the  dis- 
covery immediately  returns  to  the  community,  to 
whom  he  makes  known  by  certain  signs  the  place 
he  has  chosen." 

"How  can  they  make  it  known?"  inquired 
Robert. 

"In  a  very  extraordinary  manner,"  answered 
his  sister;"  the  guide  carries  another  ant  in  her 


CHAPTER  V.  85 

mouth,  to  the  situation  she  has  fixed  on ;  which 
being  approved  of,  they  both  walk  back  and  each 
taking  up  an  ant  in  her  mouth,  carries  it  to  the 
new  settlement.  These  also  return  for  others,  and 
their  numbers  increase  rapidly,  until  the  whole 
society  are  transported  to  their  new  abode." 

"O  how  very  curious !"  exclaimed  Robert,  "what 
concord  there  must  be  among  them  P 

"Yes,"  answered  his  sister;  "and  as  I  have  already 
told  you,  there  is  also  much  and  deadly  animosity, 
which  instigates  them  to  furious  battles,  such  as 
have  been  described.  Unlike  the  occasional  strug- 
gles which  take  place  between  individuals  of  the 
animal  species,  the  warfare  of  the  ants  is  that  of 
contending  nations.  Whole  armies  are  engaged  in 
these  conflicts,  and  practise  no  deceit  or  stratagem ; 
the  whole  operations  are  open  and  direct,  and  on  a 
scale  of  magnitude  which  is  truly  astonishing.  The 
labourers  and  females  are  the  combatants.  Some 
of  them  have  stings,  others  inflict  the  wound  with 
their  jaws,  rendering  the  bite  envenomed  by  a  drop 
of  acrid  fluid  which  is  secreted  for  the  purpose. 
Their  fury  and  desperation  in  the  fight  are  incon- 
ceivable. When  an  ant  has  fastened  upon  its 
enemy,  it  will  suffer  itself  to  be  torn  limb  from  limb 
before  it  lets  go  its  hold;  and  they  have  been  fre- 
quently seen  carrying  about  the  mangled  remains 
of  their  opponents,  as  trophies  of  their  victory. 
The  principal  fields  of  these  engagements  are  the 


86  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

forests  inhabited  by  the  FALLOW  ANTS.  They 
are  the  same  which  emigrate  in  the  curious  man- 
ner I  have  just  described," 


CHAPTER  VI. 


GEORGIANA  told  her  brothers  and  sisters,  that 
though  to  amuse  them,  she  had  been  giving  them  the 
history  of  the  operations  of  ants,  &c.  it  was  not  the 
plan  which  had  been  pursued  with  her  when  her 
papa  taught  her  Entomology.  Emma  asked  the 
meaning  of  that  hard  word;  and  her  sister  told  her 
that  it  was  that  branch  of  Natural  History  which 
treats  of  Insects;  and  that  the  word  Insect  was 
derived  from  a  Latin  word,  insecare  "to  cut;"  the 
bodies  of  these  little  animals  being  composed  of 
many  parts  and  moving  rings. 

"My  papa  first  explained  these  things  to  me," 
said  Georgiana,  "and  made  me  acquainted  with  all 
the  technical  terms  before  he  let  me  proceed  to 
that  which  I  commenced  with  you;  but  as  the 
study  interests  you  so  much,  had  we  not  better  go 


88  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

back  to  the  history  of  the  first  formation  of  these 
little  animals?" 

"  O  yes,  yes,"  cried  out  Robert,  Emma  and  Wil- 
liam; "do  teach  us,  Georgiana,  all  that  papa 
taught  you  about  insects." 

"I  think  I  have  already  told  you  that  they 
undergo  repeated  transformations  or  changes.  The 
first  is  an  Egg;  the  second  a  Larva;  the  third  a 
Pupa;  and  the  last  an  Imago." 

"The  meaning  of  the  word  larva  is  mask — 
from  the  disguise  of  the  insect,  when  in  that  state : 
for  instance,  how  very  unlike  a  butterfly  is  a  cater- 
pillar, which  is  the  larva;  grubs  or  maggots  are 
the  larvae  of  flies  and  beetles.  Some  insects  wear 
these  masks  but  for  a  few  days ;  some  for  months, 
others  for  years,  during  which  time  they  cast  their 
skins  often,  and  voraciously  devour  the  tender 
plants  and  strip  the  trees  of  their  leaves. 

"When  the  larva  state  is  at  an  end,  the  insect 
ceases  to  eat;  and  choosing  some  quiet,  safe  spot, 
it  lies  wrapt  like  a  little  child  in  its  swaddling  clothes, 
and  from  this  resemblance  is  called  pupa,  which  is 
a  Latin  word  for  baby;  those  of  the  beetle  were 
formerly  called  nymphce,  and  those  of  the  butterfly 
chrysalides  and  aurelice.  They  lie  dormant,  and 
do  not  move,  except  when  touched,  and  then  but 
slightly.  Some  of  these  fix  themselves  to  walls, 
and  some  lie  hidden  under  ground;  some,  as  the 
silk-worm,  cover  themselves  in  bags  called  cocoons. 
Having  remained  for  a  short  period  in  this  pupa 


CHAPTER  VI.  89 

state,  the  insect  bursts  from  its  envelope  a  beautiful 
butterfly,  beetle,  &c.  according  to  its  species,  no 
longer  grovelling  on  the  ground,  but  spreading  its 
light  wings  to  sip  the  morning  dew,  or  inhale  the 
sweets  of  the  rose.  In  this  state  of  its  highest  en- 
joyment it  is  called  imago,  or  perfect  image  of  its 
kind.  Some  naturalists  say  that  these  are  not  real 
transformations,  but  the  different  stages  of  growth 
in  the  insect,  which  contains  within  itself  at  the 
same  moment,  the  larva,  the  pupa,  and  imago, 
throwing  off  successively  its  different  coverings. 

"  The  horns  or  feelers,  with  which  the  head  of  the 
insect  is  furnished  are  called  antennce;  it  breathes 
through  pores,  or  the  most  minute  holes  in  the  sides 
of  its  body,  called  spiracles:  it  has  a  very  hard 
skin,  but  no  bones.  The  smallest  insect  is  furnished 
with  a  heart,  stomach,  lungs,  nerves,  veins  through- 
which  its  juices  circulate;  and  it  wants  not  beside 
any  external  member  needful  for  its  existence.  The 
same  Hand  formed  the  mite  and  the  largest  quad- 
ruped; and  the  same  Wisdom  provides  all  that  is 
requisite  for  the  wants  of  the  myriads  and  myriads 
of  living  creatures  with  which  this  peopled  world 
teems : 

"  In  thousand  species  of  the  insect  kind, 

Lost  to  the  naked  eye,  so  wondrous  small, 

Were  millions  join'd,  one  grain  of  sand  would  cover  all ; 

Vet  each,  within  its  little  bulk,  contains 

A  heart  which  drives  the  torrent  through  its  veins ; 

Muscles  to  move  its  limbs  aright ;  a  brain 

And  nerves  dispos'd  for  pleasure  and  for  pain; 

Eyes  to  distinguish  ;  sense  whereby  to  know 

What 's  good  or  bad,  is  or  is  not  its  foe."  BAKEB. 


90  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

"You  have  told  us  a  great  deal  about  ants, 
Georgiana,"  said  Robert,  "but  are  there  not  many 
more  insects  whose  history  would  amuse  us?" 

"Certainly  there  are;  but  as  you  must  soon 
again  leave  us,  had  we  not  better  limit  ourselves  to 
the  history  of  those  which  you  most  particularly 
wish  to  hear?  therefore  do  choose  among  the  tribe 
of  insects.'" 

The  children  were  assembled  in  their  usual 
favourite  place  of  meeting — the  trelliage  bower 
entwined  with  roses,  woodbine,  and  myrtle.  The 
sun  shone  brightly  on  the  fragrant  flowers,  affording 
full  enjoyment  to  numerous  butterflies  which  chased 
each  other  and  sported  amongst  them. 

"Do  tell  us  something  about  butterflies,"  said 
Emma,  "for  surely  they  are  the  most  beautiful  of 
insects." 

"Robert  is  to  choose,  Emma,  you  know." 

"  Then  do  let  me  hear  what  those  insects  are 
which  we  heard  chirping  so  incessantly,  wherever 
we  went,  in  Italy,"  said  Robert. 

"Most  willingly,  dear  Robert,11  answered  Geor- 
gian a. 

"In  Italy,  we  heard  the  unceasing  noise  of  the 
CICALA  or  CICAD.E,  during  the  entire  summer. 
They  are  found  in  different  parts  both  of  the  Old 
and  New  Continent.  They  seem  to  make  every 
leaf  on  the  trees  an  habitation,  on  them  they  chiefly 
subsist :  but  they  find  food  on  other  vegetable  sub- 
stances likewise.  They  extract  the  juices  from  the 


CHAPTEE  VI.  91 

bark  of  the  trees  by  means  of  a  hard,  horny  pro- 
boscis or  tube,  in  which  there  is  a  slender  sucking 
pipe. 

"  The  proboscis  is  in  form  not  unlike  a  gimlet ; 
and  besides  piercing  the  bark  of  the  trees,  it  serves  to 
bore  holes  in  the  small  and  tender  branches  in  which 
they  deposit  their  eggs,  six  or  seven  hundred  in 
number.  They  often  do  much  injury  to  the  trees. 
They  are  exceedingly  active,  running  and  leaping 
merrily  upon  the  trees.  The  chrysalis  of  these 
insects  are  not  torpid  as  in  many  others. 

"The  males  make  a  chirping  noise,  while  the 
females  remain  silent.  Those  of  the  hottest  climates 
make  the  loudest  noise.  The  shrill  and  piercing 
note  of  one  of  the  Javanese  species  has  been  com- 
pared to  the  sound  of  a  trumpet.* 

"Among  the  ancients,  they  were  emblems  of 
eternal  youth ;  deemed  to  be  creatures  beloved  by 
gods  and  men.  They  were  subjects  for  many 
poetical  fictions,  and  were  said  to  subsist  merely  on 
dew.  The  Athenians  wore  golden  cicadae  to  orna- 
ment their  hair,  and  to  denote  their  national  anti- 
quity: like  these  creatures,  they  pretended  to  be 
the  first-born  of  the  earth.'*' 


*  The  cicada  spumaria  receives  its  name  from  the  larva  being 
found  on  plants  within  a  froth  called  cuckoo  spittle.  Its  shrill 
notes  do  not  proceed  from  its  mouth ;  but  are  produced  by  means 
of  a  curiously  constructed  set  of  valves  and  membranes  behind  the 
legs.  Another  name  for  this  little  animal  is  Froghopper. 


92  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

"  The  felicity  they  were  supposed  to  enjoy  is  thus 
celebrated  by  Anacreon: 

Happy  creature!  what  below 
Can  more  happy  live  than  thou  ? 
Seated  on  thy  leafy  throne, 
(Summer  weaves  the  verdant  crown,) 
Sipping  o'er  the  verdant  lawn 
The  fragrant  nectar  of  the  dawn ; 
Little  tales  thou  lov'st  to  sing, 
Tales  of  mirth — an  insect  king. 
Thine  the  treasures  of  the  field, 
All  thy  own  the  seasons  yield ; 
Nature  paints  for  thee  the  year, 
Songster  to  the  shepherds  dear ; 
Innocent  of  placid  fame, 
What  of  man  can  boast  the  same  ? 
Thine  the  lavish'd  voice  of  praise, 
Harbinger  of  fruitful  days  ; 
Darling  of  the  tuneful  Nine, 
Phoebus  is  thy  sire  divine ; 
Phoebus  to  thy  notes  has  giv'n 
Music  from  the  spheres  of  heaven ; 
Happy  most,  as  first  of  earth, 
All  thy  hours  are  peace  and  mirth ; 
Cares  nor  pains  to  thee  belong, 
Thou  alone  art  ever  young ; 
Thine,  the  pure  immortal  reign, 
Blood  nor  flesh  thy  life  sustain ; 
Rich  in  spirits,  health  thy  feast, 
Thou'rt  a  demi-god  at  least. 

These  lines  elegantly  describe  the  enjoyments  of 
insects.  But  short  is  their  day-dream  of  bliss :  as 
Thomson  so  expressively  delineates, 


-To  sunny  waters  some 


By  fatal  instinct  fly ;  where  on  the  pool 

They,  sportive,  wheel ;  or,  sailing  down  the  stream, 


CHAPTER  VI.  93 

Are  snatched  immediate  by  the  quick-eyed  trout, 
Or  darting  salmon.    Thro'  the  greenwood  glade 
Some  love  to  stray ;  there  lodged,  amused,  and 
In  the  fresh  leaf,  luxurious.    Others  make 
The  meads  their  choice,  and  visit  ev'ry  flow'r 
And  ev'ry  latent  herb.     Some  to  the  house, 
The  fold,  and  dairy,  hungry,  bend  their  flight ; 
Sip  round  the  pail,  or  taste  the  curdling  cheese. 

"  There  is  a  pretty  little  poem  by  Mrs.  Robinson, 
on  the  same  subject,  which  I  think  you  would  like 
to  get  by  heart : 

'  Poor  insect!  what  a  little  day 

Of  sunny  bliss  is  thine  ! 
And  yet  thou  spread'st  thy  light  wings  gay, 

And  bid'st  them,  spreading,  shine. 

Thou  humm'st  thy  short  and  busy  tune, 

Unmindful  of  the  blast; 
And  careless,  while  'tis  burning  noon, 

How  quick  that  noon  be  past. 

A  show'r  would  lay  thy  beauty  low ; 

A  dew  of  twilight  be 
The  torrent  of  thy  overthrow, 

The  storm  of  destiny! 

Then  spread  thy  little  shining  wing, 

Hum  on  thy  busy  lay  ; 
For  man  like  thee,  has  but  his  spring ; 

Like  thine,  it  fades  away !'  " 

Emma  was  so  pleased  with  these  lines,  that  she 
requested  her  sister  to  repeat  them  over  again.  She 
promised  to  commit  them  to  memory,  and  thanked 
Georgiana  for  lending  her  the  pretty  book  where 
she  found  them  inserted,  called  "  Time's  Telescope." 


94«  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

Emma  was  so  fond  of  poetry,  that  her  kind  sister 
gratified  her  still  farther  by  repeating  the  following 
lines  on  the  glow-worm,  from  a  favourite  author  : 

When  evening  closes  nature's  eye, 
The  glow-worm  lights  her  little  spark, 

To  captivate  her  favourite  fly, 
And  tempt  the  rover  through  the  dark. 

Conducted  by  a  sweeter  star 

Than  all  that  deck  the  fields  above, 
He  fondly  hastens  from  afar, 

To  sooth  her  solitude  with  love. 

MONTGOMERY. 

"  The  GLOW-WORM,  called  'the  little  planet  of  the 
rural  scene,'  spangles  the  ground  during  the  month 
of  August,  and  glitters  chiefly  under  the  hedges  and 
in  the  openings  of  rugged  elm  roots  and  foundations 
of  buildings.  They  have  wings,  but  make  little  use 
of  them;  seldom  rising  higher  than  the  stunted 
furze-bush  or  barley-ear. 

Bright  stranger,  welcome  to  my  field, 
Here  feed  in  safety,  here  thy  radiance  yield, 

To  me,  O  nightly  be  thy  splendour  given! 
O  could  a  wish  of  mine  the  skies  command, 
How  would  I  gem  thy  leaf  with  lib'ral  hand, 

With  ev'ry  sweetest  dew  of  heaven. 

Say,  dost  thou  kindly  light  the  fairy  train 
Amid  the  gambols  on  the  stilly  plain, 

Hanging  thy  lamp  upon  the  moistened  blade  ? 
What  lamp  so  fit,  so  pure  as  thine 
Amid  the  gentle  elfin  band  to  shine, 

And  chase  the  horrors  of  the  midnight  shade ! 

Oh!  may  no  feathered  foe  disturb  thy  bow'r, 
And  with  barbarian  beak  thy  life  devour! 
Oh!  may  no  ruthless  torrent  sky, 


GLOW-WORMS. — Lampyris  Noctiluca. 

A.  Female,  upper  side.    B.  Female,  under  side. 
C.  Male,  wings  closed.    D.  Male,  wings  expanded. 


HenA— .a 

.   .fi     abw  v 


CHAPTER  VI.  95 

Overwhelming,  force  thee  from  thy  dewy  seat ; 
Nor  tempest  tear  thee  from  thy  green  retreat, 
And  bid  thee  'mid  the  humming  myriads  die. 

Queen  of  the  insect  world,  what  leaves  delight  ? 

Of  such  these  willing  hands  a  bower  shall  form,. 
To  guard  thee  from  the  rushing  rains  of  night, 

And  hide  thee  from  the  wild  wing  of  the  storm : 
Sweet  child  of  stillness,  'mid  the  awful  calm 

Of  pausing  nature  thou  art  pleased  to  dwell, 
In  happy  silence  to  enjoy  thy  balm, 

And  shed  through  life  a  lustre  round  thy  celL 

How  diiFrent  man,  the  imp  of  noise  and  strife, 
Who  courts  the  storm  that  tears  and  darkens  life! 

Blest  when  the  passions  wild  the  soul  invade! 
How  nobler  far  to  bid  those  whirlwinds  cease ; 
To  taste,  like  thee,  the  luxury  of  peace, 

And  shine  in  solitude  and  shade! 

DR.  WOLCOTT. 

"I  wish  very  much,""  said  Robert,  "to  know  the 
natural  history  of  CRICKETS,  as  I  heard  last  night 
a  very  absurd  accusation  against  them,  in  one  of  the 
cottages  where  they  were  chirping  very  loud  in  the 
back  part  of  the  fire-place.  An  old  woman  sitting 
in  the  chimney  corner  said,  they  were  very  lucky  if 
they  were  let  alone;  but  as  sure  as  any  of  them 
were  hurt,  they  would  come  out  of  their  holes  at 
night,  and  eat  all  the  woollen  stockings  they  could 
find." 

"  These  are  called  the  House-Crickets,"  answered 
Georgiana;  "being  particularly  fond  of  heat,  they 
are  often  found  on  the  warm  hearths  of  the  cottages, 
and  make,  in  the  hob  and  bake-stone  of  the  fire-. . 


96  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

place,  their  hiding-holes.  Though  sometimes  heard 
in  the  day-time,  the  evening  appears  to  be  more 
peculiarly  their  hour  of  recreation ;  then  it  is,  that 
they  chirp  the  loudest,  and  spring  and  skip  the 
merriest. 

f  Around  in  sympathetic  mirth, 

Its  tricks  the  kitten  tries ; 
The  cricket  chirrups  in  the  hearth, 

The  crackling  faggot  flies.' 

These  lines  are  the  more  appropriate  from  its  being 
a  practice  with  cats  to  catch  crickets,  and  play  with 
them  as  they  do  with  mice,  before  they  eat  them. 

"Being  so  fond  of  warmth  they  must  of  course 
be  thirsty,  and  are  often  found  drowned  in  pans  of 
milk,  broth,  water,  &c.  and  this  is  the  reason, 
rather  than  the  one  which  the  old  woman  assigned, 
why  they  gnawed  holes  in  her  wet  woollen  stockings, 
as  she  hung  them  over  night  to  dry  at  the  fire. 
They  eat  up  voraciously  whatever  they  can  find 
in  the  kitchen,  such  as  crumbs  of  bread,  scummings 
of  pots,  and  even  yeast  and  salt.  They  sometimes 
leave  their  haunts  suddenly,  and  are  then  seen  in  the 
dusk  of  the  evening  flying  out  of  the  windows  and 
doors.  There  are  different  sorts  of  insects  which 
only  use  their  wings  to  change  their  residence,  and 
settle  new  colonies.  They  move  in  the  air  like 
woodpeckers,  opening  and  shutting  their  wings  at 
every  stroke,  thus  continually  rising  and  sinking. 

"  Crickets  sometimes  increase  to  such  a  degree  as 
to  become  quite  a  nuisance,  dashing  against  people's 


HOUSE  CRICKET.— Gryllus  domestic™. 


CHAPTER  VI.  97 

faces  and  flying  into  the  candles.  They  may  be 
destroyed  by  gunpowder  discharged  into  their  cre- 
vices, and  by  phials  half  filled  with  beer,  or  any 
other  liquid.  When  running  about  a  dark  room,  if 
a  candle  be  suddenly  brought  in,  they  give  two  or 
three  shrill  notes,  probably  to  warn  their  companions 
to  fly  to  their  hiding-places. 

"The  natives  of  some  parts  of  Africa  like  the 
noise  of  the  crickets,  fancying  that  it  lulls  them  to 
repose:  and  purchase  them  from  people  who  feed 
them  in  an  iron  oven,  and  make  a  trade  of  selling 
them.  Their  chirrup  does  not  proceed  from  their 
mouths,  but  is  produced  by  means  of  a  muscle  and 
tendon  under  their  wings,  which  folds  down  as  a 
fan.  Even  after  the  insect  is  dead,  the  noise  may 
be  made  by  moving  the  tendon. 

TO  THE  CRICKET. 

" { Little  inmate,  full  of  mirth, 
Chirping  on  my  kitchen  hearth, 
Wheresoe'er  be  thine  abode, 
Always  harbinger  of  good ; 
Pay  me  for  thy  warm  retreat 
With  a  song  more  soft  and  sweet ; 
In  return  thou  shalt  receive, 
Such  a  strain  as  I  can  give. 

Thus  thy  praise  shall  be  expressed, 
Inoffensive,  welcome  guest ! 
While  the  rat  is  on  the  scout, 
And  the  mouse  with  curious  snout, 
With  what  vermin  else  infest 
Every  dish,  and  spoil  the  best; 
Frisking  thus  before  the  fire, 
Thou  hast  all  thine  heart's  desire. 
K 


98  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

Though  in  voice  and  shape  they  be 
Form'd  as  if  akin  to  thee, 
Thou  surpasses!,  happier  far, 
Happiest  grasshoppers  that  are; 
Theirs  is  but  a  summer's  song, 
Thine  endures  the  winter  long, 
Unimpair'd,  and  shrill,  and  clear, 
Melody  throughout  the  year. 

Neither  night,  ncr  dawn  of  day, 
Puts  a  period  to  thy  play : 
Sing  then—  and  extend  thy  span 
Far  beyond  the  date  of  man. 
W retched  man,  whose  years  are  spent 
In  repining  discontent, 
Lives  not,  aged  though  he  be, 
Haifa  span,  compared  with  thee.'  " 

"What  are  the  other  kind  of  crickets  which  you 
spoke  of,  Georgiana?"  inquired  Emma. 

"There  are  two  more  species,"  answered  her 
sister;  —  "the  MOLE-CRICKET  and  the  FIELD- 
CRICKET.  The  first  is  called  so  from  its  resem- 
blance to  a  mole.  Its  fore-feet  are  broad  and  strong 
like  a  mole^s,  and  made  use  of  for  the  same  purpose 
as  theirs,  which  is  burrowing  in  the  ground;  it  is 
more  expert  than  a  mole  in  penetrating  the  earth, 
and  forming  caverns,  and  winding  passages  to  the 
nest.  This  little  cell,  made  of  clammy  earth,  nicely 
smoothed  and  rounded,  is  formed  purposely  for  the 
female  to  deposit  her  eggs,  which  are  white,  in 
number  nearly  150,  about  the  size  of  carroway 
comfits.  The  female  watches  at  the  entrance  of  the 
nest,  and  whenever  a  black  beetle  attempts  to  carry 


MOLE  CRICKET. — Gryllotalpa  vulgaris. 


FIELD  CRICKET. — Acrida  viridissima. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


99 


them  off,  she  catches  him  behind  and  bites  him  in 
two.  These  insects  take  many  precautions  for  the 
preservation  of  their  young;  surrounding  the  nest 
with  fortifications,  avenues,  and  entrenchments; 
and  outside  of  all,  there  is  a  ditch  closing  it  round, 
which  few  other  insects  can  pass."" 

"Do  these  crickets  make  a  noise  like  the  house- 
crickets?""  asked  Emma. 

"They  make  a  dull,  low,  jarring  note,  but  not 
like  our  domestic  crickets.  In  winter,  they  pene- 
trate deeply  into  the  ground  to  defend  themselves 
from  the  effects  of  the  frost.  In  summer,  they  rise 
again  nearer  to  the  surface,  that  they  may  have  the 
benefit  of  air  and  sunshine;  but  in  case  the  frost 
should  return,  they  again  sink  the  nest  to  its 
former  depth." 

"They  appear  to  have  the  same  kind  of  foresight 
as  the  ants  in  discerning  the  weather,"  said  Robert. 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  answered  Georgiana,  "the  ants 
do  nearly  the  same  with  their  nests." 

"Do  these  little  animals  injure  any  thing,"  asked 
Emma. 

"I  have  not  heard  of  any  harm  that  they  do," 
replied  her  sister,  "excepting  when  they  make  their 
way  into  hot-beds;  then  they  make  great  havock 
by  hacking  and  gnawing  the  roots  of  plants  with 
their  fore-feet." 

"How  can  they  gnaw  with  their  feet?"  inquired 
Emma. 


100  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

"  At  the  ends  of  them  there  are  teeth  like  a 
saw,"  answered  Georgiana. 

"  What  do  they  feed  on  ?"  was  the  next  question ; 
to  which  Georgiana  answered,  that  she  had  heard 
of  a  Mr.  Gould  who  had  kept  a  mole-cricket  alive 
during  several  months,  and  that  he  had  fed  it  on 
the  larvae  and  chrysalis  of  ants.  The  children 
were  all  amused  at  hearing  of  a  pet  mole-cricket, 
and  after  they  had  talked  and  laughed  and  wished 
for  such  pets,  and  that  they  knew  how  to  treat 
them,  (for  without  such  knowledge  they  could  not 
preserve  them  alive;)  they  exhausted  that  subject, 
and  applied  to  their  kind  sister  for  another. 

"Now  go  on,  Georgiana,  if  you  please;  tell  us 
about  the  Field- Cricket." 

"The  Field-Crickets,"  continued  Georgiana,  "also 
make  for  themselves  subterraneous  apartments,  but 
not  with  the  same  implements  which  the  mole- 
cricket  uses.  They  do  not  dig  with  their  feet,  but 
with  strong  jaws  armed  with  teeth  like  a  lobster's 
claws.  They  perforate  and  round  their  curious 
cells  with  surprising  regularity:  they  issue  from 
them  about  sun-set.  From  the  middle  of  May  to 
the  middle  of  June  they  sit  and  chirp  the  night 
through,  at  the  entrance  of  their  little  habitation, 
and  in  that  still  hour  are  heard  at  a  great  distance. 
They  are  also  heard  in  the  day-time;  and  in  hot 
weather,  being  most  vigorous,  they  make  the  hills 
to  echo.  They  are  seldom  however  seen,  being 
shy  and  cautious;  they  quickly  perceive  the  ap- 


CHAPTER  VI. 


103 


proach  of  a  human  footstep,  and  immediately  cease 
their  song,  and  take  refuge  in  their  recesses  or 
caverns,  where  they  He  concealed  until  all  suspicion 
of  danger  is  over." 

"How  are  they  ever  to  be  seen  in  that  case?" 
inquired  William. 

"An  attempt  was  made  to  dig  them  out  with  a 
spade,  but  that  was  not  a  successful  way  of  getting 
at  them ;  the  poor  little  creature  was  either  squeezed 
to  death  with  the  breaking  up  of  the  ground,  or  the 
winding  of  its  cell  could  not  be  traced.  A  better 
plan  was  then  adopted;  a  pliant  stalk  of  grass 
gently  penetrates  through  the  passage  and  brings 
out  the  inhabitant  without  hurting  it.  Being  driven 
from  its  hole,  it  seems  to  lose  all  its  activity;  and 
though  furnished  with  long  legs  behind,  and  thighs 
adapted  for  leaping,  and  also  provided  with  a 
curious  apparatus  of  wings,  it  exerts  neither  the  one 
nor  the  other  means  to  effect  its  escape;  but  as  if 
astounded  with  the  sense  of  its  danger,  it  crawls  life- 
lessly along,  so  as  to  be  easily  caught,  and  when 
taken  in  the  hand  never  attempts  to  defend  itself 
with  its  sharp-toothed  jaws.  There  was  a  Mr. 
White  who  studied  the  manners  and  habits  of  these 
insects;  he  tried  to  establish  a  colony  of  them  in 
his  garden  by  piercing  holes  for  them  in  a  sloping 
bank.  They  staid  some  time  and  fed  and  sang, 
but  by  degrees  wandered  away,  and  were  heard 
every  morning  at  a  greater  distance,  until  they 


102 


SISTER  S  STORIES. 


arrived  again  at  the  place  from  whence  they  were 
taken;  on  this  occasion  they  seem  to  have  used 
their  wings.  He  says  that  one  of  these  crickets 
confined  in  a  paper  cage,  kept  in  the  sun,  and  well 
supplied  with  plants  moistened  with  water,  will  feed 
and  thrive,  and  become  so  merry  and  so  loud,  that 
it  will  be  irksome  to  sit  in  the  room  with  it;  but  if 
the  plants  be  not  kept  constantly  wetted,  it  will  die. 

"They  live  on  plants,  then,"  said  Robert. 

"  They  eat  indiscriminately,"  his  sister  answered, 
"  of  the  herbs  growing  round  the  entrance  of  their 
habitation;  from  which,  during  the  day-time,  they 
never  seem  to  move  farther  than  two  or  three  inches." 

"If  we  could  procure  such  crickets,  we  could  easily 
keep  them  in  the  sun,  and  give  them  plenty  of  wet 
plants ;  and  how  pleasant  to  have  such  dear  little 
noisy  singing  pets!"  said  Emma. 

"Are  you  quite  sure,  Emma,  that  you  would 
always  remember  to  supply  them  with  food;  and 
that  you  would  never  be  occupied  with  other  things 
so  as  to  make  you  neglect  to  moisten  the  plants, 
which  in  the  hot  sun  would  dry  up  very  quickly?" 

Emma  durst  not  answer  confidently  that  she 
would,  because  she  recollected  just  then  that  her 
mamma  had  once  allowed  her  to  have  a  canary  bird, 
on  condition  that  no  one  but  herself  should  have 
the  trouble  of  attending  to  it,  and  how  often  the 
poor  bird  had  been  forgotten,  and  that  at  last  it 
was  eaten  by  a  cat  through  her  neglect.  She  looked 
ashamed,  as  these  sad  remembrances  passed  before 


MANTIS.— Mantis  reUgiosa. 


CHAPTER  VI.  103 

her,  and  she  began  to  stammer  out  some  promises, 
that  she  would  now  know  how  to  take  care  of  pets 
if  she  had  them.  Georgiana,  however,  told  her, 
that  though  she  might  amuse  herself  sometimes  by 
training  birds,  &c.  which  had  been  brought  from 
their  native  climates,  and  could  not  live  in  this  if 
set  at  liberty ;  yet  that  it  would  be  a  very  cruel  and 
selfish  gratification  to  shut  up  in  a  prison-house  any 
creature  which  roved  here  free  in  its  native  element. 

"  I  have  read  an  account  of  a  curious  insect  call- 
ed the  MANTIS,"  said  Robert,  "can  you  tell  us  any 
thing  about  it?" 

"Yes,"  answered  Georgiana,  "I  have  also  read 
the  history  of  this  extraordinary  insect,  of  which 
there  are  many  superstitious  legends,  originating  in 
the  peculiar  manner  in  which  it  holds  the  forelegs. 
The  people  imagine  that  it  is  in  the  act  of  prayer. 
It  is  called  the  Orator  and  Soothsayer;  and  it  is 
supposed  that  if  a  bewildered  traveller  applies  to  it, 
it  will  point  out  the  right  way  with  its  paw.  The 
Hottentots  pay  it  a  kind  of  adoration,  and  consider 
themselves  blessed  if  it  alight  on  them.  Its  head 
is  in  continual  motion,  always  nodding.  This  in- 
sect is  very  undeserving  of  the  veneration  it  meets 
with ;  it  evinces  a  savage  disposition  in  devouring  its 
own  species  in  preference  to  any  other  food.  When 
two  of  them  are  within  sight  of  each  other,  they 
prepare  for  an  attack  by  throwing  up  their  heads 
and  brandishing  their  forelegs ;  and  quick  as  light- 


104  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

ning  rush  upon  one  another,  cutting  and  slashing 
with  their  foreclaws  until  one  or  the  other  is  torn  to 
pieces,  after  which  the  conqueror  always  devours 
the  conquered. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


TiHJl 


ALL  the  children  now  became  so  eager  to  hear 
Georgiana's  stories  of  insects,  that  they  would  neither 
wait  for  a  wet  day,  nor  for  weariness  after  out-of- 
door  play ;  but  preferring  this  amusement  to  every 
other,  they  prevailed  upon  her  to  fix  upon  some 
stated  period  of  every  day  to  continue  her  enter- 
taining narrative ;  and  they  proved  the  pleasure  it 
afforded  them,  by  their  punctuality  in  being  assem- 
bled in  the  place  and  at  the  hour  when  she  was  to 
meet  them. 

"What  think  you,"  began  Georgiana,  "of  a  little 
animal  which  forms  for  itself  its  own  pretty  little 
sepulchre,  where  it  lies  entombed  for  months,  per- 
haps for  years,  then  again  awaking  from  that  dormant 
or  lethargic  state,  it  bursts  its  light  bondage,  and 
springing  'in  the  viewless  air1  soars  like  Ja  bird 
adorned  with  brilliant  plumage?" 


106  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

'  Their  wings  (all  glorious  to  behold) 
Bedropt  with  azure,  jet,  and  gold, 
Wide  they  display :  the  spangled  dew 
Reflects  their  eyes  and  various  hue.'  " 

GAY. 

"  O  can  there  be  such  animals  ?"  said  Emma. 

"Every  species  of  CATERPILLAR,"  answered 
Georgiana,  "undergoes  this  most  extraordinary 
change,  which  may  well  be  termed  a  second  birth.  It 
lays  aside  its  grovelling  nature,  and  puts  on  its  beau- 
tiful attire,  for  which  reason  it  has  obtained  the  ap- 
pellation of  nymph,  which  signifies  a  young  bride. 

'  Behold !  ye  pilgrims  of  this  earth,  behold  ! 
See  all  but  man  with  unearned  pleasure  gay ; 
See  her  bright  robes  the  butterfly  unfold. 
Broke  from  her  wintry  tomb  in  prime  of  May  ! 
What  youthful  bride  can  equal  her  array  ? 
Who  can  with  her  for  easy  pleasure  vie  ? 
From  mead  to  mead  with  gentle  wing  to  stray, 
From  flower  to  flower  on  balmy  gales  to  fly, 
Is  all  she  has  to  do  beneath  the  radiant  sky.'  " 

THOMSON. 

"Let  us  not  merely  amuse  ourselves,  dear  chil- 
dren," continued  their  sister,  "in  considering  this 
extraordinary  metamorphosis;  but  reflect  whether 
we  may  not  derive  some  profitable  instruction  from 
a  subject  which  is  full  of  it.  Let  us  meditate  upon 
the  industry,  the  wisdom,  the  foresight,  and  per- 
severance of  this  little  creature  in  preparing  for  the 
new  state  into  which  it  must  pass ;  and  when  its 
covering  is  made,  it  wraps  itself  up,  as  in  a  wind- 


CATERPILLARS. 
1  Privet  Hawk  Moth.    2  Brimstone  Motb.    3  Gamma  Moth, 


CHAPTER  VI.  107 

ing  sheet,  and  peaceably  sinks  to  repose.  Does  it 
remind  you  of  any  thing,  Robert?" 

"Unless  it  be  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  I  do 
not  know  of  any  thing  like  it,"  replied  he.* 

"There  cannot  be  a  more  strikingly  beautiful 
emblem  of  that  wonderful  change,  when  the  mortal 
clothing  shall  be  laid  aside,  and  the  glorified  spirit 
shall  rise  from  the  dark  and  cheerless  tomb,  disen- 
gaged from  the  garments  of  heaviness,  to  appear  in 
the  bright  unsullied  robe  of  Christ's  righteousness. 
I  have  read  an  allegory,"  continued  Georgiana, 
"which  will  explain  this  better  to  you  than  any 
thing  I  can  say.  I  have  not  got  the  book,  but 
shall  relate  the  allegory  from  memory,  in  my  own 
language,  which  you  will  perhaps  understand  better. 
Before  I  begin,  I  must  tell  you  that  in  many  parts 
of  Ireland  the  peasantry  conceive  it  to  be  a  happy 
omen,  if  they  see  a  butterfly  hovering  near  a  corpse, 
supposing  it  the  disembodied  spirit. 

"A  young  caterpillar  fed  and  reposed  alternately 
on  a  tender  leaf,  in  company  with  another  cater- 
pillar, which  was  older  and  more  experienced. 
As  it  lay  basking  in  the  summer-sun,  it  looked 
upwards,  and  gazed  upon  a  glistening  dew-drop, 

*  The  ancients  were  so  struck  with  the  transformations  of  the 
butterfly,  and  its  resurrection  to  a  new  state  of  existence,  that 
they  considered  it  an  emblem  of  the  soul ;  the  same  Greek  word 
signifies  soul  and  butterfly.  This  insect  is  introduced  in  allego- 
rical sculptures  as  an  emblem  of  immortality. —  The  Library  of 
Entertaining  Knowledge.  Vol.  3. 


108  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

suspended  from  a  bright  green  leaf.  Though  far 
out  of  its  reach,  it  longed  to  sip  the  sweets,  and 
became  dissatisfied  with  those  by  which  it  was 
surrounded.  It  up-reared  its  green  form,  and 
writhed  and  stretched  in  vain ; — the  more  unattain- 
able the  objects  of  its  desire,  the  more  vigorous  were 
its  efforts  to  possess  them.  For  some  time  its 
wiser  neighbour  watched  in  silence  its  fruitless  at- 
tempts, but  at  length  addressed  it  in  the  following 
terms: 

'"  Forbear,  my  child,  to  seek  after  forbidden  plea- 
sures. Aspire  not  to  a  situation  in  which  nature 
has  not  placed  thee;  and  which,  if  it  had,  thou 
wouldst  not  have  found  preferable  to  that  which  is 
thine.  On  this  leaf  thou  wert  born,  and  inhaled 
the  first  moisture  which  strengthened  thy  growth; 
and  though  no  longer  wetted  by  the  dews  of  hea- 
ven, which  we  have  exhausted,  again  shall  the 
evening  shower  descend  and  sprinkle  its  surface."* 

"'And  shall  I,  think  you,  wait  for  it,  exposed  to 
the  parching  sun-beams,  when  I  see  yonder  shade 
and  moisture?'  said  the  silly  little  worm,  still 
stretching  upwards. 

"'Be  advised,  I  pray  thee,  my  brother;  attempt 
not  that  dangerous  pass.  The  utmost  thou  canst 
gain  is  but  a  dew-drop;  and  wilt  thou,  for  the 
glistening  prize,  risk  the  loss  of  a  new  and  glorious 
existence?  for  shouldst  thou  fall,  thy  death  will  be 
inevitable.1 

"'Of  what  loss,  and  what  existence  speakest  thou  ? 


CHAPTER  Vil.  109 

Should  I  fall,  what  can  I  do  more  than  grovel  on 
the  ground,  as  I  do  on  this  dry  and  withered  leaf?' 

*"O  beware  how  thou  despisest  the  nourishment 
which  the  bountiful  hand  of  nature  has  provided; 
thankfully  and  patiently  fulfil  thy  destiny,  and  thou 
shalt  exchange  thy  present  state  to  one  of  inde- 
scribable beauty  and  enjoyment.  Listen  whilst  I 
relate  what  but  yesterday  came  to  my  knowledge, 
respecting  this  marvellous  metamorphosis,  by  which 
our  old  covering  shall  be  cast  aside,  and,  arrayed  in 
new  and  shining  garments,  we  shall  waft  our  way 
with  gauzy  wings  from  flower  to  flower.' 

" c  A  fine  story  this  for  those  who  can  believe  it; 
but  I  am  not  quite  so  credulous;  I  shall  therefore 
wait  for  no  such  event,  though  if  I  could  be  per- 
suaded that  it  would  ever  take  place,  I  should 
certainly  not  expose  my  delicate  form  to  any  danger.' 
And  again  the  unbelieving  worm  made  another  vain 
effort  to  raise  itself  to  the  leaf  which  was  beyond 
its  reach. 

"  '  Stop  a  few  moments,  thou  rash,  inconsiderate 
worm,  and  hear  me  relate  the  singular  circumstance 
to  which  I  have  alluded.  Like  thee,  once  I  gave 
way  to  murmurings  and  discontent,  when  my  gloomy 
train  of  ideas  was  interrupted  by  the  appearance  of 
a  creature  of  matchless  beauty.  For  some  time  it 
hovered  over  me  in  the  air,  its  wings  and  plumage 
sparkling  in  the  sun-beams ;  and  at  last  lit  upon  an 
adjoining  leaf.  Perceiving  the  admiration  with  which 
I  viewed  its  elegant  and  glorious  attire,  it  addressed 
L 


110  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

me  in  the  following  words,  never  to  be  forgotten  : 
"I  see  the  surprise  and  pleasure  which  animate 
you  in  contemplating  my  figure,  but  how  much  must 
those  feelings  increase,  when  you  know  that  such  as 
I  am,  you  will  become — for  such  as  you  are  I  once 
was.  Our  origin  and  nature  are  the  same."  "Ah! 
most  assuredly  it  cannot  be  possible,"  I  replied, 
"that  you,  soaring  high  in  the  air,  decked  in  a  tex- 
ture of  clothing  so  elegant,  in  appearance  so  majes- 
tic, a  forehead  so  adorned,  should  once  have  been 
an  odious  worm  such  as  I  am,  formed  to  writhe  in 
the  dust,  or  be  crushed  under  foot.  Ah  no,"  said  I 
again,  deeply  sighing;  "it  is  indeed  impossible  that 
such  a  mean  and  abject  thing  as  I  am,  should  ever 
become  so  glorious  a  bird."  "  Be  not  incredulous," 
resumed  the  beautiful  bird,  "it  is  but  a  very  short 
time  since  I  awoke  from  a  sleep  like  that  of  death, 
in  which  I  know  not  how  long  I  lay  entranced, 
when  bursting  from  beneath  the  covering  which  in 
my  caterpillar  state  I  had  woven,  I  found  myself 
altogether  a  different  creature — new  powers,  new 
perceptions,  new  feelings  were  given  to  me.  I  had 
done  with  the  low  propensities  of  earth,  and  was 
capable  of  enjoying  those  which  used  to  be  beyond 
my  reach  and  beyond  my  conception.  I  have  wings 
which  waft  me  through  the  air;  and  I  taste  of  plea- 
sures such  as  I  could  not  describe  to  you ;  nor  could 
you  understand  them,  until  you  undergo  the  same 
transformation.  I  fly  from  flower  to  flower,  and  re- 
gale myself  with  odoriferous  nectar.  New  beauties, 


CHAPTER  VII.  Ill 

new  wonders  open  upon  me  wheresoever  I  direct  my 
course.  If  dangers  approach,  I  can  elude  them.  My 
understanding  is  enlarged.  I  can  see  things  far  off, 
and  can  attain  all  I  desire.  My  pleasures  are  as  vari- 
able as  they  are  delightful;  they  are  such  as  never 
cloy,  nor  can  they  ever  be  exhausted;  and  they  will  all 
be  yours  if  you  believe  what  I  tell  you,  and  patiently 
wait  for  your  change."  So  saying,  the  aerial 
creature  flapped  its  light  wings  and  vanished  from 
my  sight ;  and  whilst  I  lay  motionless,  reflecting 
on  what  seemed  like  some  glorious  vision,  again  it 
appeared  with  several  others  like  itself,  gracefully 
sporting  and  flitting  in  the  air.  The  sun  shone 
brightly  on  the  golden  lustre  of  their  smooth  bodies; 
and  the  most  beauteous  gems  which  sparkle  in  the 
glistening  spray  of  the  cataract  are  not  so  lovely  as 
those  which  adorned  their  many-coloured  wings. 
The  first  benevolent  being  which  addressed  me 
appeared  to  have  brought  the  others  to  confirm  my 
wavering  mind ;  for  having  shewed  themselves,  they 
soared  aloft  to  their  native  element,  leaving  me  in 
a  stupor  of  admiration,  from  which  I  recovered  with 
a  fixed  resolution  to  follow  the  steps  of  my  friendly 
adviser ;  not  to  risk  the  loss  of  those  exalted  plea- 
sures for  such  as  I  am  capable  of  enjoying  in  my 
present  reptile  condition.1 

"'Your  tale  is  very  fine  and  very  wonderful  no 
doubt,  for  those  who  will  believe  it;  but  do  not 
think  that  I  am  of  that  foolish  number  who 
despise  present  enjoyments  which  are  set  before 


1J2 


SISTER  S  STORIES. 


me,  for  the  sake  of  future  prospects  which  at 
best  are  uncertain.  I  see  the  delicious  dew-drop, 
and  I  will  not  resist  what  it  is  in  my  nature  to  pant 
after.  I  shall  not  attempt  to  dissuade  you  from 
lingering  out  your  appointed  span  in  vain  and  empty 
speculations;  the  dull  monotony  of  your  life  suits 
your  inclination  as  much  as  it  is  contrary  to  mine. 
But  why  do  I  linger  here;  thus  loitering  away  the 
precious  moments  while  pleasures  invite?  The 
golden  opportunity  is  mine;  instinct  points  out  the 
way,  and  I  hasten  to  obey  its  call.  Fare-thee-well, 
my  friend,  I  leave  thee  to  wait  for  thy  gay-coloured 
wings.  Whilst  the  remnant  of  thy  days  pass  away 
in  the  hope  of  acquiring  them,  mine  will  glide  on  in 
uninterrupted  enjoyment.'' 

"  He  waited  for  no  farther  remonstrance,  but  with 
a  fatal  determination  grasped  at  the  object  of  his 
wishes,  and  fell  to  rise  no  more.  His  body,  motion- 
less and  bruised,  lay  extended  on  the  parched  earth : 
unaccustomed  to  a  bed  less  smooth  than  the  polish- 
ed leaf  on  which  he  used  to  find  sweet  repose,  the 
rough  particles  penetrated  his  delicate  skin,  and  in- 
creased the  anguish  of  his  expiring  moments. 

"The  caterpillar  which  would  have  saved  him, 
beheld  his  fall  with  pity,  and  became  strengthened 
in  his  resolution  to  avoid  such  rash  enterprises  as 
ended  in  the  total  ruin  of  his  poor  incredulous 
neighbour. 

"He  patiently  waited  the  appointed  time,  fixed 
himself  in  a  safe  place,  and  lay  encased  in  his  little 


CHAPTER  VII.  113 

tomb  until  the  next  season,  when  he  exchanged  its 
confines  for  the  boundless  range  of  the  air,  and  the 
ever- varying  delights  of  a  thousand  meads  and  fields, 
and  ten  thousand  thousand  spring  and  summer 
flowers." 

Georgiana  having  concluded  her  allegory,  asked 
her  young  auditors  if  they  could  make  any  appli- 
cation ? 

"I  think,  I  can,"  said  Emma:  "the  foolish  little 
caterpillar,  is  like  a  person,  who  prefers  the  plea- 
sures of  this  world,  because  they  are  within  his 
reach,  to  the  joys  of  heaven;  which  are  prepared 
for  those  who  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
are  washed  from  their  sins  in  his  most  precious 
blood." 

"Very  true,"  said  Georgiana,  "and  in  his  grasp- 
ing after  those  pleasures,  which  even  in  their 
attainment  are  unsatisfying  and  unreal,  did  you 
observe  that  he  fell  to  rise  no  more?" 

"Yes,"  answered  Robert;  "as  a  man  who  had 
heard  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  but  whose  heart 
was  steeled  against  him,  and  dying  as  he  had  lived, 
hard  and  impenitent,  he  must  sink  into  the  bottom- 
less pit  among  condemned  spirits. — Now,  Georgiana, 
will  you  be  so  good  as  to  tell  us  the  history  of  some 
of  the  different  species  of  caterpillars?" 

"That  I  shall  with  great  pleasure,"  answered 
hii  sister,  and  continued  as  follows: 

"  They  are  so  very  numerous,  that  we  cannot  go 

L2 


SISTER'S  STORIES. 

over  them  all,  and  therefore  I  shall  select  for  you 
a  few  species  of  the  butterfly  kind.  There  are 
seven  different  Orders  of  Insects,  which  have  been 
arranged  by  Linnaeus,  the  celebrated  Swedish  Natu- 
ralist, by  expressive  names ;  ah1  of  which  you  will  find 
in  Pinnocfs  Catechism  of  Entomology,  which  you 
must  get,  and  with  very  little  attention  you  will  soon 
be  able  to  distinguish  them.  You  will  be  amused, 
Robert,  at  Linnaeus'  names  for  the  butterfly  tribes, 
because  it  will  remind  you  of  your  classics.  He 
divides  them  into  sections;  the  first  he  calls  Equites, 
and  subdivides  them  into  Greeks  and  Trojans;  the 
Greeks  are  distinguished  by  their  gay  colours,  and 
the  Trojans  by  a  red  spot  on  their  breast.  The  finest 
among  the  Greeks  is  a  native  of  South  America, 
and  is  called  Papilio  Menelaus.  His  wings  extend 
six  inches  across,  and  are  of  the  most  brilliant  silver 
blue.  Among  the  Trojans  the  most  remarkable  is 
named  from  King  Priam,  Papilio  Priamus.  He  is  the 
most  beautiful  of  the  butterfly  tribe,  about  the  size 
of  the  Menelaus;  his  upper  wings  of  a  velvet  black, 
adorned  with  a  rich  grass-green  broad  band,  glossy 
as  satin;  the  lower  wings  are  of  the  same  green, 
with  black  and  orange  coloured  spots." 

"  Such  a  beautiful  creature  may  well  be  called 
a  bird,"  observed  Robert,  "  where  is  it  found  F" 

"In  the  island  of  Amboyna:  look  for  it  in  your 
map,  Emma." 

The  little  girl  did  as  she  was  desired,  and  pointed 
it  out  among  the  Spice  Islands  in  the  Indian  Ocean. 


FLY.—  Papilio  Priamus. 


SHALLOW-TAILED  BUTTERFLY. — PapillO  Mackdon. 


PEACOCK  BUTTERFLV. — Papilio  Ib. 


CHAPTER  VII.  115 

"It  is  a  very  rare  insect,"  continued  Georgiana. 
"There  is  a  caterpillar  found  chiefly  on  fennel, 
generally  known  by  the  name  of  the  Swallow-tailed 
Butterfly,  but  its  classic  name  is  Papilio  Machaon, 
a  Grecian  hero.  Its  colour  is  bright  yellow  with 
black  spots,  the  wings  are  edged  with  a  deep  black 
border,  adorned  with  a  double  row  of  crescent-shaped 
spots,  the  upper  blue,  the  lower  yellow.  The 
caterpillar  is  a  bright  green,  with  bands  of  a  deep 
glossy  purple,  enriched  with  yellow  spots.  The 
second  section  of  Linnaeus  is  Heliconii,  from  Mount 
Helicon.  Its  wings  are  white,  ornamented  with 
velvet  black  spots;  on  each  of  the  lower  ones  are 
two  carmine-coloured  circles,  with  a  white  circle  and 
black  border.  It  is  called  Papilio  Apollo,  and  is 
found  in  Europe;  the  third,  Danai,  from  the 
daughters  of  Danaus;  the  fourth,  Nymphales;  and 
the  fifth,  Plebeii." 

"The  last,"  said  Robert,  "must  be  the  com- 
mon kind  from  their  name." 

"You  are  right,"  answered  Georgiana;  "and  there 
is  nothing  in  them  (comparing  them  with  others) 
worth  notice.  We  have  a  native  butterfly  among  the 
Nymphales  which  can  scarcely  be  exceeded  in  ele- 
gance ;  it  is  called  the  Papilio  /o,  or  Peacock  Butter- 
fly. Its  colour  is  a  beautiful  orange-brown,  with 
black  bars  interspersed  by  spaces  of  yellow,  and,  I 
have  heard,  dotted  with  white.  Another  very  beau- 
tiful butterfly  of  this  species,  is  the  Atalanta,  or  Ad- 
mirable Butterfly:  its  wings  are  deep  black,  spotted 


116 


SISTER  S    STORIES. 


towards  the  tips  with  white,  and  adorned  across  the 
upper  wings  with  rich  carmine-coloured  bars.  It  is 
also  a  native  of  Europe,  and  makes  its  appearance  in 
August,  as  do  the  most  splendid  of  this  species. 
Emma,  have  you  committed  the  little  poem  to 
memory  which  I  gave  you  the  last  time  we  were 
speaking  on  this  subject?11  Emma  said  she  had, 
and  began  to  repeat: 

"  The  shades  of  night  were  scarcely  fled, 

The  air  was  mild,  the  winds  were  still ; 
And  slow  the  slanting  sun-beams  spread 

O'er  wood  and  lawn,  o'er  heath  and  hill. 

From  fleecy  clouds  of  pearly  hue, 

Had  dropt  a  short  but  balmy  shower, 
That  hung  like  gems  of  morning  dew 

On  every  leaf  and  every  flower. 

And  from  the  blackbird's  mellow  throat 

Was  pour'd  so  long  and  loud  a  swell, 
As  echoed  with  responsive  note 

From  mountain  side  and  shadowy  dell. 

When,  bursting  forth  to  life  and  light, 

The  offspring  of  enraptured  May, 
The  butterfly,  on  pinions  bright, 

Launched  in  full  splendour  on  the  day. 

Unconscious  of  a  mother's  care, 

No  infant  wretchedness  she  knew ; 
But,  as  she  felt  the  vernal  air, 

At  once  to  full  perfection  grew. 

Her  slender  form,  ethereal,  light, 

Her  velvet-textured  wings  unfold, 
With  all  the  rainbow's  colours  bright 

And  dropt  with  spots  of  burnished  gold. 


CHAPTER  VII.  117 

Trembling  awhile,  with  joy  she  stood, 

And  felt  the  sun's  enliv'ning  ray, 
Drank  from  the  skies  the  vital  flood, 

And  wondered  at  her  plumage  gay. 

And  balanced  oft  her  'broidered  wings, 

Through  fields  of  air  prepared  to  sail, 
Then  on  her  vent'rous  journey  springs, 

And  floats  along  the  rising  gale." 

"Are  there  any  other  butterflies  than  those  you 
have  mentioned  ?"  interrupted  Emma. 

"  Yes,  several,"  answered  Georgiana ;  "  I  have 
not  yet  said  any  thing  of  the  common  white  butter- 
fly which  you  may  see  flitting  from  flower  to  flower, 
sipping  the  morning  dew.  In  the  month  of  May 
they  deposit  their  cluster  of  eggs  on  the  under  side 
of  the  cabbage  leaf,  which  serves  as  food  for  the 
young  brood  of  caterpillars,  which  come  forth  in  a 
few  days  afterwards.  At  the  latter  end  of  June, 
they  are  fully  grown  and  seek  out  for  themselves  a 
place  of  shelter,  where  each  one  fastens  its  tail  by  a 
web,  and  carries  a  strong  thread  of  the  same  round 
its  body  near  the  head:  thus  secured,  it  hangs  a 
few  hours,  when  the  chrysalis  becomes  perfectly 
formed,  and  the  caterpillar's  skin  is  laid  aside.  In 
fourteen  days  it  becomes  furnished  with  wings, 
escapes  from  its  prison-house  and  lays  its  eggs, 
which  being  hatched,  the  young  caterpillars  arrive 
at  full  growth  in  September,  when  covering  them- 
selves in  their  crysalid  state  they  remain  dormant 
during  the  winter;  and  are  found  under  the  copings 
of  garden  walls,  and  other  such  places,  where  they 


118  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

are  skreened  from  the  rain  and  wind  of  that  incle- 
ment season.  In  May,  as  I  have  already  told  you, 
they  break  forth  from  their  bondage.  Of  this  species 
of  butterfly,  you  may  always  know  the  male  from  the 
female  by  a  few  dark  spots  upon  his  wings." 

"How  wonderful,11  observed  Robert,  "that  they 
know  where  to  find  a  secure  place  of  shelter;  and 
that  they  think  of  seeking  it  before  the  weather 
becomes  severe.11 

"Wonderful  indeed!  and  can  only  be  attributed 
to  Him  whose  care  is  extended  over  all  his  works. 
'  Thou  openest  thine  hand,  and  satisfiest  the  desire 
of  every  living  thing.1  (Psalm  cxlv.  ]6.)  And  whilst 
we  trace  his  hand  in  providing  all  things  needful, 
even  for  the  worm  that  writhes  in  the  dust,  let  us 
remember,  in  the  days  of  our  youth,  that  we  are 
much  more  the  objects  of  his  providential  care  and 
love,  having  created  us  after  his  own  image,  and 
endowed  us  with  a  rational  and  immortal  soul  cap- 
able of  the  higher  enjoyments  which  are  to  be  found 
at  his  right  hand  for  evermore.  By  the  fall  of 
Adam  it  is  too  true  that  we  have  lost  that  image, 
and  that  capability,  but  both  are  restored  to  all  true 
believers  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  in  whom  is  their 
righteousness.11 

"Now  do  tell  us  more  of  the  butterflies,11  said 
Emma. 

"I  intend  doing  so,  Emma;  but  as  I  relate 
to  you  the  beauty  and  order  in  which  God  clothes 
the  butterflies  and  provides  for  their  wants,  I  wish 


MARSH  FRITTILLARY  BrTTERFLY. — PapiltO  Artemis. 


CHAPTER  VII.  119 

to  lead  your  thoughts  to  the  contemplation  of  him 
in  his  works. 

"  There  is  a  small  butterfly  which  measures 
about  an  inch  and  half  across  its  expanded  wings. 
Its  colour  is  dark  orange  or  light  brown,  set  off  with 
yellow  and  black  in  a  minute  pattern.  The  under- 
part  of  the  wings  is  of  a  lighter  colour,  and  from 
their  moist  or  oily  appearance,  it  has  been  called 
Greasy  or  Dishclout  Frittillary,  but  its  right  name 
is  the  MARSH  FRITTILLARY.  In  its  caterpillar 
state  it  spins  a  fine  web,  under  which  covering  it 
sleeps  with  its  companions,  protected  from  the  cold 
of  winter.  The  tissue  which  forms  this  retreat  is 
so  close  in  its  texture,  that  it  cannot  be  opened 
without  some  difficulty,  and  is  not  to  be  penetrated 
by  rain,  wind,  or  cold.  When  a  rent  is  made  in 
the  little  canopy,  the  whole  family  are  found  re- 
posing on  soft  down,  surrounded  with  several  folds 
of  their  web,  which  at  once  forms  their  quilts,  cur- 
tains, and  tents.  Being  nearly  torpid,  they  require  no 
food,  until  the  genial  warmth  of  spring  allures  them 
to  the  gardens  and  fields;  but  they  do  not  stray 
far  from  their  home,  or  place  of  their  birth;  their 
attachment  to  which  is  remarkable.  They  may  be 
observed  in  numbers  hovering  low  in  a  spot  of 
marshy  ground,  where  they  are  easily  caught ;  at  a 
very  little  distance  off,  not  one  is  to  be  seen.  When 
the  caterpillars  are  at  their  full  growth,  about  the 
last  week  in  April,  they  undergo  their  change  into 
chrysalids,  first  suspending  themselves  by  the  tail; 


120  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

their  manner  of  doing  which,  displays  an  extraor- 
dinary power  of  instinct.  They  begin  by  drawing 
together  two  or  three  small  blades  of  grass  across, 
towards  the  top,  which  they  fasten  by  means  of 
their  silken  thread;  under  this  little  canopy  they 
singly  suspend  themselves,  and  remain  hidden  from 
birds,  and  defended  from  the  weather  for  fourteen 
days,  which  is  the  period  of  their  lethargy.  They 
feed  on  the  scabious,  or  devilVbit,  (scabiosa  suc- 
cisa.)  They  also  feed  on  the  opening  leaves  of  the 
marsh  grasses  as  they  come  up," 

"From  which,  I  suppose,  they  get  the  name  of 
the  Marsh  Frittillary,"  observed  Robert. 

"Very  probably,"  replied  Georgiana.  "If  you 
wish  to  watch  their  operations,  you  have  nothing 
more  to  do,  than  to  cut  a  turf  from  the  place  where 
they  are  found,  and  they  will  feed  on  it  wherever 
you  choose  to  fix  it,  as  contentedly  as  if  still  at 
home. 

"The  next  butterfly,  of  which  I  am  going  to 
tell  you,  is  called  the  NETTLE  TORTOISE-SHELL 
BUTTERFLY.  About  the  beginning  of  May  they 
lay  their  eggs  on  the  stalks  of  nettles,  to  which 
they  are  fastened  by  a  glutinous  substance;  the 
light-coloured  green  caterpillars  soon  afterwards 
appear  on  the  nettle  tops  inclosed  in  a  web  which 
covers  the  top  of  the  plant.  They  cast  their  first 
skin  very  soon,  and  as  if  tired  of  their  worn-out 
garments,  they  leave  them  hanging  to  the  web,  and 
seek  a  fresh  retreat  where  they  form  a  new  colony ; 


TORTOISE-SHBLL  BUTTERFLY. — Pttptlio 


CHAPTER  VII.  121 

still  they  remain  together  covered  over  with  a  web. 
Again  they  change  their  skin  and  place  of  habita- 
tion ;  they  also  change  their  colour  from  lively  green 
to  black ;  and  as  they  now  increase  in  size,  they  no 
longer  form  one  society,  but  separate  into  compa- 
nies. In  their  sixth  and  last  skin,  they  separate 
altogether,  and  sometimes  cover  the  tops  and  stalks 
of  the  nettles,  so  as  to  appear  like  a  black  cloth 
over  them.  They  devour  these  plants,  leaving 
nothing  but  the  fibres  of  the  stalks.  At  the 
beginning  of  June,  they  are  at  their  full  growth ; 
then  fastening  their  tails  by  a  web  under  the  nettle 
leaves,  they  change  into  green  chrysalids,  which  in 
a  day  or  two  assume  a  bright  gold  or  greenish 
brown  colour.  They  remain  so  for  about  twenty 
days,  then  come  forth  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
of  the  British  butterflies.  Its  upper  wings  are  red, 
marked  with  alternate  bands  of  black  and  pale 
orange;  below  these,  there  are  three  black  spots, 
the  inner  one  square;  near  the  extremity  of  the 
upper  parts,  there  is  a  white  stripe.  The  lower  wings 
also  are  red,  marked  with  a  large  black  spot.  The 
four  wings  are  edged  with  black  and  dotted  over  with 
blue  spots.*  They  sport  among  the  flowers;  and 

*  "  The  organ,  which  inflicts  the  pain,  or  sting,  when  we  incau- 
tiously handle  the  nettle,  is  well  known  to  be  connected  with  a 
little  vessel  containing  an  acrid  fluid,  which  being  compressed 
rushes  up  the  tube  of  the  organ,  and  is  thus  conveyed  into  the 
wound ;  and  it  is  rather  singular,  that  the  larvae  of  the  Admirable 
Butterfly,  which  feeds  upon  the  large  hedge  nettle,  has  the  spines 
which  arise  from  its  body  branched,  and  each  collateral  hair  arises 
from  a  little  bulb,  similar  to  that  of  the  plaut  on  which  it  is 
chiefly  found."— Journal  of  a  Naturalist, 
If 


122  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

live  their  little  day  from  April  until  the  beginning  of 
May,  when  they  lay  their  eggs  on  the  nettles  and 
die.  You  will  find  this  account  of  them  in  Bingley, 
who  relates  an  extraordinary  circumstance  attend- 
ing their  transformation;  they,  in  common  with 
others  of  the  same  family,  (Papilio  Atalanta)  dis- 
charge drops  of  a  reddish  fluid,  which  has  had  the 
appearance  of  a  shower  of  blood,  where  the  num- 
bers were  very  great,  and  been  recorded  by  writers, 
(who  were  of  course  ignorant  of  the  cause  which 
produced  it,)  as  the  forerunner  of  some  extraordinary 
event." 

Robert  and  Emma  said  they  would  watch  among 
the  nettles  for  the  butterfly  such  as  their  sister  de- 
scribed, and  for  the  red  drops  on  the  ground;  which, 
however,  she  told  them  she  never  had  heard  of 
being  seen  in  this  country;  but  in  the  suburbs  of 
the  town  of  Aix,  it  had,  as  related  by  M.  de  Reau- 
mur. In  the  beginning  of  July,  1608,  the  inhabi- 
tants were  thrown  into  great  consternation  from 
having  discovered  that  which  appeared  to  them  a 
shower  of  blood,  which  had  fallen  not  only  in  the 
suburbs,  but  extending  some  miles  round.  They 
consulted  a  philosopher,  M.  de  Peiresc,  on  this  ex- 
traordinary occurrence.  Among  his  studies  of 
natural  history  he  had  not  neglected  that  of  insects, 
and  having  a  short  time  before  picked  up  a  large 
and  beautiful  chrysalis,  which  he  had  carefully 
enclosed  in  a  box,  and  watched  its  transformation 
into  the  butterfly  state,  he  remarked  that  it  had 


1.    SILVER-STRIPED  BCTTTRFLY. — Papilio 
2.    SMALL  GOLDEN  BLACK-SPOTTED   BUTTERFLY. — Papilio  phldC 


CHAPTEE  VII.  123 

left  a  drop  of  blood-coloured  liquor  on  the  bottom 
of  the  box,  which  stain  remained  about  as  large  as 
a  French  sol.  The  walls  of  a  church-yard  near  the 
place,  and  several  small  villages  in  the  neighbour- 
hood were  spotted  in  a  perfectly  similar  manner,  as 
were  the  stones  in  the  fields  and  near  the  highways; 
which  made  him  unhesitatingly  pronounce,  that  the 
prodigious  number  of  butterflies,  which  at  the  same 
time  were  seen  skimming  through  the  air,  had  pro- 
duced the  blood-coloured  shower,  which  had  not 
fallen  on  the  tops  of  houses,  or  any  where  above  the 
flight  of  the  butterflies.  It  is  worthy  of  observation, 
that  all  the  showers  of  blood  which  have  been  recor- 
ded to  have  happened,  fell  in  the  warm  seasons  of 
the  year  when  the  butterflies  are  most  numerous. 

"The  Papilio paphia  is  a  very  elegant  insect;  its 
colour,  fine  orange  chesnut,  with  numerous  black 
spots  and  bars;  it  is  usually  found  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  woods.  The  Papilio  semele,  called  the 
black-eyed  marble  butterfly,  and  the  Papilio  phlceas 
which  is  a  small  golden  black-spotted  butterfly,  are 
seen  in  August. 

"I  have  told  you  now,"  continued  Georgiana, 
"nearly  all  that  I  have  read  relating  to  butterflies, 
and  shall  if  you  wish,  give  you  an  account  of  the 
MOTH-TRIBE." 

"Do  pray,  dear  Georgiana,"  was  the  request  of 
each  of  her  delighted  auditors,  and  she  most  wil- 
lingly proceeded : 

"Of  this  species,  there  is  one  called  THE  SPHINX, 


124  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

from  the  singular  attitudes  of  their  larvae,  being 
said  to  resemble  that  of  the  Egyptian  sphinx.  There 
are  three  kinds  of  moths  belonging  to  this  genus. 
The  first  is  the  Sphinx  Ligustri,  or  HAWK-MOTH. 
It  measures  nearly  four  inches  and  a  half  from  the 
tip  of  one  wing  to  the  other;  its  upper  part  is  a 
variegated  brown,  and  the  under  wings  and  body 
are  of  a  fine  rose  colour.  The  caterpillar,  before  it 
changes  into  a  winged  animal,  is  of  a  bright  green, 
and  generally  found  feeding  on  the  privet,  the  lilac 
or  poplar.  The  name  has  been  given  from  its 
applying  the  hinder  part  of  the  body  to  a  branch  of 
a  tree,  holding  itself  erect  like  the  fabulous  sphinx. 
It  spins  its  chrysalis  under  ground;  and  in- 
terweaves with  the  thread,  bits  of  earth  and 
grains  of  corn.  They  fly  heavily  early  in  the 
morning  and  after  sun-set  in  the  evening.  The 
Sphinx  Atropos  is  by  far  the  largest  and  most 
interesting  insect  of  this  genus.  The  inhabitants 
of  Bretagne,  at  a  time  when  moths  of  this  descrip- 
tion were  observed  in  immense  numbers,  suffered 
dreadfully  from  an  epidemic  disease,  which  they 
attributed  to  them.  The  singular  appearance  of 
these  insects,  having  on  the  top  of  the  thorax  an 
exact  representation  of  a  skull,  and  their  plaintive 
cry  when  taken  up,  communicated  to  the  people's 
minds  a  superstitious  terror.  The  upper  wings  are 
of  a  fine  grey  colour,  the  under  ones  bright  orange 
crossed  with  black  bands.  From  the  ghastly  figure 
on  its  back  and  mournful  sound,  it  is  called  the 


HAWK  MOTH.-— Sphinx  Liyustri. 


LITTLE-EYED  SPHINX. SphillX  OCCellatd. 


EMPEROR  MOTH.— Phdland  pavonid  Minor. 


CHAPTER  VII.  125 

DEATH'S-HEAD  MOTH,  and  by  the  vulgar  is  consi- 
dered the  harbinger  of  ill.  In  its  caterpillar  state  it 
is  particularly  beautiful,  and  measures  nearly  five 
inches  in  length:  it  is  generally  found  on  the 
potato  or  jessamine.  The  third  insect  of  this 
genus  is  found  on  the  willow,  a  green  caterpillar. 
It  produces  a  beautifully  variegated  moth,  called 
the  Sphinx  Occellata. 

"The  most  splendid  and  largest  of  the  moth  tribe 
is  the  Phalcena  Atlas;  from  tip  to  tip  of  the 
wings,  it  measures  eight  inches  and  a  hah0.  Its 
ground  colour  is  a  rich  deep  orange,  having  on  its 
wings  a  large  transparent  spot  bordered  with  black. 
It  is  found  in  the  East  and  West  Indies.  The 
finest  of  the  European  species  is  called  the 
Phalcena  Pavonia,  or  PEACOCK-MOTH;  it  is  a 
native  of  Germany,  Italy,  and  France.  It  is 
beautifully  variegated  in  different  shades  of  grey, 
black  and  brown ;  and  has  on  the  middle  of  each 
wing  a  spot  shaped  like  an  eye,  the  centre  black, 
shaded  with  blue,  surrounded  with  red  brown,  and 
again  by  a  black  circle.  An  elegant  border  of  pale 
brown  edges  the  wings  round.  The  antennae  are 
finely  fringed.  The  caterpillar  of  this  moth  is  apple 
green,  and  each  segment  of  its  body  is  ornamented 
with  a  row  of  upright  projections  of  bright  blue. 
It  feeds  on  the  apple  and  pear  trees.  This  moth 
is  not  found  in  England;  but  one  very  like  it  is, 
called  the  EMPEROR  MOTH,  or  Phalcena  Pavoniq 
Minor? 


126  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

"I  am  very  curious  to  hear,"  said  Robert,  "how 
the  caterpillars  form  their  chrysalis,  which  are  in 
general  as  hard  as  a  shell." 

"I  have  been  told,"  answered  Georgiana,  "that 
some  caterpillars  spin  then*  thread,  mixing  it  with 
a  glutinous  substance,  in  which  they  involve  their 
bodies,  and  roll  themselves  in  the  sand;  the  finest 
particles  of  which  adhere,  and  form  an  incrustation, 
which  may  be  compared  to  a  little  stone  sarcopha- 
gus. Others  work  up  the  smallest  particles  of  the 
willow,  or  whatever  plant  they  inhabit,  with  their 
glue  into  a  paste,  which  they  form  into  a  case  or 
shell,  to  fit  the  body  exactly.  In  this  state,  we 
have  compared  these  insects  to  human  bodies  en- 
tombed; the  analogy  will  be  still  more  striking  if 
we  open  one  of  the  aurelias,  which  inside  appears  to 
contain  nothing  but  a  mass  of  corruption,  yet  here 
are  the  elements  of  a  better  existence.  When  the 
time  of  its  enlargement  arrives,  the  creature  receives 
new  life  and  vigour  sufficient  to  force  its  way  out  of 
its  prison :  first  the  head  becomes  disengaged,  then 
the  horns  protrude,  the  legs  and  wings  extend 
themselves ;  and  the  butterfly  decked  in  colours  of 
the  most  glowing  and  brilliant  dye,  takes  its  flight, 
its  whole  nature  and  aspect  totally  different  from 
the  terrestrial  animal  which  crawled  heavily  on  the 
ground,  often  disgusting  to  the  sight.  Its  enjoy- 
ments, as  well  as  its  appearance,  are  changed.  It 
no  longer  confines  itself  to  the  stem  or  the  leaf  of  a 


CHAPTER  VII.  127 

plant  to  supply  its  food,  but  ranges  from  flower  to 
flower  regaling  itself  on  ambrosial  sweets. 

"  Go,  child  of  pleasure,  range  the  fields, 
Taste  all  the  joys  that  spring  can  give ; 

Partake  what  bounteous  summer  yields, 
And  live,  while  yet  'tis  thine  to  live. 

Go,  sip  the  rose's  fragrant  dew, 

The  lily's  honeyed  cup  explore ; 
From  flower  to  flower  the  search  renew, 

And  rifle  all  the  woodbine's  store. 

And  let  me  trace  thy  vagrant  flight, 

Thy  moments,  too,  of  short  repose ; 
And  mark  thee,  when,  with  fresh  delight, 

Thy  golden  pinions  ope  and  close. 

But  hark !  while  thus  I  musing  stand, 

Pours  on  the  gale  an  airy  note, 
And,  breathing  from  a  viewless  band, 

Soft  silvery  tones  around  me  float. 

They  cease— but  still  a  voice  I  hear, 

A  whispered  voice  of  hope  and  joy — 
1  Thy  hour  of  rest  approaches  near, 

Prepare  thee,  mortal !  thou  must  die. 

Yet,  start  not !  on  thy  closing  eyes 

Another  day  shall  still  unfold ; 
A  sun  of  milder  radiance  rise, 

A  happier  age  of  joys  untold. 

Shall  the  poor  worm  that  shocks  thy  sight, 

The  humblest  form  in  nature's  train, 
Thus  rise  in  new-born  lustre  bright, 

And  yet  the  emblem  teach  in  vain  ? 


128  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

Ah !  where  were  once  her  golden  eyes, 

Her  glitt'ring  wings  of  purple  pride  ? 
Concealed  beneath  a  rude  disguise ! 

A  shapeless  mass  to  earth  allied. 

Like  thee,  the  hapless  reptile  lived, 
Like  thee,  she  toiled ;  like  thee,  she  spun ; 

Like  thine,  her  closing  hour  arrived, 
Her  labours  ceased,  her  web  was  done. 

And  shalt  thou,  numbered  with  the  dead, 

No  happier  state  of  being  know  ? 
And  shall  no  future  morrow  shed 

On  thee  a  beam  of  brighter  glow  ? 

Is  this  the  bound  of  Power  divine, 

To  animate  an  insect  frame  ? 
Or  shall  not  He  who  moulded  thine, 

Wake,  at  his  will,  the  vital  flame? 

Go,  mortal!  in  thy  reptile  state, 

Enough  to  know  to  thee  is  given ; 
Go,  and  the  joyful  truth  relate, 

Frail  child  of  earth,  high  heir  of  heaven." 

"Thank  you,  dear  Georgiana,"  said  Emma,  "for 
repeating  to  us  such  a  beautiful  little  poem.  Have 
you  finished  now  about  the  butterflies  and  moths?1' 

"Are  you  tired  of  them?1  inquired  her  sister. 

"Not  at  all,"  answered  Emma;  "I  should  like 
to  hear  more." 

"  Then  I  shall  tell  you  of  another  very  interest- 
ing and  useful  insect  belonging  to  the  moth  tribe, 
though  it  has  not  much  beauty  to  boast  of.  It  is 
called  Phalcena  Mori,  or  SILKWORM.  It  is  of  a 
whitish  hue;  and  lives  after  its  exclusion  from  the 


ILK  WOBM  MOTH.— Phalana  wort. 


CHAPTER  VII.  ]29 

pupa  but  to  lay  its  eggs.  In  its  larva  or  cater- 
pillar state,  its  colour  is  light  grey,  and  its  length 
about  three  inches.  It  feeds  on  the  leaf  of  the 
mulberry  tree,  on  which  it  is  found  in  its  native 
state  in  China,  and  other  eastern  countries.  In 
those  warm  climates,  the  silkworms  are  left  at  liberty 
on  the  trees;  where  they  are  hatched,  and  form 
their  cocoons;  but  in  the  cooler  atmosphere  of 
Europe,  where  they  have  been  transported,  they 
must  be  kept  in  rooms  with  a  southern  aspect,  and 
fed  every  day  with  fresh  leaves.  I  shall  give  you 
the  whole  process  of  feeding  and  treating  them 
from  Bingley's  Animal  Biography,  and  which  was 
found  to  succeed  at  the  Baths  of  Lucca,  where  I 
had  a  number  of  silkworms  to  my  endless  amuse- 
ment and  pleasure." 

"I  remember  them,  Georgiana,"  said  Robert, 
"and  their  little  yellowish  eggs,  about  as  large  as 
the  head  of  a  pin." 

"Do  you  remember  the  little  black  worms,  the 
length  of  a  small  ant,  that  used  to  come  out  of 
those  eggs?" 

"I  think  I  do;  but  tell  us  all  about  them:  I 
was  so  young  then,  that  you  know  I  did  not  mind 
them  much,  and  you  would  never  let  me  touch 
them." 

"The  worms,"  continued  Georgiana,  "remain 
black  for  about  eight  or  ten  days,  and  increase  in 
size  until  they  are  about  the  fourth  of  an  inch  long. 
They  are  laid  on  wicker  shelves,  covered  first  with 


130  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

paper,  and  over  this  their  bed  is  made  of  the  ten- 
derest  mulberry  leaves,  on  which  they  feed  as  well 
as  repose.  At  eight  days  old,  they  fall  into  a  kind 
of  lethargy,  which  lasts  three  days,  during  which 
time  they  cast  their  skin,  and  then  recover  and 
again  feed  and  increase  in  size  for  five  days  more; 
this  they  do  twice,  during  the  next  ten  days;  then 
being  at  full  growth,  above  an  inch  long,  they  eat 
voraciously  for  five  days,  after  which  they  refuse 
food;  become  transparent,  with  a  tinge  of  yellow, 
and  leave  silky  traces  wherever  they  crawl,  by  which 
it  is  known  that  they  are  ready  to  spin  their  cocoon; 
and  little  bushes  of  broom  or  heath  are  stuck  up- 
right for  them  between  the  shelves.  The  little 
animals  climb  up  the  branches,  begin  the  founda- 
tion of  their  cell,  and  are  five  days  in  completing  it. 
When  the  cocoon  is  finished,  they  remain  dormant 
within  it  about  a  fortnight  or  three  weeks,  then 
they  change  into  moths,  and  laying  aside  their 
aurelia  skin,  in  tattered  remnants  like  a  little  bundle 
of  dirty  linen  within  the  cocoon,  they  prepare  for 
their  escape  by  gnawing  out  a  passage. 

"The  worm  does  not  long  enjoy  its  liberty:  its 
efforts  in  effecting  which  appears  to  have  exhausted 
its  strength;  soon  afterwards  it  lays  its  eggs  and 
dies.  When  the  silk  is  made  use  of,  the  poor 
moths  are  not  allowed  to  pierce  the  cocoon,  because 
that  spoils  it.  As  soon  as  the  cocoons  are  formed, 
they  are  taken  off  the  branches,  and  divided  into 
classes.  Some  are  white  and  others  yellow.  The 


CHAPTER  VII.  131 

best  are  firm,  strong,  and  of  a  pure  unspotted 
colour,  the  grain  fine,  and  round  at  both  ends. 
The  brightest  yellow  yields  most  silk ;  but  the  paler 
are  preferred,  because  they  take  different  colours 
better.  The  worms  within  are  destroyed  by  the 
cocoons  being  put  into  long  shallow  baskets, 
covered  up,  and  baked  for  an  hour  in  a  heat  equal 
to  that  of  an  oven  to  bake  bread.  I  should  have 
told  you  that  rooms  are  purposely  prepared  for  the 
silkworms.  Several  ranges  of  wicker  shelves,  not 
too  deep,  are  placed  in  the  centre,  one  above 
another,  about  a  foot  and  a  half  apart. 

"After  being  baked,  the  cocoons  are  properly  dis- 
posed on  osier  shelves,  distributed  into  stories  two 
or  three  feet  distant  from  each  other.  The  whole 
thread,  if  measured,  will  be  found  about  three 
hundred  yards  long;  and  so  fine,  that  eight  or  ten 
threads  are  generally  rolled  off  into  one.  For  this 
purpose  the  cocoons  are  put  into  small  basins  of 
water,  over  a  low  fire.  The  ends  of  the  thread  are 
found  by  brushing  them  over  gently  with  a  whisk 
made  on  purpose;  in  winding  them  off,  the  threads 
are  passed  through  holes  in  an  horizontal  bar  of 
iron  placed  at  the  edge  of  the  basin,  to  prevent 
their  being  entangled." 

"You  have  not  yet  described  to  us  what  the 
cocoon  is,"  said  Emma. 

"  It  is  a  cone  or  ball  of  silk,"  answered  Georgiana, 
"spun  from  two  longish  bags,  that  lie  above  the 
intestines,  filled  with  a  gummy  fluid  of  a  deep  yellow 


132  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

colour.  The  apparatus  for  spinning  the  silky 
thread  of  which  these  bags  are  composed,  in  some 
measure  resembles  a  wire-drawer's  machine,  in 
which  gold  or  silver  threads  are  drawn  to  any 
degree  of  fineness;  and  through  this  the  animal 
draws  its  thread. 

"In  a  state  of  nature,  the  silkworm  before  it 
spins  its  web,  seeks  out  some  convenient  place  to 
erect  its  cell  without  obstruction.  When  it  has 
found  a  leaf  or  chink  fitted  to*ts  purpose,  it  begins 
to  writhe  its  head  in  every  direction,  and  fastens  its 
thread  on  all  sides  the  walls  of  its  retreat.  These, 
being  continued,  by  degrees  "form  the  little  oval  ball 
in  which  it  undergoes  its  transformation.  The  out- 
side of  the  cocoon  is  composed  of  a  coarse  material 
like  cotton,  of  which  the  beautiful  blankets  at  Lucca 
are  made;  it  is  called  floss;  under  that  covering., 
the  thread  is  more  even  and  distinct,  but  not  rolled 
regularly  round,  and  winds  off  first  from  one  side, 
then  from  the  other.  The  interior  of  the  apartment, 
next  the  body  of  the  aurelia,  is  lined  with  a  sub- 
stance like  paper,  but  of  a  much  stronger  consis- 
tence. This  little  animal,  to  which  we  are  indebted 
for  all  our  beautiful  silks,  was  unknown  beyond  its 
native  climate,  (China,)  until  the  reign  of  the 
Emperor  Justinian,  though  silk  had  been  brought 
into  Persia  long  before  that  period,  For  several 
centuries  the  Persians  supplied  the  Roman  empire 
with  the  silks  of  China,  but  at  length  two  monks 
who  had  been  sent  out  as  missionaries,  having 


CHAPTER  VII.  133 

visited  that  country,  discovered  the  properties  of  the 
silk-worm.  And  having,  on  their  return  to  Constan- 
tinople, explained  to  the  emperor  the  origin  of  silk, 
and  mode  of  preparing  it,  he  encouraged  them  by 
liberal  promises  to  return  and  bring  back  with  them 
a  sufficient  number  of  these  extraordinary  insects; 
which  they  accomplished  by  conveying  their  eggs 
in  a  hollow  cane,  and  hatching  them  by  the  heat 
of  a  dunghill.  They  were  reared  in  vast  numbers 
in  Greece,  and  afte wards  in  Sicily  and  Italy;  which 
has  brought  about  a -great  change  in  the  nature  of 
the  commercial^  intercourse  between  Europe  and 
India. — Are  you  tired  yet  of  butterflies  and 
moths  ?"  Georgiana  inquired.  The  young  party 
having  answered  that  they  were  not,  but  would  glad- 
ly hear  any  thing  further  on  the  subject  which  she 
should  be  so  obliging  as  to  communicate;  she  con- 
tinued their  history,  and  described  next  a  little  moth 
called  PtialcBna  Vestianella  or  Tinea  Sarcitellay 
which  in  its  larva  or  caterpillar  state  is  very  de- 
structive to  woollen  cloths  and  furs. 

"  How  very  unlike  the  useful  silk-worm  P  said 
Emma. 

"Very  unlike  indeed,"  answered  Georgiana; 
"  these  little  mischievous  insects  not  only  eat  the 
cloth,  but  form  of  it  cases  or  houses  to  live  in.  After 
having  wrapt  itself  round  in  a  silken  garment  of  its 
own  spinning,  it  cuts  the  filaments  of  the  wool  or 
fur  close  by  the  thread,  with  its  teeth,  and  applying 
the  bits  one  by  one  to  the  outside  of  its  case,  with 

N 


134 


SISTER  S  STORIES. 


extraordinary  ingenuity  works  them  in  by  means  of 
its  silken  thread.  When  its  covering  is  finished, 
it  fastens  it  to  the  spot  with  several  strings  and  glue, 
and  never  quits  it  except  on  some  very  urgent  oc- 
casion, and  when  it  wants  to  feed,  it  puts  its  head 
out  of  either  end  as  suits  its  convenience;  its  house 
being  sufficiently  wide  in  the  centre  to  enable  it  to 
turn  round.  When  it  wishes  to  emigrate,  it  draws  out 
its  slender  fastenings  and  puts  out  its  head  and  six 
forelegs,  which  enables  it  to  move  forward,  and 
keeping  its  hind  legs  still  inside,  it  drags  its  case 
along.  As  the  body  increases,  however,  this  case 
must  be  enlarged,  and  again  the  little  ingenious 
creature  goes  to  work  to  render  its  habitation  com- 
modious; it  begins  by  making  a  small  addition  at 
one  end;  then,  turning  itself  within  its  case,  it  adds 
a  little  more  to  the  other.  Its  operations  in  this 
way  may  be  easily  traced  by  transferring  it  to  dif- 
ferent coloured  cloths,  the  new  additions  will  be  seen 
in  little  rings  of  the  different  colours." 

"But  as  its  body  increases  in  bulk  as  well  as 
length,  does  it  not  require  widening  in  the  centre?" 
inquired  Robert. 

"Certainly,"  answered  Georgiana,  "and  for  that 
purpose  it  makes  a  slit  lengthways  with  its  scissor- 
like  teeth  from  the  centre  to  one  of  the  extremities, 
and  inserts  nicely  a  little  woollen  stripe,  which  it 
lines  with  its  own  soft  silk,  like  the  rest  of  the  in- 
terior of  its  dwelling;  having  finished  this,  it  makes 
another  incision  and  insertion  at  the  same  end ;  then 


TIGER  MOTH. — PhalcEUa  Cfljd. 


CHAPTER  VII.  135 

turning  itself  round,  performs  the  same  operation 
at  the  other  end.  In  this  abode  it  remains  until 
the  time  of  its  change,  when  it  issues  forth  a  little 
grey  nocturnal  moth.  Its  instinct  directs  it  to  deposit 
its  eggs  in  the  cloth,  where  being  hatched,  the  insect 
finds  food  and  clothing.  To  prevent  woollen  cloth 
and  fur  from  being  injured  by  these  little  destruc- 
tive insects,  oil  of  turpentine,  in  some  open  vessel, 
should  be  placed  in  the  wardrobe;  a  brush  dipped 
lightly  in  oil  of  turpentine,  and  then  brushing  the 
cloth  or  fur  with  it,  is  also  an  effectual  preservative, 
as  the  smell  kills  them  immediately.  The  smoke 
of  tobacco  does  the  same.  Had  we  known  this 
remedy,  (which  is  said  to  be  effectual,)  when  we 
were  in  Italy,  we  might  have  saved  much  injury  to 
every  article  of  clothing  we  possessed  in  which  there 
was  any  mixture  of  wool.  My  papa  never  could 
make  out  a  secure  place  to  deposit  his  coats,  &c. 
During  the  summer  months  when  we  were  obliged 
to  leave  Rome  and  lay  aside  our  warm  clothing, 
at  our  return  we  used  literally  to  find  them  eaten 
to  rags  by  these  little  mischievous  insects. 

UI  think  you  must  have  heard  nearly  enough  of 
moths,  I  shall  just  mention  one  or  two  more,  and 
have  done  with  them;  the  Phalcena  Caja,  or  GREAT 
TIGER-MOTH  ;  the  upper  wings  a  fine  pale  cream 
colour,  with  dark  brown  bars  and  spots,  the  lower 
wings  red,  with  black  spots;  the  body  red  with 
black  bars.  The  caterpillar  is  brown  and  hairy,  a 
native  of  England,  and  feeds  on  various  plants. 


136 


SISTER  S  STORIES. 


u  There  is  a  very  beautiful  moth,  nearly  the  shape 
of  a  butterfly,  which  in  its  caterpillar  state  feeds 
on  the  currant-bushes,  and  is  therefore  called  the 
CURRANT-BUSH  MOTH,  or  Phalcena  Gross ulariata; 
its  body  is  yellow,  with  black  spots,  its  wings  dotted 
with  black ;  the  upper  wings  are  adorned  by  a  pair 
of  yellow  bands. 

"  Behold  the  insect  race,  ordained  to  keep 
The  lazy  sabbath  of  a  half  year's  sleep : 
Entombed,  beneath  the  filmy  web  they  lie, 
And  wait  the  influence  of  a  kinder  sky. 
When  vernal  sunbeams  pierce  their  dark  retreat, 
The  heaving  tomb  distends  with  vital  heat ; 
The  full-formed  brood,  impatient  of  their  cell, 
Start  from  their  trance,  and  burst  their  silken  shell ; 
Trembling,  awhile  they  stand,  and  scarcely  dare 
To  launch  at  once  upon  the  untried  air : 
At  length  assured,  they  catch  the  favouring  gale, 
And  leave  their  sordid  spoils,  and  high  in  ether  sail. 
So  when  Rinaldo  struck  the  conscious  rind, 
He  found  a  nymph  in  every  trunk  confined ; 
The  forest  labours  with  convulsive  throes, 
The  bursting  trees  the  lovely  births  disclose, 
And  a  gay  troop  of  damsels  round  him  stood, 
Where  late  was  rugged  bark  and  lifeless  wood. 
Lo !  the  bright  train  their  radiant  wings  unfold, 
With  silver  fringed,  and  freckled  o'er  with  gold : 
On  the  gay  bosom  of  some  fragrant  flower, 
They  idly  fluttering  live  their  little  hour ; 
Their  life  all  pleasure,  and  their  task  all  play, 
All  spring  their  age,  and  sunshine  all  their  day." 

BARBAULD. 

"  It  will  be  very  pleasant  to  know  the  name  and 
nature  of  the  different  butterflies  and  moths,11  said 
Emma,  "which  we  may  easily  trace  from  your 
description,  Georgiana.  I  should  very  much  like 


CURRANT-BUSH  MOTH. — Pkttltena  grossulattata. 


SILVER-BLUE  BUTTERFLY.— Papilio  Menelaus. 


CHAPTER  VII.  137 

to  make  a  collection  of  all  the  different  species  of 
each." 

"You  will  find  it  very  interesting,  Emma,11 
answered  her  sister.  "  I  heard  a  friend  of  ours  say 
yesterday,  that  he  means  soon  to  make  a  long  voy- 
age, and  will  probably  visit  many  parts  of  the  great 
American  Continent:  I  ventured  to  ask  him  if  he 
would  make  a  collection  for  us  of  the  different  native 
butterflies,  particularly  the  magnificent  Papilio 
Menelaus;  which  in  the  most  obliging  manner 
he  promised  to  do." 

"  I  am  very  glad  you  thought  of  it,  Georgiana. 
How  anxious  I  shall  be  for  his  return.  In  which 
countries  are  the  most  beautiful  butterflies  found?" 

"Those  of  China,  and  America  in  particular; 
and  on  the  river  of  the  Amazons  they  are  remarkable 
for  size,  richness  and  splendid  colouring.  They  are 
very  beautiful  in  France  and  India;  but  in  their 
importation,  much  of  >their  beauty  must  be  di- 
minished by  the  falling  off  of  what  to  the  naked 
eye  appears  to  be  dust,  but  when  seen  through  the 
microscope,  appears  to  be  clusters  of  little  elegant 
feathers,  having  a  quill  at  one  end,  while  at  the 
other  it  is  rounded  and  fringed  like  the  feathers  of 
a  bird;  they  are  arranged  in  the  same  beautiful 
order,  the  termination  of  one  covering  the  begin- 
ning of  another — and  when  altogether  wiped  away, 
the  wing  remains  a  fine  transparent  film  where  the 
sockets  of  each  quill  may  be  discovered."* 
*  Some  say  that  these  are  not  feathers,  but  very  minute  scales. 


138  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

"How  very  curious!11  said  Robert,  "even  the 
little  feather  of  the  butterfly  displays  the  operation 
of  the  Almighty,  which  no  human  artist  could 
imitate." 

"Your  observation  gives  me  great  pleasure, 
Robert,  because  it  shews  that  your  thoughts  are 
directed  to  Him  who  is  the  Creator  and  Governor 
of  all  things.11 

"One  thing  still  puzzles  me,  Georgiana,11  answered 
Robert.  "Each  caterpillar  preys  upon  some  plant 
which  is  its  natural  food;  how  happens  it  then  that 
all  those  plants  are  not  destroyed  by  the  numerous 
tribe  of  insects  which  feed  on  them  P11* 

"Because  here  also  the  wisdom  of  God  has 
found  out  a  remedy  ;  those  numerous  tribes  supply 
the  birds  with  food,  the  young  brood  just  come  out 
require  that  tender  food  in  April  when  the  cater- 
pillars are  to  be  found  in  greatest  plenty.  When  they 
disappear  in  autumn,  the  birds  are  strong  enough 
to  digest  the  grains  of  corn  and  other  food  fit  for 
them,  with  which  the  earth  is  bountifully  strewed. 
Thus,  according  to  the  promise,  Gen.  i.  29,  30. 
does  the  Lord  supply  food  for  every  living  creature 
that  he  has  made. 

*  Caterpillars  in  general  lurk  among  the  lowest  herbage  in  the 
night-time ;  early  in  the  morning  they  begin  to  ascend  and  mount 
by  degrees,  until  about  noon  they  are  found  on  the  tops  of  their 
respective  plants ;  from  whence  they  gradually  descend  again  as 
the  sun  declines,  so  that  the  close  of  evening  finds  them  again 
concealed  under  the  lowest  leaf.  Other  caterpillars  feed  at  night 
and  ascend  at  that  time,  and  descend  when  morning  dawns. 


ICHNEUMON  FLIES. 


CHAPTER  VII.  ]39 

"  There  is  a  curious  circumstance  attending  the 
caterpillar,  which  is,  that  a  species  of  fly  called  the 
ICHNEUMON  FLY  pierces  its  body  with  its  sting, 
and  deposits  its  eggs  there;  these  eggs  produce 
maggots,  which  feed  upon  the  living  caterpillar 
until  they  destroy  it.  The  fly  is  so  called  from  a 
water-rat — the  Ichneumon — which  is  said  to  creep 
down  the  throat  of  the  Crocodile  when  asleep, 
devour  his  entrails,  and  put  an  end  to  his  exist- 
ence in  the  most  agonizing  manner. 

"  The  female  ichneumon  fly  is  furnished  with  an 
implement  resembling  a  wimble,  with  which  she 
injects  her  eggs  into  the  bodies  of  other  insects,  as 
well  as  caterpillars.  When  she  selects  her  victim 
and  pierces  its  skin  with  her  tube,  it  has  no  possible 
way  of  escape;  she  never  quits  her  hold  until  she 
has  discharged  her  whole  stock  of  eggs ;  and  cater- 
pillars have  been  known  to  exist  with  the  larvae 
drawing  the  nutritious  juices  from  its  body  without 
injury  to  its  vitals,  until  its  transformation  into  a 
chrysalis.  Some  curious  mistakes  have  been  made 
before  the  discovery  of  this  part  of  their  natural 
history,  and  people  who  have  made  a  collection  of 
chrysalides  have  been  disappointed  at  seeing  that 
they  produced  only  flies.  These  flies  have  been 
known  to  pierce  the  egg  of  a  caterpillar  and  lodge 
its  own  within  it. 

"  There  are  ichneumon  flies  in  the  woods  which 
are  so  daring  as  to  attack  the  great  enemy  of  flies, 
the  spider.  It  darts  upon  its  adversary  as  she  lies  in 


140  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

the  centre  of  her  web,  from  which  she  falls  stunned 
by  the  blow,  but  spins  her  thread  as  she  descends. 
The  fly  takes  advantage  of  the  opportunity,  throws 
itself  upon  her  body,  which  it  pierces  with  its  sting; 
and  having  dragged  her  to  the  earth  and  broken 
all  her  limbs,  it  rejoices  over  its  captive,  and  tri- 
umphantly carries  her  off."" 


LONG-LEGGED  HOUSE  SPIDER. — Pholcus  phdlangioides. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


"I  HAVE  often  watched  a  spider  weaving  its  inge- 
nious little  web,"  said  Emma  to  her  sister,  "and 
longed  to  know  how  it  managed  to  fasten  its  thread 
with  so  much  ingenuity  and  dispatch.  I  could  not 
discover  any  implements  that  it  made  use  of,  but  it 
seemed  to  be  furnished  with  little  hooks  to  its  claws." 

u  You  will  be  amused,  I  think  indeed,"  answered 
Georgiana,  "  with  the  history  of  the  SPIDERS  and 
their  webs;  and  that  you  may  be  the  better  able  to 
comprehend  their  operations,  I  must  explain  to  you 
a  few  particulars  relating  to  the  weaving  of  webs  of 
linen,  which  you  may  see  manufactured  in  most  of 
the  cottages  around.  You  have  seen  a  loom  at 
work,  I  think?" 

"O  yes,  very  often,  and  the  weaver  shewed  me 
the  difference  of  the  warp  and  woof;  the  first  is 
fixed  on  the  loom,  the  last  is  the  thread  which  pas- 
ses backward  and  forward  in  the  shuttle." 


142  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

"  To  make  a  piece  of  linen,  many  hands  must  be 
employed  and  many  implements  made  use  of.  In 
the  first  instance,  the  thread  must  be  spun  by 
women,  and  afterwards  go  through  a  tedious  and 
troublesome  process  before  the  weaver  can  do  any 
thing  with  it.  When  he  has  it  arranged,  however, 
on  his  loom,  and  is  seated  at  his  work,  it  goes  on 
rapidly  enough,  and  we  watch  him  with  much  plea- 
sure while  both  his  hands  and  feet  are  in  motion; 
with  the  latter  he  raises  and  lowers  the  treadles 
which  alternately  moves  the  stays  up  and  down. 

"  What  are  the  stays  ?"  inquired  Emma. 

"  They  are  two  rangers  of  threads  hung  on  pullies, 
by  means  of  which,  half  the  threads  of  the  warp  are 
raised  alternately  from  the  other  half  to  let  the 
shuttle  pass  through.  The  threads  are  kept  from 
being  disarranged  by  an  instrument  called  a  reed ; — 
but  it  is  not  my  intention  to  explain  any  farther  the 
weaving  trade,  which  you  can  understand  much 
better  from  seeing  it  going  on;  so  far  I  have  told 
you,  that  you  may  know  how  differently  the  insects 
carry  on  their  works,  the  materials  for  which  are 
contained  within  their  own  bowels. 

"  Spiders  have  short  horny  jaws,  and  two  incurv- 
ed, jointed,  and  very  sharp  feelers.  They  have 
eight  legs,  and  six  or  eight  eyes,  two  in  the  fore- 
part, two  in  the  back,  and  the  rest  in  the  sides  of 
the  head.  In  the  front  they  have  two  branches, 
indented  with  strong  points  ending  like  the  claw  of 
a  cat;  at  the  point  of  this  claw  or  nail  there  is  a 


CHAPTEE  VIII.  143 

little  aperture  from  whence  they  eject  a  strong  poi- 
son. At  the  extremity  of  each  leg,  there  are  three 
crooked  and  moveable  claws,  a  small  one  being  placed 
at  one  side,  like  a  spur,  which  they  use  in  fastening 
themselves  to  their  thread;  the  others  are  larger, 
and  enable  them  to  slide  along,  while  they  grasp  at 
any  thing  which  comes  in  their  way ;  and  by  means 
of  these  pointed  claws,  they  can  fasten  on  substances 
which  to  us  appear  perfectly  polished,  such  as  mar- 
ble and  glass.  Besides  her  eight  legs,  she  has  two 
others  in  the  forepart  of  her  body,  which  may  be 
justly  called  arms,  since  she  only  uses  them  for 
turning  and  holding  her  prey.  The  house  spiders 
feed  principally  on  flies,  and  their  webs  are  formed 
to  entrap  them." 

"How  do  they  form  them?""  asked  Emma. 

"By  means  of  a  glutinous  matter,  contained  in  a 
receptacle  near  the  extremity  of  their  bodies,  and 
for  drawing  it  out  into  threads  they  have  five  little 
papillae,  the  orifices  of  which  they  can  contract  or 
dilate  at  pleasure.  In  making  its  web,  when  the 
spider  has  fixed  upon  a  spot,  it  distils  a  drop  of 
glutinous  liquor,  which  is  very  tenacious.  It  creeps 
along  the  wall,  joining  its  thread  as  it  goes,  then  it 
darts  to  the  opposite  side  where  it  fastens  it;  the 
thread  being  formed  and  fixed  at  each  end,  the 
spider  runs  upon  it  backwards  and  forwards  doubling 
and  strengthening  it,  as  the  stability  of  the  work  de- 
pends upon  the  goodness  of  the  foundation.  Paral- 
lel threads  are  now  made  and  crossed  with  others, 


144  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

the  clammy  substance  still  binding  them  together. 
At  the  bottom  of  its  web,  it  forms  a  kind  of  little 
cavern  in  which  it  lies  hidden  to  watch  its  prey, 
and  no  sooner  does  an  unfortunate  fly  become  en- 
tangled in  the  net  than  it  pounces  upon  it. 

"  The  treach'rous  spider,  when  her  nets  are  spread, 

Deep  ambush'd  in  her  silent  den  does  lie, 
And  feels,  far  off,  the  trembling  of  her  thread, 

Whose  filmy  cord  should  bind  the  struggling  fly  : 
Then,  if  at  last  she  find  him  fast  beset, 

She  issues  forth,  and  runs  along  her  loom, 
She  joys  to  touch  the  captive  in  her  net, 

And  drags  the  little  wretch  in  triumph  home." 

DHYDEN. 

"  It  has  been  said,  that  the  solitary  spiders  of 
Europe  congregate  or  assemble  in  societies  of  many 
thousands,  on  the  banks  of  the  Amazon ;  they  take 
possession  of  a  tree,  and  unite  in  forming  over  it  a 
complete  net;  then  they  take  their  several  stations, 
and  each  labours  for  itself  and  secures  its  own  prey 
without  molestation  ;  but  when  the  net  sustains  any 
injury,  the  whole  community  unite  in  the  labour  of 
repairing  it  for  the  general  good.  The  house  and 
garden  spiders  of  Europe  are  unknown  in  Ireland, 
and  yet  are  found  in  the  Loochoo  Islands.  Spiders 
are  known  to  be  capable  of  hearing,  and  are  said  to 
love  music. 

"The  difference  between  the  spider's  web  and  that 
woven  by  man  is,  in  the  latter  case,  that  the  threads 
of  the  warp  and  woof  are  interlaced  by  machinery, 
the  spider's  threads  of  the  warp  and  woof  adhere^ 


CHAPTER  VIII.  145 

where  they  touch,  by  means  of  their  gummy  or 
glutinous  substance.  The  spider  is  particularly 
careful  to  strengthen  the  edge  of  her  web  by  draw- 
ing out  all  her  threads  at  once,  and  doubling  and 
trebling  them  as  she  goes  round,  that  it  may  not  be 
easily  torn.  When  it  receives  dust,  it  has  been 
said  by  some,  though  doubted  by  others,  that  she 
sweeps  it  off  with  a  shake  of  her  paw,  but  never  so 
roughly  as  to  cause  a  fracture  in  her  work, 

"  I  have  watched  a  spider  through  the  glass  of 
the  window,  forming  her  net  outside.  When  her 
work  was  finished,  she  placed  herself  in  the  centre, 
from  whence  her  threads  were  drawn  like  rays,  and 
intersected  all  round  with  cross  threads.  The 
vibration  of  the  threads  gives  notice  of  the  approach 
of  a  fly.  The  spider  is  furnished  with  a  pair  of 
very  sharp  hooked  fangs,  which,  when  not  wanted, 
remain  inclosed  in  cases  in  the  forepart  of  the  head. 
With  these  weapons  he  seizes  upon  and  pierces  the 
insects,  infusing  into  the  wound  a  poison,  so  active 
as  to  kill  in  a  moment  a  fly,  which  would  survive 
the  mutilation  of  its  limbs,  and  even  the  dividing 
asunder  of  its  body.  There  is  aji  orifice  or  slit  in 
each  point  of  the  fangs, 

"When  twc  spiders  of  the  same  size  meet  in 
battle,  they  hold  each  other  by  their  fangs,  and 
neither  will  yield  until  death  separates  them.  I 
heard  of  one  being  wounded  in  his  leg,  so  that  a 
drop  of  blood  issued  from  the  sore,  and  being  able 
to  fight  no  longer  he  was  obliged  to  run  away,  hold- 


146  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

ing  up  his  leg,  which  soon,  however,  fell  from  his 
body.  A  wound  in  the  upper  part  of  his  body  kills 
him  in  a  moment." 

"Do  they  always  watch  in  the  centre  of  the  web?n 
inquired  Robert. 

"Not  always,*"  his  sister  answered;  "sometimes 
he  is  seen  near  the  edge,  or  in  a  snug  little  corner  of 
his  web,  where  he  may  the  more  readily  dart  upon 
his  prey." 

"  If  you  touch  a  spider  with  your  finger,  in  the 
gentlest  manner,  it  terrifies  him ;  at  first  he  tries  to 
run  away,  but  if  he  still  meets  your  finger,  he 
gathers  himself  up  into  a  ball  and  pretends  to  die; 
but  in  a  little  time  he  recovers  and  runs  away. 

"He  changes  his  skin  at  certain  seasons,  and 
leaves  his  old  covering  hanging  to  the  cord  which 
sustained  him  during  the  operation.  We  shall 
now  leave  this  species  of  spider,  of  which  Solomon 
says,  '  the  spider  taketh  hold  with  her  hands  and  is 
in  king^s  palaces.1  The  GARDEN  SPIDER,  (Ara- 
nea  horticola,)  is  no  less  skilful  in  her  operations. 
When  she  wishes  to  transport  herself  from  one  place 
to  another,  she  fixes  one  end  of  her  thread  to  the 
place  where  she  stands,  and  with  her  hind  paws 
draws  several  threads  at  once  out  of  her  little  papil- 
lae, which  being  lengthened  and  blown  by  the  wind, 
fasten  by  their  natural  clamminess  to  some  branch, 
&c.  this  is  her  bridge  by  which  she  passes  and  re- 
passes  at  pleasure,  spinning  as  she  goes  and  strength- 
ening her  thread,  from  whence  she  draws  another 


CHAPTER  VIII.  147 

to  the  ground  and  fastens  it,  and  at  length  forms  a 
net,  in  the  centre  of  which  she  takes  her  station, 
with  her  head  downwards  to  watch  for  her  prey. 

"  I  read  of  a  gentleman  who  wished  to  know  how 
long  a  spider  could  live  without  catching  and  eating 
flies.  He  took  a  large  Garden  spider,  (its  belly 
was  as  large  as  a  nut,)  and  put  it  under  a  glass  bell, 
which  he  secured  all  round  the  bottom  with  cement, 
and  let  it  remain  during  ten  months ;  the  spider  was 
still  as  active  and  strong  as  if  it  received  its  daily 
food,  but  its  poor  little  belly  shrunk  to  the  size  of  a 
pin's  head.  He  then  gave  it  a  companion  of  its 
own  species.  For  some  time  they  kept  quiet,  and 
at  a  respectful  distance  from  each  other,  at  last, 
however,  the  starved  spider  attacked  the  stranger, 
and  showed  his  superior  strength  by  pulling  off  his 
limbs,  which  he  carried  off  and  devoured,  and  also 
three  of  his  own  claws  which  he  had  lost  in  the  com- 
bat. In  some  measure  his  plumpness  was  restored, 
but  not  entirely,  until  the  following  day,  when  he 
again  attacked  the  poor  defenceless  body  of  the 
spider,  which  he  completely  devoured,  after  which 
he  looked  as  fat  as  before  his  confinement." 

"  I  do  not  like  these  experiments,"  said  Emma, 
"they  are  very  cruel." 

"I  agree  with  you,  Emma;  though  I  like  to 
know  the  result,  I  should  be  very  sorry  to  be  a 
party  concerned  in  making  them. 

"  From  the  bags,  in  which  the  young  brood  of 
the  garden  spider  are  produced,  an  attempt  has 


148  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

been  made  to  manufacture  silk:  thirteen  ounces  of 
these  bags  were  collected,  and  after  having  been 
beaten  with  a  stick  to  free  them  from  dust,  they 
were  washed  clean  with  warm  water.  After  this,  a 
mixture  was  made  of  soap,  nitre,  and  gum  arable, 
in  which,  after  being  steeped  for  some  time,  they 
were  boiled  for  two  or  three  hours  over  a  gentle  fire. 
They  were  then  washed  again  in  clean  warm  water 
to  clear  them  from  the  soap,  and  after  being  well 
dried,  they  were  loosened  with  the  fingers,  and 
afterwards  carded  by  the  common  silk-carders,  and 
a  beautiful  ash-coloured  silk  was  obtained,  which 
was  easily  spun  into  a  stronger  thread  than  that  of 
the  silk-worm ;  but  the  operation  of  carding  took 
from  it  the  lustre  of  silk,  which  that  of  the  silk- 
worm retains,  the  thread  being  already  formed  more 
distinctly,  and  wound  off  the  ball.  From  the 
thirteen  ounces  of  bags,  four  of  silk  were  produced, 
three  of  which  being  woven  in  the  loom  of  a  stock- 
ing weaver,  made  a  pair  of  stockings  large  enough 
for  a  man.  It  never  can  however  be  a  manufacture 
of  any  importance,  since  to  obtain  one  pound  of 
silk  there  must  be  28,000  bags,  which  the  female 
spiders  alone  spin,  of  which  27,648  would  be 
necessary:  2,304  silk-worms  produce  one  pound  of 
silk:  280  spiders  would  not  yield  more  silk  than  a 
single  worm.  Another  obstacle  arises  from  their 
propensity  to  devour  each  other.  If  the  experi- 
ment had  succeeded  so  as  to  establish  a  manufacture 
from  the  different  species  of  spiders,  there  would 


CHAPTER  VIII.  149 

have  been  various  genuine  colours,  such  as  gray, 
white,  sky-blue,  and  coffee  colour.  The  silk-worm 
produces  but  two,  white  and  orange."" 

"What  is  the  bag?"  inquired  Robert. 

"  It  is  the  nest  in  which  the  spider  lays  her  eggs, 
from  six  to  seven  hundred; — this  happens  in  August 
or  September;  in  about  sixteen  days  afterwards 
they  are  hatched;  but  if  the  weather  be  cold,  the 
little  spiders  keep  close  in  the  bag  for  several 
months,  neither  eating  nor  increasing  in  size.  At 
the  beginning  of  the  warm  season  they  venture  out, 
but  they  are  without  a  mother's  care ;  she  dies  soon 
after  she  has  deposited  her  eggs. 

"There  is  another  species  called  the  WANDERING 
SPIDER,  by  Linnaeus,  Aranea  viatica;  in  France, 
FAraigme  rurale.  It  does  not  lie  in  wait  for  its 
prey ;  but  is  a  lively  hunter.  With  its  immoveable 
eyes,  it  perceives  all  that  hovers  round  it;  and 
without  alarming,  it  stretches  over  the  flies  its 
arms,  which  being  furnished  with  feathers,  entangle 
the  wings  of  the  insects,  and  ensnare  them  like  the 
spreading  forth  of  nets,  and  give  an  opportunity  to 
their  enemy  to  seize  them  in  its  merciless  jaws,  and 
suck  out  their  blood. 

"  There  is  another  spider  which  leaps  like  a  grass- 
hopper, from  whence  it  is  called  the  JUMPING 
SPIDER,  or  Aranea  scenica.  When  watching  for 
its  prey,  it  stands  still,  raising  itself  on  its  hind 
legs  and  looking  all  around.  If  it  perceives  a  fly 
at  three  or  four  yards  distance,  it  does  not  run 


150  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

towards  it;  but  cautiously  steals  along,  until  near 
enough  to  spring  upon  the  back  of  the  insect.  It 
seldom  misses  its  aim,  but  should  the  fly  take  wing, 
the  spider  keeps  its  eye  upon  it  until  it  alights  upon 
another  spot,  where  it  follows  to  make  another 
attack.  It  has  been  seen  in  the  act  of  instructing 
its  young  ones;  and  when  failing  in  its  leap  to 
catch  its  prey,  as  if  ashamed,  it  ran  into  a  crevice 
to  hide  itself. 

"The  Aranea  aquatica,  or  WATER  SPIDER,  is 
found  in  fresh  waters.  In  the  water  its  body  appears 
covered  with  a  silver  varnish;  which  is  however 
nothing  more  than  a  bubble  of  air  attached  to  the 
body  by  the  oily  humour  which  exudes  from  it, 
and  prevents  the  immediate  contact  of  the  water. 
This  bubble  is  of  great  use  in  forming  its  habitation 
under  the  water.  It  fixes  several  silky  threads  to 
the  stalks  of  the  water-plants,  then  ascending  to  the 
surface,  thrusts  the  hinder  part  of  its  body  above 
the  water,  drawing  it  back  with  so  much  rapidity 
as  to  attach  beneath  a  bubble  of  air,  which  it  has 
the  art  of  detaining  by  placing  it  under  its  threads 
which  it  bends  as  a  covering  round  it.  It  then 
ascends,  and  brings  down  another  bubble  of  air  to 
enlarge  its  chamber,  until  it  constructs  a  commodi- 
ous aerial  dwelling  which  it  enters  and  leaves  at 
pleasure.  The  female  builds  apartments  of  this 
description  for  its  young  ones.  The  figure  of  this 
spider  would  not  be  remarked  but  for  its  singular 
property  of  constructing  aerial  habitations  under  tlie 


CHAPTER  VIII.  151 

water.  During  the  winter  it  lodges  in  an  empty  shell 
which  it  dexterously  closes  up  with  a  web." 

"  I  had  no  idea,"  said  Robert,  "  that  there  was  so 
much  variety  among  the  spiders." 

"There  are  still  a  number,  of  which  I  have 
not  yet  told  you.  The  GOSSAMER  SPIDER,  (Ara- 
nea  Obtectrix)  though  not  larger  than  the  head  of 
a  pin,  covers  the  hedges,  the  meadows,  the  corn- 
fields, the  stubble  land,  and  the  surrounding  dis- 
tricts, with  their  slender  threads  resembling  a  fine 
white  gauze.  Multitudes  of  these  insects  extending 
their  threads,  which  can  seldom  be  seen  but  by 
means  of  a  glass,  make  the  fields  appear  as  if  cover- 
ed with  swarms  of  gnats.  The  agitation  of  the 
gentlest  breath  of  wind  unites  these  threads,  so  as 
to  thicken  and  float  in  the  atmosphere.  This  hap- 
pens during  the  harvest,  and  in  Germany  is  called 
the  Jl ying  summer ;  because  it  is  at  the  time  of  its 
departure.  An  account  is  inserted  of  the  Gossamer 
in  the  Natural  History  of  Selborne,  which  I  shall 
read  to  you : 

" 'On  September  21st,  1 741 ,  being  on  a  visit,  and 
intent  on  field  sports,  I  rose  before  daybreak.  When 
I  came  into  the  inclosures,  I  found  the  stubbles  and 
clover  grounds  matted  all  over  with  a  thick  coat  of 
cobweb,  in  the  meshes  of  which  a  copious  and  heavy 
dew  hung  so  plentifully,  that  the  whole  face  of  the 
country  seemed,  as  it  were,  covered  with  setting- 
nets  drawn  one  over  the  other.  When  the  dogs 
attempted  to  hunt,  their  eyes  were  so  blinded  and 


152  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

hood-winked,  that  they  were  compelled  to  lie  down 
and  scrape  the  incumbrance  from  their  faces  with 
their  forefeet;  finding  my  sport  so  entirely  inter- 
rupted, I  returned  home,  musing  in  my  mind  upon 
this  strange  occurrence.  As  the  morning  advanced, 
the  sun  shone  bright  and  warm,  and  the  day  was 
one  of  the  most  lovely  which  the  autumnal  season 
produces;  cloudless,  calm,  serene,  and  worthy  of 
the  south  of  France  itself. 

"'About  nine  o'clock,  a  very  unusual  appearance 
demanded  our  attention;  a  shower  of  cobwebs  fall- 
ing from  very  elevated  regions,  continued  without 
interruption  until  the  close  of  the  day.  They  were 
not  single  filmy  threads,  floating  in  the  air  in  all 
directions,  but  perfect  flakes  or  rags,  some  nearly  an 
inch  broad,  and  five  or  six  long,  falling  with  a  de- 
gree of  velocity  which  proved  them  to  be  consider- 
ably heavier  than  the  atmosphere.  On  every  side, 
as  the  observer  turned  his  eyes,  he  might  behold  a 
continual  succession  of  fresh  flakes  falling,  and 
twinkling  like  stars,  as  they  turned  their  sides  to- 
wards the  sun. 

"  *  How  far  this  wonderful  shower  extended  would 
be  difficult  to  say;  but  we  know  that  it  reached 
Bradley,  Selborne,  and  Alresford,  three  places 
which  lie  in  a  sort  of  triangle ;  the  shortest  of  whose 
sides  is  eight  miles  in  extent. 

"'At  Selborne  there  was  a  gentleman  (for  whose 
veracity  and  intelligent  turn  of  mind,  I  have  the 
greatest  veneration,)  who  observed  it  the  moment 


CHAPTEIl  VIII.  153 

he  got  abroad;  but  concluded  that,  as  soon  as  he 
came  upon  the  hill  above  his  house,  where  he  took 
his  morning  rides,  he  should  be  higher  than  this 
meteor:  which  he  imagined,  might  have  been  blown, 
like  thistle-down,  from  the  common  above.  But, 
to  his  great  astonishment,  when  he  rode  to  the  most 
elevated  part  of  the  down,  311  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  fields,  he  found  the  webs,  in  appearance,  as 
much  above  him  as  before;  still  descending  in 
constant  succession,  and  twinkling  in  the  sun,  so  as 
to  attract  the  observation  of  the  most  incurious. 

" '  Neither  before  nor  after  was  any  such  fall  seen ; 
the  flakes  hung  in  the  trees  and  hedges  so  thick 
that  baskets  full  might  have  been  gathered. 

" '  Nobody  in  the  present  days,  can  doubt  but 
these  cobweb  appearances  are  the  real  productions 
of  small  spiders,  which  swarm  in  the  fields  in  fine 
weather  in  autumn. 


:c  Now  the  subtle  tribe 


Of  spiders,  by  their  glittering  webs  betrayed, 
Like  tented  fairies  cover  all  the  field." 

" '  Every  fine  day,  at  this  season  chiefly,  do  I  see 
these  little  spiders  shooting  out  their  webs  and 
mounting  aloft :  if  you  take  them  into  your  hand, 
they  will  go  off  in  this  manner  from  your  finger. 
Last  summer  one  alighted  on  my  book  as  I  was 
reading,  and  running  to  the  top  of  the  page,  and 
shooting  out  a  web,  took  its  departure  from  thence. 
But  what  I  most  wondered  at  was,  that  it  went  off 
with  considerable  velocity  where  no  air  was  stirring; 


154>  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

and  I  am  sure  I  did  not  assist  it  with  my  breath. 
These  diminutive  animals  seem  to  have,  while 
mounting,  some  locomotive  power  without  the  use 
of  wings,  and  to  move  in  the  air  faster  than  the  air 
itself.1 

"There  is  a  very  extraordinary  species  of  spider 
called  TARANTULA.  It  is  a  native  of  Italy,  Cy- 
prus, Barbary,  and  the  East  Indies;  and  lives  in 
bare  fields  in  a  dwelling  about  four  inches  deep, 
and  half  an  inch  wide,  closed  at  the  entrance  with 
a  net,  and  curved  at  the  bottom.  The  animal  sits 
in  it  during  wet  weather,  but  cuts  its  way  out,  if 
any  water  enters  its  abode.  They  lay  above  700 
eggs,  which  are  hatched  in  the  spring,  without  the 
care  of  their  parents,  who  do  not  survive  the  winter. 
This  creature  is  rather  more  than  an  inch  in  length ; 
its  breast,  and  underpart  of  its  body  and  legs,  ash- 
coloured  with  blackish  rings.  Its  fangs  red  inside. 

"The  envenomed  bite  of  this  animal  causes  in- 
flammation, difficulty  of  breathing,  and  sickness,  for 
which  music  was  supposed  to  be  the  cure;  however 
it  is  now  known  to  be  a  trick  practised  upon  credu- 
lous travellers.  When  Mr.  Swinburne  was  in 
Italy,  he  minutely  investigated  every  particular 
relative  to  this  insect.  As  I  have  got  his  travels 
here,  I  may  as  well  read  you  his  own  account: 
'The  season  not  being  far  enough  advanced,  no 
Taranti  had  begun  to  stir.1  The  children  interrupt- 
ed their  sister,  to  ask  the  meaning  of  the  word 
Taranti,  and  she  having  told  them  that  it  was  a 


CHAPTER  VIII.  155 

name  given  to  persons  bitten  by  the  Tarantula,  she 
continued  to  read:  'I  prevailed  upon  a  woman  who 
had  formerly  been  bitten,  to  dance  the  Tarantula 
before  me.  A  great  many  musicians  were  sum- 
moned, and  she  performed  the  dance,  as  all  who 
were  present  assured  me,  to  perfection.  At  first, 
she  lolled  stupidly  on  a  chair,  while  the  instruments 
were  playing  some  dull  music.  At  length  they 
touched  the  chord  which  was  supposed  to  vibrate 
to  her  heart,  and  up  she  sprang  with  a  most  hideous 
yell,  and  staggered  about  the  room  like  a  drunken 
person,  holding  a  handkerchief  in  both  hands,  rais- 
ing them  alternately,  and  moving  in  very  true  time. 
As  the  music  grew  brisker,  her  motions  quickened,, 
and  she  skipped  about  with  great  vigour  and  variety 
of  steps,  every  now  and  then  shrieking  very  loud. 
The  scene  was  far  from  pleasant,  and  it  was  put  an 
end  to,  at  my  request,  before  the  woman  was  tired. 
The  place  prepared  for  the  Tarantati  to  dance,  is 
hung  round  with  bunches  of  grapes  and  ribbons. 
The  patients  are  dressed  in  white,  with  red,  green, 
or  yellow  ribbons,  for  those  are  their  favourite 
colours;  on  their  shoulders  they  cast  a  white  scarf, 
let  their  hair  fall  loose  about  their  ears,  and  throw 
their  heads  as  far  back  as  they  can  bear  it.  They 
are  exact  copies  of  the  ancient  priestesses  of  Bac- 
chus. The  orgies  of  that  God,  whose  worship 
under  various  symbols  was  more  widely  spread  over 
the  globe  than  that  of  any  other  divinity,  were  no 
doubt  performed  with  energy  and  enthusiasm  by  the 


156 


SISTER  S    STORIES. 


lively  inhabitants  of  this  warm  climate.  The  intro- 
duction of  Christianity  abolished  all  public  exhibi- 
tions of  these  heathenish  rites,  and  the  women  durst 
no  longer  act  a  frantic  part  in  the  character  of  Bac- 
chantes. Unwilling  to  give  up  so  darling  an  amuse- 
ment, they  devised  other  pretences ;  and  possession 
by  evil  spirits  may  have  furnished  them  with  one. 
Accident  also  may  have  led  them  to  the  discovery 
of  the  Tarantula;  and  upon  the  strength  of  its  poi- 
son, the  Puglian  dames  still  enjoy  their  old  dance, 
though  time  has  effaced  the  memory  of  its  ancient 
name  and  institution:  and  this  I  take  to  be  the 
origin  of  so  strange  a  practice.  If  at  any  time 
these  dancers  are  really  and  involuntarily  affected, 
I  can  suppose  it  to  be  nothing  more  than  an  attack 
upon  their  nerves,  a  species  of  St.  Vitus's  dance.  I 
incline  the  more  to  the  idea,  as  there  are  numberless 
churches  and  places  dedicated  to  that  saint. 

"'The  Tarantula,  from  trials  made  in  1693  and 
1740  by  different  naturalists,  was  proved  to  be 
harmless.  The  illness  may  be  attributed  to  hy- 
sterics, excessive  heat,  stoppage  of  perspiration,  and 
other  effects  of  sleeping  out  of  doors  in  a  hot  sum- 
mer air,  which  is  always  extremely  dangerous,  if 
not  fatal,  in  many  parts  of  Italy.  Violent  exercise 
may  have  been  found  a  cure  for  this  malady,  and 
continued  by  tradition,  though  the  date  and  circum- 
stances of  this  discovery  may  long  since  have  pas- 
sed into  oblivion;  a  natural  passion  for  dancing, 
imitation,  custom  of  the  country,  and  a  desire  of 


BIRD-CATCHING  SPIDER.—- Mygale  avicularia. 


CHAPTER  VIII.  157 

raising  contributions  of  the  spectators,  are  probably 
the  true  motives  that  inspire  the  Tarantati. 

"  There  is  a  species  of  spider  called,  the  BIRD- 
CATCHING  SPIDER  (Aranea  avicularia)  of  such  an 
enormous  size  as  is  frightful  to  behold;  its  feet  spread 
over  ten  inches  of  space,  and  from  its  head  to  the 
extremity  of  its  body,  it  measures  above  three 
inches.  Its  legs  are  as  thick  a  goose's  quill,  and 
are  covered  with  hair.  The  body  is  brown,  and 
the  fangs  strong  and  sharp  like  those  of  a  rapacious 
bird.  Its  eight  eyes  are  set  in  a  kind  of  oblong 
square  in  the  front  of  the  thorax.  Of  these  the 
two  middle  ones  are  so  large  as  to  admit  of  their 
being  set  in  the  manner  of  glasses  to  be  used  as 
microscopes:  the  rest  are  smaller  and  of  an  oval 
form.  This  hideous  animal  resides  in  trees,  to  the 
terror  of  the  little  birds,  which  it  seizes  and  wounds 
by  its  fangs,  then  sucks  out  the  blood  until  the 
bird  is  destroyed.  There  is  an  orifice  or  slit  near 
the  tip  of  the  fangs  so  visible  that  it  can  be  dis- 
cerned without  the  help  of  a  glass;  through  this 
orifice  they  distil  a  poisonous  liquid  into  the  wound 
they  inflict. 

''Captain  Stedman,  during  his  residence  at  Suri- 
nam, put  one  of  these  creatures  into  a  glass  bottle, 
above  eight  inches  high,  it  was  filled  with  spirits, 
and  the  claws  of  the  spider  reached  from  the  surface 
to  the  bottom :  he  gives  a  loathsome  description  of 
its  size  and  appearance. 

"  Bingley  tells  of  a  species  of  spider,  the  female  of 


158  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

which  digs  a  hole  downward  about  three  inches 
long  and  one  wide,  which  she  lines  comfortably 
with  a  thick  tough  material  like  leather.  In  this 
little  dwelling  she  and  her  family  reside,  and  there 
is  a  curious  door  to  it,  which  they  open  and  shut 
as  often  as  they  pass  in  or  out;  the  hinges  of  the 
door  resemble  those  of  the  sea-shells. 

"  Dampier  gives  an  account  of  an  immense  spider 
almost  as  large  as  a  man's  shut  hand.  Its  legs  are 
long  and  slender,  and  it  has  two  fangs  smooth  and 
black  as  jet.  They  are  an  inch  and  a  half  long, 
a  little  curved,  and  pointed  so  sharp  at  the  end,  that 
people  use  them  for  tooth-picks,  and  carry  them  in 
their  tobacco  pouches  to  pick  their  pipes  with." 

"How  hard  they  must  be!"  observed  Robert. 

"  The  backs  of  these  spiders,"  continued  Georgi- 
ana,  "  are  clothed  in  a  dark  yellowish  down,  resem- 
bling velvet  for  softness." 

"They  must  be  frightful  animals  if  they  are 
venomous,"  said  Emma,  "  their  size  being  so  en- 
ormous." 

"  It  is  not  known,  I  believe,"  her  sister  answered, 
"whether  they  are  venomous  or  not.  I  forget 
whether  I  told  you  before  that  spiders  change  their 
skin,  which  is  often  found  in  the  web,  dry  and  trans- 
parent, with  the  mandibles  attached.  .  When  ready 
to  lay  aside  the  old  garment,  they  suspend  them- 
selves in  some  nook,  and  gradually  pull  out  their 
legs  as  if  drawing  off'  a  glove ;  when  this  is  done, 
they  crawl  cut  of  a  crack  in  the  back  of  the  old 
skin." 


CHAPTER  VIII.  159 

"  O  how  very  curious !"  said  Emma;  "  Georgiana 
did  not  you  tell  us  of  some  man  who  petted  a 
spider?" 

"Yes,  I  think  I  told  you  of  poor  Pelisson,  who 
by  his  writings  offended  the  French  government, 
and  was  in  consequence  confined  in  one  of  the  cells 
of  the  Bastille,  where  he  was  deprived  of  every  re- 
source :  he  was  not  permitted  to  receive  the  visits  of 
any  friend,  nor  a  book  to  read,  nor  the  use  of  pen, 
ink  and  paper.  Months  passed  away  in  this  dread- 
ful situation,  where  the  only  living  thing,  except 
the  gaoler,  which  approached  him  was  a  spider,  and 
with  it  he  shared  the  only  food  which  was  given 
him,  (bread  and  water,)  and  as  often  as  he  went  to 
his  meals  the  spider  descended  on  its  thread  to  par- 
take of  the  frugal  fare :  the  occupation  of  attending 
to  the  insect  lightened  the  insupportable  load  of 
life,  and  the  feeling  that  he  was  no  longer  alone, 
soothed  his  sorrows.  He  was  not  long,  however, 
permitted  to  enjoy  this  poor  consolation.  One  day 
when  the  gaoler  was  later  than  usual  in  bringing  the 
accustomed  supply,  the  spider  descended  and  Pelis- 
son threw  him  his  crumbs.  The  gaoler  broke  out 
into  invective,  at  witnessing  an  amusement  which 
he  deemed  base,  and  with  one  of  the  large  keys  in 
his  hand,  in  a  moment  deprived  the  insect  of  life, 
which  drew  from  the  bereaved  prisoner  the  first 
tears  he  had  been  seen  to  shed.'1 

"Ah  what  an  ill-natured,  wicked  man!  I  hate 
him !"  said  little  Annie. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


"How  very  extraordinary,""  observed  Emma,  "that 
we  should  find  so  much  entertainment  in  the  his- 
tory of  little  ugly  crawling  insects!  Well,  I  am 
determined  in  future  to  treat  them  with  more  re- 
spect." 

"Especially,  Emma,"  answered  her  sister,  "when 
you  recollect  how  mercifully  they  are  furnished  with 
all  which  is  necessary  for  their  comfort  and  exis- 
tence, by  the  same  Creator  who  provides  for  us,  and 
watches  over  the  minute  concerns  of  our  lives. 
What  are  we  ourselves,  but  worms,  in  comparison 
with  his  greatness?  and  yet  he  does  not  treat  us 
with  contempt." 

The  children  as  usual  arranged  themselves  round 
the  table,  at  the  top  of  which  their  kind  sister  sat, 
with  some  books  before  her  which  treated  of  insects, 
that  she  might  occasionally  refresh  her  memory 
from  them. 

"  When  I  was  a  little  girl  like  you,"  she  continu- 


CHAPTER  IX.  161 

ed,  looking  at  her  younger  sisters,  "  I  used  to  be 
very  anxious  to  hear  from  papa  the  cause  and 
meaning  of  things  which  I  was  not  then  capable  of 
understanding.  One  of  my  foolish  wishes  was  to 
climb  up  to  the  moon  and  stars,  that  I  might  be 
able  to  discover  of  what  materials  they  are  compos- 
ed, but  he  advised  me  first  to  get  acquainted  with 
things  which  were  within  my  reach,  and  no  less 
wonderful  in  displaying  the  works  of  God ;  and  the 
minutest  insect  which  he  thought  worth  creating, 
we  should  consider  deserving  of  our  attention. 
My  dear  papa  made  me  observe  the  beautiful  order 
in  which  these  seemingly  helpless  little  animals  are 
formed,  clothed  and  provided  for.  They  are  endow- 
ed with  instinct,  which  directs  them  to  their  proper 
food,  teaches  them  how  to  build  their  habitations, 
where  to  place  them  securely,  and  how  to  guard  and 
provide  for  their  young  brood.*" 

"How  they  carry  on  their  works  is  always  a 
mystery  to  me,*"  observed  Robert,  "without  any 
implements  of  industry — " 

"  Except  those  with  which  nature  has  furnished 
them,""  answered  Georgiana;  "and  they  are  found 
quite  sufficient  not  only  to  forward  their  labours, 
but  as  weapons  of  defence  against  their  most  for- 
midable enemies." 

"That  is  true  indeed,  Georgiana;  even  a  little 
ant  can  inflict  her  dart,  and  the  sting  of  a  bee  or 
wasp  is  a  serious  hurt.1" 

"  They  have  strong  teeth,""  continued  Georgiana, 


162 


SISTER  S  STORIES. 


"a  double  saw,  claws,  &c.  &c.  and  many  of  them 
are  defended  from  injury  by  a  scaly  coat  of  mail. 
Then  the  builders,  the  carpenters,  the  spinners,  the 
weavers,  the  wa$  and  honey  makers,  are  at  no  loss  for 
implements  or  materials  to  carry  on  their  works, 
and  we  never  find  an  idler  amongst  them.  And 
how  splendid  is  the  clothing  of  many  insects !  I 
have  seen  a  lady  dressed  in  India  muslin,  embroi- 
dered with  beetle's  wings,  which  sparkled  like  eme- 
ralds. Indeed  even  a  common  fly  seen  through  a 
magnifying  glass  would  surprise  you  with  the 
elegance  of  its  attire.  As  of  the  lily,  we  may  say  of 
it,  that  <  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was  not  arrayed 
like  one  of  these.'  Feathers  in  all  their  soft  plu- 
mage, gauze,  lace,  gold,  pearls,  and  diamonds,  seem 
to  lend  their  brilliancy  and  lightness  in  adorning 
the  tiny  brows  of  these  diminutive  creatures. 

4  Their  wings,  all  glorious  to  behold, 
Bedropt  with  azure,  jet,  and  gold, 
Wide  they  display ;  the  spangled  dew 
Reflects  their  eyes  and  various  hue.'" 

"But  what  are  the  implements  they  make  use 
of?11  inquired  Emma. 

"  Too  many  to  enumerate,""  her  sister  answered. 
"  The  spinners  are  at  no  loss  for  distaffs  and  fingers 
to  form  their  slender  threads,  nor  the  weavers,  for 
shuttles  and  clews  of  thread.  There  are  uphols- 
terers, carpenters,  divers,  mathematicians,  paper- 
makers,  carders,  &c.  &c.  &c.  all  furnished  with  the 
requisites  for  their  operations  beyond  what  the  in- 


CHAPTER  XI.  163 

genuity  of  man  could  devise  or  accomplish.  The 
sirup  distilled  from  flowers  by  means  of  the  trunk 
or  proboscis,  can  never  be  imitated  by  man  with  the 
most  ingenious  chemical  apparatus." 

"  I  am  glad  you  are  coming  to  the  Bees,  Geor- 
giana;  I  think  we  shall  find  their  history  nearly  as 
entertaining  as  that  of  the  ants,"  said  Emma. 

"  Do  we  find  any  mention  made  of  them  in  Scrip- 
ture ?"  asked  Georgiana. 

"I  think  we  do,"  answered  Emma.  "We  hear 
of  a  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey" 

Georgiana  here  gave  the  children  some  references 
to  look  out,  and  each  taking  a  Bible  read  in  turn, 
Exodus  iii.  8.  Psalm  xix.  10.  Proverbs  xxiv.  13.  xxv. 
16.  Psalm  Ixxxi.  16.  1  Samuel  xiv.  25,26,27.  Judges 
xiv.  8,  9,  14,  18.  Isaiah  vii.  15.  Psalm  cxix.  103. 
Canticles  v.  1.  "This  country,  (Ireland,)" observ- 
ed Georgiana,  "  is  mentioned  by  the  venerable  Bede 
as  being  rich  in  milk  and  honey."  She  then  spoke 
of  another  insect  which  is  very  remarkable  in  Scrip- 
ture, and  on  which  St  John  fed  in  the  wilderness, 
"  His  meat  was  locusts,  and  wild  honey,"  which  in 
the  Jewish  law  was  permitted  to  be  eaten :  "  These 
of  them  ye  may  eat ;  the  locust  after  his  kind."* 
And  opening  Bagster's  Comprehensive  Bible,  she 
gave  out  more  references,  and  read  the  notes  de- 
scriptive of  this  fearful  insect,  which  laid  waste  all 
before  it  like  an  overpowering  host.  "  It  was  one 
of  the  tremendous  plagues  of  Egypt,"  continued 

•  Leviticus  xi,  22. 


164?  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

Georgiana:  "they  were  first  threatened  with  them." 
6 1  (that  is  God  himself)  will  bring  the  locusts  into 
thy  coast:  and  they  shall  cover  the  face  of  the 
earth,  that  one  cannot  be  able  to  see  the  earth :  and 
they  shall  eat  the  residue  of  that  which  has  escaped, 
and  shall  eat  every  tree  which  groweth  for  you  out 
of  the  field.  And  shall  fill  thy  houses,  &c.'*  The 
description  of  this  formidable  insect  is  here  given. 
The  word  Locust  in  Hebrew  signifies,  to  multiply, 
because  they  increase  more  than  any  other  animal, 
and  because  of  the  immense  swarms  by  which  the 
countries  in  the  East  are  infested.  These  insects 
belong  to  a  genus,  known  by  the  name  of  Grylli* 

"O!  I  remember,"  interrupted  Robert,  "that  is 
what  they  were  called  in  Italy." 

"This  name,"  continued  his  sister,  "includes 
three  species,  crickets,  grasshoppers,  and  locusts, 
which  in  form  and  appearance  resemble  our  grass- 
hoppers. The  common  great  brown  LOCUST  is  about 
three  inches  long;  has  two  antennae  about  an  inch 
long,  and  two  pairs  of  wings.  The  head  and  horns 
are  brown;  the  mouth  and  inside  of  the  larger  legs 
bluish ;  the  upper  side  of  the  body  and  upper  wings 
brown,  the  former  spotted  with  black,  and  the  latter 
with  dusky  spots.  The  back  is  defended  by  a  shield 
of  a  greenish  hue ;  the  under  wings  are  of  a  light 
brown,  tinctured  with  green,  and  nearly  transparent. 
It  has  a  large  open  mouth;  in  the  two  jaws  of  which 
it  has  four  teeth,  which  cross  each  other  like  scissors, 

*  Exodus  x.  4,  5,  6. 


CHAPTER  XI.  165 

being  calculated  from  their  mechanism  to  gripe  or 
cut.  In  the  thirteenth  verse  of  this  chapter,  it  is 
said,  that  '  the  Lord  brought  an  east  wind  upon  the 
land  all  that  day,  and  all  that  night;1  which  wind 
brought  the  threatened  plague.  'The  locusts  went 
up  over  all  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  rested  in  all  the 
coasts  of  Egypt:  very  grievous  were  they.  For 
they  covered  the  face  of  the  whole  earth,  so  that 
the  land  was  darkened;  and  they  did  eat  every  herb 
of  the  land,  and  all  the  fruit  of  the  trees,  and  there 
remained  not  any  green  thing  in  the  trees,  or  in  the 
herbs  of  the  field,  through  all  the  land  of  Egypt.1 
When  the  Lord  was  entreated  to  take  away  this 
plague,  he  did  so,  by  turning  'a  mighty  strong 
west  wind,  which  took  away  the  locusts,  and 
cast  them  into  the  Red  Sea;  there  remained  not 
one  locust  in  all  the  coasts  of  Egypt.'  Thus  can 
the  strong  arm  of  the  Lord,  to  whom  the  winds  and 
the  waves  are  subservient,  do  all  things.  He  turn- 
eth  those  all-powerful  agents  as  he  listeth,  and  who 
can  let  or  hinder  him?1'' 

"  Is  there  not  more  mention  made  of  locusts  in 
the  Bible?11  inquired  Emma. 

"Yes,11  replied  Georgiana,  "in  several  parts.  In 
the  awful  curses  denounced  against  the  rebellious, 
impenitent  Israelites,  they  were  told,  that  they 
should  carry  much  seed  into  the  field,  but  should 
gather  but  little  in,  for  the  locust  should  consume 
it;  and  plant  and  dress  their  vineyards,  but  should 
neither  drink  the  wine  nor  gather  the  grapes,  for 


166 


SISTER  S  STORIES. 


the  worm,  or  grub  of  the  same  insect  should  eat 
them:*  which  judgment  he  promises  to  remove,  if 
by  prayer  they  turn  to  him.f  The  depredations 
of  these  destroyers  are  represented  in  a  striking 
simile  which  you  will  find  in  the  first  and  second 
chapters  of  Joel:  'That  which  the  palmer-worm 
hath  left  hath  the  locust  eaten ;  and  that  which  the 
locust  hath  left  hath  the  canker-worm  eaten ;  and 
that  which  the  canker-worm  hath  left  hath  the 
caterpillar  eaten.1  In  the  note  on  this  verse  it  is 
said,  that  the  learned  are  of  opinion  that  the  four 
Hebrew  words  here  used,  and  which  are  translated, 
palmer-worm,  locust,  canker-worm,  caterpillar,  de- 
note four  species  of  locust.  How  strikingly  de- 
scriptive of  the  desolation  is  what  follows!  'A 
nation  is  come  up  upon  my  land,  strong,  and 
without  number,  whose  teeth  are  the  teeth  of  a  lion, 
and  he  hath  the  cheek  teeth  of  a  great  lion.  He  hath 
laid  my  vine  waste,  and  barked  my  fig-tree:  he 
hath  made  it  clean  bare,  and  cast  it  away;  the 
branches  thereof  are  made  white.... The  field  is 
wasted,  the  land  mourneth ;  for  the  corn  is  wasted, 
the  new  wine  is  dried  up,  the  oil  languisheth.  Be 
ye  ashamed,  O  ye  husbandmen ;  howl,  O  ye  vine- 
dressers, for  the  wheat  and  for  the  barley ;  because 
the  harvest  of  the  field  is  perished.  The  vine  is 
dried  up,  and  the  fig-tree  languisheth;  the  pome- 
granate tree,  the  palm  tree  also,  and  the  apple  tree, 

•  Deut.  xxviii.  38,  39,  42.    Ps.  Ixxviii.  4fi.  and  cv.  34,  35. 
f  2  Chron.  vii.  13,  14,  15.    Is.  xxxiii.  4. 


CHAPTER  XT.  167 

even  all  the  trees  of  the  field  are  withered;  because 
joy  is  withered  away  from  the  sons  of  men.""  Be- 
cause of  the  fearful  devastation,  the  people  are 
exhorted  to  sanctify  a  fast,  and  call  a  solemn 
assembly  that  they  might  cry  to  the  Lord  for  the 
destruction  from  the  Almighty,  which  was  at  hand. 
And  the  prophet  continues:  'Is  not  the  meat  cut 
off  before  our  eyes,  yea,  joy  and  gladness  from  the 
house  of  our  God?  The  seed  is  rotten  under  their 
clods,  the  garners  are  laid  desolate;  [nothing  now 
remaining  to  be  stored  into  them,]  the  barns  are 
broken  down;  for  the  corn  is  withered.  How  do 
the  beasts  groan !  the  herds  of  cattle  are  perplexed, 
because  they  have  no  pasture;  yea,  the  flocks  of 
sheep  are  made  desolate.'"" 

"Well,  Georgiana,"  observed  Robert,  "all  that 
you  have  now  read,  ought  to  convince  us  that  the 
weakest  and  most  insignificant  instruments  in  the 
hands  of  God,  are  rendered  all-powerful  to  destroy 
life  or  to  save." 

"  Very  true,  Robert,"  answered  Georgiana. 
"These  insects  are  his  appointed  messengers  of 
vengeance;  and  diminutive  and  helpless  as  they 
are,  they  set  at  nought  the  power  of  man  to  destroy 
or  prevent  the  fatal  consequences  which  they  are 
commissioned  to  effect.  This  is  the  account  given 
of  them  in  Volney's  travels : 

"'The  quantity  of  these  insects  is  incredible  to 
all  who  have  not  themselves  witnessed  their  as- 
tonishing numbers ;  the  whole  earth  is  covered  with 


168  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

them  for  the  space  of  several  leagues.  The  noise 
they  make  in  browsing  on  the  trees  and  herbage 
may  be  heard  at  a  great  distance,  and  resembles 
that  of  an  army  in  secret.  The  Tartars  themselves 
are  less  destructive  than  these  little  animals.  One 
would  imagine  that  fire  had  followed  their  progress. 
Wherever  their  myriads  spread,  the  verdure  of  the 
country  disappears;  trees  and  plants  stripped  of 
their  leaves  and  reduced  to  their  naked  boughs  and 
stems,  cause  the  dreary  image  of  winter  to  succeed 
in  an  instant  to  the  rich  scenery  of  spring.  When 
these  clouds  of  locusts  take  their  flight  to  surmount 
any  obstacles,  or  to  traverse  more  rapidly  a  desert 
soil,  the  heavens  may  literally  be  said  to  be  obscured 
by  them.'" 

"  How  exactly  the  text  agrees  with  this  account !" 
observed  Robert,  who  had  his  Bible  open  before 
him. 

"  Read  it  pray,"  said  his  sister. 

" '  A  day  of  darkness  and  of  gloominess,  a  day  of 
clouds  and  of  thick  darkness,  as  the  morning  spread 
upon  the  mountains;  a  great  people  and  strong. 
A  fire  devoureth  before  them,  and  behind  them  a 
flame  burneth :  the  land  is  as  the  garden  of  Eden 
before  them,  and  behind  them  a  desolate  wilderness; 
yea,  and  nothing  shall  escape  them.  The  appear- 
ance of  them  is  as  the  appearance  of  horses;  and  as 
horsemen,  so  shall  they  run.  Like  the  noise  of 
chariots  on  the  tops  of  mountains  shall  they  leap, 
like  the  noise  of  a  flame  of  fire  that  devoureth  the 


LOCUST. — Locusta  migratoria. 


CHAPTER  IX.  169 

stubble,  as  a  strong  people  set  in  battle-array. 
Before  their  face  the  people  shall  be  much  pained; 
all  faces  shall  gather  blackness.  They  shall  run 
like  mighty  men;  they  shall  climb  the  wall  like 
men  of  war;  and  they  shall  march  every  one  on  his 
ways,  and  they  shall  not  break  their  ranks:  neither 
shall  one  thrust  another;  they  shall  walk  every  one 
in  his  path:  and  when  they  fall  upon  the  sword, 
they  shall  not  be  wounded.  They  shall  run  to  and 
fro  in  the  city ;  they  shall  run  upon  the  wall ;  they 
shall  climb  up  upon  the  houses ;  they  shall  enter  in 
at  the  windows  like  a  thief."" 

"  I  find  another  note  in  Bagster's  Bible  on  this 
passage,"  said  Georgiana,  "  quoted  from  Dr.  Shaw : 
'  In  their  progress,  they  kept  their  ranks  like  men 
of  war;  climbing  over  every  tree  or  wall  that  was 
in  their  way.  Nay,  they  entered  into  our  very 
houses  and  bed-chambers,  like  so  many  thieves. 
Every  effort  of  the  inhabitants  to  stop  them  was 
unavailing;  the  trenches  they  had  dug  were  quickly 
filled  up,  and  the  fires  they  had  kindled  extinguish- 
ed by  infinite  swarms  succeeding  each  other."  In 
the  twenty-fifth  verse  of  this  second  chapter  of  Joel 
the  Lord  calls  these  insects  his  great  army.  And 
in  the  ninth  chapter  of  Revelation  we  hear  of  the 
power  given  to  them.  Wherever  he  sends  them, 
famine  and  pestilence  follow.  It  is  recorded,  that  im- 
mense swarms  having  been  driven  into  the  rivers,  the 
putrid  smell  from  their  dead  bodies  caused  a  plague. 
It  is  said,  when  they  take  the  field,  they  have  a 
Q 


170  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

leader  at  their  head,  whom  they  observe  and  follow. 
At  a  distance  they  appear  like  a  black  cloud,  gather- 
ing darkness  so  dense  as  almost  to  obscure  daylight; 
and  wherever  they  alight,  in  a  few  minutes  the 
labours  and  expectations  of  the  husbandman  are 
totally  destroyed  for  that  year.  They  are  said  to 
burn  whatever  they  touch,  and  to  destroy  even  more 
than  they  devour,  leaving  marks  of  their  devasta- 
tion, which  remain  two  or  three  years.  In  this 
manner  they  affect  European  countries ;  but  in  their 
own  tropical  regions,  though  equally  stripped  of 
verdure,  the  consequence  is  not  so  deplorable,  from 
the  much  greater  power  of  vegetation;  three  or  four 
days  will  repair  the  damage." 

"One  would  think,"  said  Robert,  "that  in  their 
native  climate  no  green  bud  or  leaf  would  be  ever 
suffered  to  appear  above  ground.  Have  they  ever 
visited  these  countries  ?" 

"  There  is  an  account  in  a  little  book  I  have  lately 
read,  of  one  wing,  which  visited  England  in  1748, 
of  a  great  army  of  locusts  having  separated  itself 
from  the  main  body,  which  at  the  same  time  was 
seen  in  Transylvania,  Hungary  and  Poland,  doing 
incalculable  damage.  I  shall  give  you  the  account 
of  an  eye-witness  nearly  in  his  own  words : 

"'The  first  swarms  entered  Transylvania  in  Au- 
gust, 1748;  and  were  succeeded  by  others  so 
numerous,  that  when  they  reached  the  Red  Tower, 
they  were  full  four  hours  in  their  passage  over  that 
place;  though  they  flew  so  close  that  the  beating 


CHAPTER  IX.  171 

of  their  wings  made  a  noise  in  the  air.  The  width 
of  the  swarm  was  some  hundred  fathoms,  and  its 
height  or  density  so  great  as  to  hide  the  sun  and 
darken  the  sky;  and  when  they  flew  low,  the  peo- 
ple could  not  know  each  other  at  the  distance  of 
twenty  paces :  wherever  they  alighted  the  usual  con- 
sequence ensued,  and  having  laid  waste  all  before 
them,  as  if  a  signal  had  been  given  them,  they  pro- 
ceeded on  their  devastating  march.  The  guards  of 
the  Red  Tower  attempted  to  stop  their  irruption 
into  Transylvania,  by  firing  at  them,  which  separat- 
ed the  swarm,  but  the  ranks  filled  up  again  in  a 
moment  and  they  proceeded  forwards. 

" '  In  the  month  of  September,  some  of  the  com- 
panies were  brought  to  the  ground  by  great  rains 
and  rough  weather;  and  being  thoroughly  soaked, 
they  sought  shelter  where  they  could,  and  having 
deposited  their  eggs,  died.  The  eggs,  very  like 
grains  of  oats,  were  disregarded.  In  the  following 
spring,  little  blackish  worms  sticking  together  in 
clusters  were  seen  lying  in  the  fields  and  among  the 
bushes;  but  they  also  were  unheeded,  and  were 
hidden  by  the  shooting  corn  when  its  verdure  cloth- 
ed the  ground.  In  June  the  lurking  enemy  began 
to  appear  in  the  destruction  of  the  vegetation :  they 
were  then  like  common  grasshoppers,  rather  more 
than  a  finger's  length,  dispersed  all  over  the  fields. 
Towards  the  end  of  June,  they  cast  off  their  out- 
ward covering,  and  displayed  wings  like  those  of 
a  bee,  but  still  folded  up,  unfit  for  flying ;  these 


172  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

however  they  gradually  unloosed  with  their  hinder 
feet  as  flies  do,  and  being  expanded  they  soared  up; 
but  not  to  any  distance  until  joined  by  their  com- 
panions. At  first  they  contented  themselves  with 
circular  flights  round  their  native  fields,  until  all 
their  produce  was  laid  waste ;  then  in  large  troops 
they  proceeded  on  their  way  and  eat  up  every  sort 
of  vegetable,  the  young  corn,  and  grass.'" 

"  The  people  in  the  countries  infested  by  these 
destructive  insects,  must  suffer  much  from  scarcity 
of  provisions,"  observed  Robert;  "indeed  I  wonder 
how  they  can  ever  preserve  a  crop." 

"  The  merciful  God  who  created  them  as  it  ap- 
pears to  be  a  scourge  to  mankind,  has  also  limited 
the  bounds  to  which  they  are  to  go;"  answered  his 
sister.  "  They  are  often  destroyed  by  storms,  and 
borne  away  by  strong  winds  to  distant  regions,  and 
they  are  generally  accompanied  by  the  locust-eater, 
a  species  of  bird  which  follows  them  in  numbers 
nearly  proportioned  to  their  own." 

"You  did  not  tell  us,"  said  Emma,  "whether 
they  did  any  mischief  in  England." 

"They  were  not  suffered  to  do  much  injury 
here,"  replied  Georgiana,  "their  progress  being 
stopped,  and  their  numbers  thinned,  by  the  damp, 
cold  climate  to  which  they  were  unaccustomed." 

"  It  was  one  of  the  distant  regions  to  which  some 
strong  wind  must  have  carried  them ;"  said  Robert. 
"  Are  they  useful  in  any  way  ?" 

"Certainly,"  answered  Georgiana;  "there  is  no 


CHAPTER  IX.  173 

created  thing  without  its  use.  Locusts  are  parched 
over  the  fire  in  a  earthen  pan,  and  eaten  by  the 
natives  of  many  of  the  Eastern  countries ;  for  which 
purpose  they  are  caught  in  nets." 

"  You  said,  Georgiana,  that  the  locusts  were  not 
suffered  to  do  much  injury  in  England.  Was  there 
any  expedient  found  out  to  destroy  them  ?"  inquir- 
ed Emma. 

"Not  that  I  heard  of,"  replied  Georgiana.  "I 
do  not  think  they  can  be  destroyed  by  any  human 
means.  We  read  of  the  vain  efforts  of  the  farmers 
to  this  effect;  of  crowds  of  people  being  collected 
to  sweep  them  backwards,  but  as  often  as  they  were 
driven  from  one  quarter  they  filled  another;  of  fires 
kindled  round  the  fields,  which  they  passed  over 
like  overpowering  torrents,  when  fuel  failed;  there- 
fore by  the  Power  which  brings  them  forward,  they 
can  alone  be  repelled.  The  Lord  did  not  suffer 
them  to  do  harm  to  England  ;  the  wet,  cold  weather 
was  his  agent  in  overcoming  the  threatened  evil." 


CHAPTER  X. 


TIHlll   WAi^g    gM(ll}$I{l[&£8  MOE) 


"  WHAT  are  the  paper-making  insects,  Georgiana?" 
inquired  Robert. 

"  WASPS,"  was  the  answer  of  his  sister. 

" Wasps!"  he  reiterated.  "O!  I  remember  to 
have  seen  a  wasp's  nest  composed  of  the  lightest, 
most  ingenious  texture  very  much  like  paper — the 
hexagon  cells  formed  like  those  of  the  bee,  with 
mathematical  precision,  equal  in  size,  and  fitting 
exactly.  Of  what  materials  is  this  fabric  erected?" 

"That  was  long  a  matter  of  conjecture  to  natur- 
alists. Reaumur  had  been  twenty  years  studying 
the  operations  of  the  wasps  before  he  discovered  it. 
One  day  he  remarked  a  female  wasp  gnawing  the 
wood  of  his  window  sash  with  her  mandibles.  You 
may  be  sure  he  watched  her  very  closely,  for  he 
guessed  that  she  was  preparing  to  build.  He  found 
that  she  pulled  out  the  fibres  of  wood,  finer  than 
a  hair,  and  that  she  gathered  them  into  a  little  bundle 


CHAPTER  X.  175 

under  her  feet;  this  she  took  up  and  carried  to 
another  part  of  the  window  frame,  where  she  picked 
up  a  few  more  fibres,  and  added  them  to  her  load, 
until  she  had  as  much  as  she  could  carry,  all  rolled 
compactly  into  a  little  ball,  but  not  moistened ; 
which  the  naturalist  ascertained  by  seizing  upon  her, 
that  he  might  the  more  closely  examine  the  nature 
of  her  bundle." 

"But  how  do  these  slender  fibres  adhere,"  inquir- 
ed Robert,  "if  not  moistened?" 

"They  certainly  go  through  a  preparation,  to 
form  them  into  that  paper-like  texture  which  you 
have  seen,"  answered  Georgiana.  "  The  wasp  mois- 
tens them  with  glutinous  liquid  from  her  mouth, 
and  kneads  them  into  a  kind  of  paste. 

"The  few  wasps  which  outlive  the  winter  are 
roused  to  exertion  by  the  first  warm  gleam  of  sun 
in  spring,  and  may  be  seen  running  into  little  holes ; 
which,  if  they  do  not  find  already  burrowed  by  field 
mice,  they  burrow  for  themselves ;  digging  into  the 
earth  with  their  strong  mandibles,  and  carrying  and 
pushing  away  the  clay  before  them,  while  they 
form  their  entrance  gallery,  which  is  less  than  an 
inch  in  diameter,  in  a  zigzag  direction,  one  or  two 
feet  deep.  It  leads  to  a  wide  chamber,  in  which 
they  build  their  nest,  first  lining  it  with  their  papery 
substance,  of  which  several  sheets  are  laid  on  to 
prevent  any  particles  of  earth  from  tumbling  in  on 
the  nest,  which  is  built  downwards,  and  suspended 
from  the  roof  by  12  or  13  rods  made  of  the  same 


176 


SISTERS  STORIES. 


material.  The  shape  of  the  nest  is  an  upright 
oval,  often  measuring  10  or  12  inches  in  diameter: 
it  consists  of  several  horizontal  stages  or  stories  of 
cells,  connected  together  by  the  rods  or  little  pillars 
which  I  already  mentioned,  and  surrounded  by 
walls,  like  the  roof,  composed  of  paste,  or  papier 
mache.  The  females  when  their  task  is  finished, 
deposit  their  eggs  one  in  each  cell,  which  is  the 
little  cradle  of  the  young  soft  white  maggot,  to 
which  the  mother  now  directs  all  her  care  in 
providing  its  food.  In  a  few  weeks  it  becomes  a 
perfect  wasp,  able  to  assist  in  the  extension  of  the 
nest." 

"What  do  wasps  feed  on?11  asked  Emma.  "Do 
they  gather  honey  from  '  every  opening  flower?"'* 

"  No,  Emma,  the  art  of  extracting  honey  from 
the  flower  is  confined  to  the  bee,  whom  these  plun- 
derers rob  of  its  sweets  as  often  as  they  can  find 
an  opportunity.  But  the  bees  do  not  tamely  part 
with  their  treasures;  fierce  battles  are  often  fought 
between  them,  but  unless  there  are  superior  num- 
bers on  their  side,  the  poor  bees  are  overcome  by 
their  stronger  opponents,  and  put  to  death  by  their 
stings,  and  their  honey  bags  rifled.  When  these 
marauders  cannot  procure  honey,  they  seek  out 
the  sweetest  and  ripest  fruits  which  the  garden  pro- 
duces to  feed  on.  It  is  providential  that  these 
comparatively  useless  insects  are  not  so  long-lived 
as  the  bee.  They  multiply  so  fast  that  they  would 
become  a  great  nuisance;  they  live  but  one  season, 


•WASPS. 
L  Common  or  Social  Wasp.    2  Mason  Wasp.    3  Nest  of  Mason  Wasp. 


Nest  of  Social  Wasp. 


CHAPTER  X.  177 

"with  the  exception  of  a  few  females,  which  survive 
the  winter.  When  the  cold  sets  in,  the  worms  die 
in  their  cradles,  and  are  carried  out  by  the  wasps, 
who  are  cleanly  in  their  habits,  and  probably  know 
instinctively  the  noisome  effluvium  which  so  many 
dead  bodies  would  produce. 

"  Their  cells,  I  suppose,  on  this  account,  are 
always  found  empty,""  observed  Robert,  "  at  least 
all  those  I  ever  happened  to  see  were  so." 

"They  never  store  them  with  winter  provisions, 
like  the  industrious  foresighted  bees,"  said  Georgi- 
ana,  "  consequently  they  must  die."" 

"  Do  the  surviving  females  build  the  nest  alone?" 
inquired  Robert. 

"It  is  said,"  answered  his  sister,  "that they  first 
lay  eggs,  and  hatch  them  two  at  a  time,  which  soon 
become  useful  labourers  in  assisting  their  mothers 
to  build.  They  increase  so  fast,  that  a  single  female 
before  the  month  of  June  will  produce  ten  thousand 
wasps,  which  assemble  from  all  parts  in  the  heat  of 
summer  to  labour  at  and  form  their  habitation." 

"  Are  there  not  different  species  of  wasps  ?"  asked 
Emma. 

"  There  are,"  Georgiana  replied.  "  Those  I  have 
been  telling  you  of  are  called  SOCIAL  WASPS.  The 
SOLITARY  or  MASON  WASP  is  quite  different  in  its 
operations.  It  spends  its  short  life  in  preparing  an 
apartment  for  its  young  one.  This  is  excavated 
some  inches  deep  in  the  finest  sandy  soil.  This 
insect  is  furnished  with  two  strong,  firm  teeth,  which 


178 


SISTER  S  STORIES. 


it  uses  effectually  in  its  laborious  enterprize  of  per- 
forating a  passage  just  of  a  size  for  its  own  body  to 
pass  through,  and  then  hollowing  an  apartment, 
which  it  does  by  moistening  the  earth  by  some  clam- 
my substance,  and  removing  it  to  the  door  of  its 
habitation  in  little  pellets,  of  which  it  builds  a  round 
tower  over  the  mouth  of  its  nest ;  from  time  to  time 
it  takes  little  excursions,  as  it  is  supposed  to  obtain 
some  liquid  to  make  mortar  of  the  clay  within;  yet 
so  little  time  is  lost,  that  in  an  hour  it  has  been  seen 
to  dig  a  hole  the  length  of  its  body,  and  raise  its 
round  tower  in  the  same  proportion.  After  much 
toil,  the  narrow  defile  is  formed,  and  a  cavity  at 
its  termination,  in  which  the  wasp  lays  her  egg. 
Her  next  care  is  to  lay  in  a  stock  of  provision  for 
her  young  grub ;  for  this  purpose  she  selects  ten 
or  twelve  green  caterpillars,  all  of  the  same  species, 
which  she  conveys  into  her  nest,  and  arranges  in 
such  a  manner  that  the  young  one  when  it  comes 
to  life  may  easily  feed.  The  mother  lays  in  the 
exact  quantity  of  provision  necessary  to  nourish  the 
grub  until  the  time  of  his  transformation,  when  food 
is  no  longer  required ;  then  he  spins  his  silken  web, 
and  continues  fixed  in  his  cell  till  the  summer  sun 
rouses  him,  and  tempts  him  to  leave  his  dark  abode." 

"Does  he  find  his  mother  then?"  asked  little 
Rosa. 

"  I  think  not,  Rosa,"  answered  Georgiana,  "  he 
no  longer  wants  a  mother's  care ;  her  business  was 
over  when  she  immured  him  in  his  safe  retreat,  well 


CHAPTfcB,  X.  179 

provided  with  all  he  could  possibly  require;  and 
having  carefully  closed  up  the  mouth  of  the  passage 
that  no  ichneumon  fly  might  gain  access,  she  has 
nothing  more  to  do,  and  it  is  said  she  dies  soon 
after." 

"  What  wise  creatures  they  are !"  said  Emma. 

As  a  confirmation  of  this  remark,  Georgians 
related  a  little  anecdote  of  Dr.  Darwin.  A  wasp  on 
a  gravel  walk  had  caught  a  fly,  nearly  as  large  as 
himself.  The  Doctor  knelt  down  to  observe  him, 
and  he  saw  him  separate  the  tail  and  the  head  from 
the  body  part,  to  which  the  wings  were  attached ; 
which  burden  he  took  in  his  paws,  and  rose  about 
two  feet  from  the  ground;  but  the  gentle  breeze 
wafting  the  fly's  wings,  turned  him  round  in  the  air, 
and  he  settled  again  with  it  on  the  gravel.  The 
doctor  then  distinctly  saw  him  first  cut  off  one  wing 
with  his  mouth,  then  the  other,  after  which  he  again 
took  it  up  and  flew  away  with  it  unmolested.  A 
wasp  has  often  been  observed,  when  removing  a  dead 
body,  if  too  heavy,  dividing  and  carrying  it  away  in 
separate  portions. 

Georgiana  seemed  here  as  if  she  had  exhausted 
her  stock  of  information  respecting  the  wasps,  and 
when  her  auditors  asked  her  if  it  were  the  case,  she 
told  them  of  some  others  of  the  same  species  which 
formed  their  nests  and  suspended  them  from  the 
top  branches  of  trees ;  these  are  the  wasps  of 
Cayenne:  he  forms  a  perfect  house  of  a  kind  of 
card,  smooth,  strong,  and  white,  as  skilfully  as  a 


180  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

real  manufacturer  of  that  substance.  And  there  are 
others,  in  the  West  Indies,  she  added,  which  attach 
their  elegant  nests  of  a  globular  form,  the  size  of 
an  egg,  to  some  straw,  or  projecting  substance  from 
the  tops  of  the  houses;  and  others  to  the  stem  of  a 
nettle,  or  to  stalks  of  grass. 

"Can  you  tell  us  any  thing  of  the  EPHEMERA, 
Georgiana?"  said  Robert;  "it  is  an  insect  of  a  day, 
as  I  have  heard." 

"  Nay,  rather  of  an  hour,  after  it  has  undergone 
its  last  change,"  replied  his  sister:  "its  frame  is  of 
so  fragile  a  texture,  that  whatsoever  touches  kills 
it,  and  as  they  rise  in  myriads  from  the  water  into 
the  air,  their  hitting  together  is  death  to  them." 

"  They  are  called  Cicindela  or  MAY-FLY,"  con- 
tinued Georgiana,  "of  which  there  are  numerous 
species;  they  excavate  burrows  for  themselves  in 
the  mud  or  soft  earth  which  banks  the  rivers  and 
canals,  and  being  under  the  level,  these  holes  fill 
with  water  in  which  the  grub  swims." 

"  Why  not  swim  on  the  pond  itself  then  ?"  in- 
quired Emma. 

"  It  would  be  in  danger  of  being  swallowed  by 
fishes  who  are  ever  ready  to  catch  their  prey,  and 
would  not  find  its  food  so  conveniently,  which  it  is 
said  is  the  slimy  lining  of  its  hole." 

"  I  should  not  like  such  pudding !"  cried  Anna. 

This  observation,  and  a  few  similar  wise  re- 
marks, excited  some  merriment  among  the  young 
party,  together  with  expressions  of  pleasure,  that  it 


DAY  FLIES. — Ephemera. 


CHAPTER  X.  181 

was  not  with  such  dainties  that  their  kind  mamma 
regaled  them.  Georgiana  having  called  her  auditors 
to  order,  continued;  "The  grub  of  the  ephemera 
is  in  form  like  the  letter  Z;  it  has  strong  jaws, 
and  feet,  with  which  it  digs  its  cylindrical  pit, 
eighteen  inches  into  the  earth:  in  clearing  away 
the  particles  of  earth,  it  places  them  on  its  broad 
square  head,  and  throws  them  to  a  sufficient  dis- 
tance beyond  the  entrance  to  its  habitation;  to 
render  this  task  of  carrying  out  loads  easier,  it 
has  two  convenient  tubercles  or  fleshy  excrescences 
on  its  back,  thickly  covered  with  red  hair.  It  works 
its  way  out  so  heavily  laden  that  it  is  often  obliged 
to  rest  before  it  can  renew  its  labours.  When  they 
are  concluded,  the  little  creature  fixes  itself  at  the 
entrance  of  its  den,  to  which  the  broad  plate  on  the 
top  of  its  head  forms  a  kind  of  trap-door  fitting  ex- 
actly; it  remains  immoveable  with  expanded  jaws, 
ready  to  seize  and  devour  any  luckless  wandering 
insect."" 

"  Oh  then,"  cried  William,  "  it  does  not  confine 
itself  to  its  pudding ;  these  I  suppose  are  its  varie- 
ties of  fish  and  flesh." 

"  It  is  particularly  fond  of  the  smaller  beetles," 
said  Georgiana,  "  and  is  so  voracious  that  it  will 
seize  on  and  eat  even  its  own  species.  In  case  of 
danger,  it  sinks  securely  to  the  bottom  of  its  den." 

"  How  indefatigable  the  exertions  of  naturalists 
must  be,"  observed  Robert,  "to  discover  these 
things!" 

B, 


182  SISTERS  STOEIES. 

"  It  was  found  very  difficult  in  this  case,"  answer- 
ed Georgiana.  "The  same  method  succeeded  as 
with  the  field  cricket;  by  introducing  a  straw  into 
the  hole,  and  digging  the  earth  away  around  it  with 
great  care,  the  little  zigzag  grub  was  found  at  the 
bottom  of  its  cell.  When  about  to  undergo  its 
transformation  into  a  pupa,  it  first  cautiously  closes 
the  mouth  of  its  cavern,  and  then  lays  itself  secure- 
ly at  the  bottom.  These  insects  are  said  to  live 
two  or  three  years  before  they  become  aurelias  with 
wings,  which  waft  them  to  the  nearest  tree,  where 
they  settle,  and  instantaneously  undergo  their  final 
change,  into  the  beautiful  butterfly-like  ephemera, 
with  four  gauzy  transparent  wings." 

"They  are  not  seen  in  this  country,  I  think;1' 
said  Robert. 

His  sister  told  him  that  they  were  not  natives  of 
England  or  Ireland;  but  in  France,  on  the  banks  of 
the  Rhine,  or  the  Seine,  he  might  see  the  air  alive 
with  them  during  the  period  of  their  short  existence, 
and  the  earth  covered  with  their  fallen,  lifeless 
remains.  At  the  approach  of  evening,  the  aurelias 
rise  from  beneath  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  dis- 
engage themselves  from  their  old  garments  with 
much  greater  alacrity  and  ease  than  other  insects: 
the  females  having  dropped  their  eggs  into  the 
water,  sport  and  flutter,  and  fall  to  rise  no  more. 
Though  these  insects  in  general  live  but  an  hour, 
there  are  some  species  of  them  whose  existence  ex- 
tends to  some  days. 


DRAOOW  FLT. — Libellula  virgo. 


CHAPTER  X.  183 

**I  think,"  said  Emma,  "that  I  never  again  shall 
look  with  disgust  on  the  ugly  hairy  worms  that  I 
have  seen  crawling  among  the  moist  clay;  I  shall 
look  forward  to  the  time  of  their  transformation, 
when  they  may  be  arrayed  in  some  beauteous  cloth- 
ing." 

"Such  as  the  Libellula,  or  DRAGON-FLY,"  said 
Georgiana,  "whose  splendid  colouring  exhibits  the 
various  hues  of  the  rainbow.'1 

"  I  have  often  watched  their  brilliant  tints  and 
beautiful  transparent  wings  with  great  admiration, 
as  they  flitted  among  the  plants  and  hedges  which 
skirt  the  running  brooks,"  observed  Robert. 

"  The  largest  kind  of  these  insects  are  from  two  to 
three  inches  long;  their  tail  is  forked;  their  eyes 
large,  and  when  resting,  their  glossy  wings,  four  in 
number,  lie  flat,  and  glisten  like  gold  or  silver. 
The  eggs  of  these  insects  are  deposited  and  hatched 
in  the  water,  and  after  being  exuded,  the  worm 
creeps  and  swims  slowly.  When  about  to  change 
to  their  winged  state,  they  creep  up  the  stem  of  a 
water  plant  until  they  have  got  above  the  surface; 
and  firmly  fixing  themselves  by  means  of  their 
sharp  claws,  they  remain  for  a  short  period  motion- 
less, then  the  skin  of  the  head  and  back  opens,  and 
out  comes  the  head  with  its  large  eyes;  then  the 
six  legs,  and  by  degrees  the  whole  animal  extricates 
itself  from  its  prison,  and  creeping  forward  rests, 
while  its  folded  moist  wings  dry  and  expand  them- 
selves; and  soon  it  learns  to  wing  its  way.  No 


184  SISTES'S  STORIES. 

longer  able  to  exist  in  its  native  element,  the  water, 
it  is  now  an  inhabitant  of  the  air.  One  hour  effects 
this  important  change;  before  it  could  not  breathe 
out  of  the  water,  now  it  could  not  exist  one  moment 
in  it,  and  with  its  new  existence  it  acquires  new 
pursuits,  and  hovers  up  and  down  to  seize  on  its 
prey;  the  broad-winged  butterfly,  the  wasp,  the 
bee,  the  hornet  and  largest  flies  become  its  merci- 
less prey.  It  seizes  and  devours  these  insects  with 
voracious  appetite." 

The  little  party  were  now  on  the  point  of  break- 
ing up,  when  Emma  seeing  a  little  book  among 
those  which  her  sister  had  selected  for  their  amuse- 
ment, opened  it,  and  having  read  a  few  lines  ex- 
claimed, "O!  what  a  droll  man?" 

"Of  whom  do  you  speak  ?"  was  the  general  query. 

"O!  I  must  read  this  to  you:"  was  her  answer. 
"It  is  about  a  flea" — and  the  children  listened  with 
great  delight  while  she  read:  "a  flea  will  drag  after 
it  a  chain  an  hundred  times  heavier  than  itself;  and 
to  compensate  for  this  force,  will  eat  ten  times  its 
own  weight  of  provisions  in  a  day. 

"An  ingenious  watchmaker,  who  some  years  ago 
lived  in  the  Strand,  London,  exhibited  to  the  pub- 
lic a  little  ivory  chaise,  with  four  wheels,  and  all 
its  proper  apparatus,  and  a  man  sitting  on  the  box, 
all  of  which  were  drawn  by  a  single  flea.  He  made 
a  small  landau,  which  opened  and  shut  by  springs, 
with  six  horses  harnessed  to  it,  a  coachman  sitting 
on  the  box,  and  a  dog  between  his  legs :  four  per. 


CHAPTER  X.  185 

sons  were  in  the  carriage,  two  footmen  behind  it, 
and  a  postillion  riding  on  one  of  the  fore  horses, 
which  were  all  easily  drawn  along  by  a  flea.  He 
likewise  had  a  chain  of  brass,  about  two  inches 
long,  containing  two  hundred  links,  with  a  hook  at 
one  end,  and  a  padlock  and  key  at  the  other,  which 
the  flea  drew  very  nimbly  along. 

"  In  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  a  blacksmith 
made  a  lock,  consisting  of  eleven  pieces  of  iron, 
steel  and  brass,  with  a  hollow  key  to  it,  that  alto- 
gether weighed  but  one  grain  of  gold.  He  likewise 
made  a  gold  chain,  composed  of  forty-three  links, 
which  he  fastened  to  the  lock  and  key,  and  having 
put  it  about  the  neck  of  a  flea,  that  little  creature 
drew  them  all  with  ease ;  which  being  done  in  her 
Majesty's  presence,  he  put  the  lock  and  key,  flea, 
and  chain  into  a  pair  of  scales,  and  they  altogether 
weighed  but  one  grain  and  a  half." 

Here  Emma  closed  the  little  book,  and  while 
the  young  ones  expressed  their  wonder  that  such 
things  could  be  done,  Robert  said,  he  was  sorry 
to  hear  that  any  rational  being  should  squander 
away  his  precious  hours  in  such  a  trifling  finikin 
manner,  as  making  chains  and  carriages  to  be  drawn 
by  a  flea. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


"  Now  for  the  BEES  !  Georgiana!  Now  for  the 
bees  !"  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth  of  the  assemb- 
led little  party  of  brothers  and  sisters.  "We  all 
long  to  hear  of  the  bees,"  and  Rosa,  with  animated 
looks,  repeated  her  little  hymn: 

"How  doth  the  little  busy  bee 

Improve  each  shining  hour ; 
And  gather  honey  all  the  day, 

From  every  opening  flower." 

"I  do  not  wonder,"  began  Georgiana,  "that  the 
bees  interest  you.  We  hear  of  their  having  occu- 
pied the  attention  of  naturalists  from  the  earliest 
ages." 

"Yes,"  answered  Robert,  "Pliny  tells  us  of  Aris- 
tomachus,  of  Soles,  in  Cilicia,  fifty-eight  years  of 
whose  life  was  spent  in  forests,  for  the  purpose  of 
watching  the  bees." 

"Yet  neither  he,  nor  several  others,  with  all  their 


CHAPTER  XI.  187 

philosophical  researches,  have  made  any  important 
discoveries,"  said  Georgiana.  "A  mathematician  of 
Nice,  named  Miraldi,  by  his  invention  of  glass  hives, 
was  the  first  who  led  to  them;  and  Reaumur, 
Huber,  &c.  &c.  have  continued  the  investigation 
by  improvements  on  these  means. 

"  The  jaws  of  the  bees,  are  their  only  instruments 
in  modelling  and  polishing  their  waxen  cells.  With 
its  teeth,  the  bee  scrapes  the  walls  and  removes  all 
roughness,  but  at  the  same  time  takes  care  that 
nothing  shall  be  lost.  Of  such  detached  fragments 
it  forms  a  little  ball,  and  carries  it  to  another  part 
of  the  building  where  wax  is  wanted.  A  number  of 
bees  crowd  together  to  succeed  and  assist  in  form- 
ing the  cells;  but  not  so  as  to  interfere  with  each 
other's  labours,  which  are  carried  on  with  the  most 
perfect  regularity:  first  laying  the  foundations  of 
the  combs,  which  is  done  with  great  despatch.  The 
combs  are  generally  arranged  in  a  direction  parallel 
to  each  other,  with  streets  between,  that  the  bees 
may  have  a  free  passage;  they  are  just  wide  enough 
to  admit  of  two  bees  passing  each  other.  There 
are  also  cross  lanes  which  are  covered  over,  to 
shorten  the  journey  for  the  labourers.  When  build- 
ing the  hive,  they  divide  themselves  into  bands, 
each  of  which  has  its  distinct  employments ;  those 
who  range  the  fields  and  gardens  supply  them- 
selves with  food,  while  those  who  labour  within 
doors  are  attended  to  by  caterers  whose  office  it  is 
to  refresh  them.  When  they  are  weary,  the  la- 


188  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

bourer  intimates  his  wish  to  eat  by  bending  down 
his  trunk  or  proboscis  to  the  provider,  who  opens 
the  honey  bag,  and  pours  in  a  few  drops,  which 
have  been  distinctly  seen  rolling  through  the  trunk, 
which  swells  as  the  liquor  flows  through.  The 
labourer  then  returns  with  renewed  vigour  to  his 
task. 

"A  hive  contains  three  kinds  of  bees.  First,  the 
queen  bee,  who  differs  from  all  the  others  in  the 
length  of  her  body  and  the  shortness  of  her  wings. 
The  second  class  are  the  working  bees,  to  the 
amount  of  many  thousands :  they  are  the  smallest 
sized  bees  in  the  hive,  and  are  armed  with  a  sting. 
The  third  class  are  the  drones  or  males,  in  number 
about  1500  or  2000:  they  are  larger  than  the  work- 
ers and  of  a  darker  colour,  they  make  a  greater 
noise  in  flying,  and  have  no  sting:  they  go  about 
idle,  while  the  whole  labour  of  the  community  is 
performed  by  the  working  bees;  these  make  the 
wax,  construct  the  cells,  collect  the  honey,  and  feed 
the  young  brood.  In  the  beginning  of  autumn, 
they  put  the  useless  drones  to  death.  The  office 
of  the  queen  bee  is  to  lay  her  eggs,  which  remain 
about  three  days  in  the  cells  before  they  are  hatch- 
ed, when  a  small  white  worm  appears,  which  is  fed 
on  honey  for  some  days,  then  changes  into  a  nymph 
or  pupa;  and  having  remained  in  this  state  for  a 
certain  period,  it  comes  forth  a  perfect  winged 
insect,  and 


CHAPTER  XI.  189 

*  From  mead  to  mead,  in  wanton  labour  moves, 

And  loads  its  little  thigh,  or  gilds  its  little  wing 

With  all  the  essence  of  the  flushing  groves : 

Extracts  the  aromatic  soul  of  flowers, 

And,  humming  in  delight,  its  waxen  bowers 

Fills  with  the  luscious  spoils,  and  lives  ambrosial  hours.' 

"  In  many  parts  of  South  Africa,  the  bees  sus- 
pend their  honeycomb  from  edges  of  rocks;  and 
these  nests  are  easily  discovered  by  the  Hottentots, 
by  means  of  a  little  brown  bird,  called  the  Indicator, 
or  HONEY-BIRD,  which,  on  the  discovery  of  a  nest, 
makes  it  known  by  whistling  and  flying  towards  the 
place.  This  little  guide  is  not  alarmed  at  the  ap- 
pearance of  man ;  but  invites  him  by  its  expressive 
little  note  to  follow,  as  it  flits  from  tree  to  tree, 
until  it  stops  at  one  wherein  is  a  hollow,  well  stored 
with  a  treasure  of  honey  and  wax,  which  it  wishes 
to  share;  but  feeling  its  own  weakness  and  inability 
to  encounter  an  attack  from  a  legion  of  bees,  it  is 
induced  to  ask  the  aid  of  a  more  powerful  agent, 
who  always  rewards  it  by  a  division  of  the  spoil. 

"  The  wild  bees  of  Palestine  made  their  hives  in 
the  rocks:  'he  made  him  to  suck  honey  out  of  the 
rock.'  'With  honey  out  of  the  rock  should  I  have 
satisfied  thee.' 

"In  some  parts  of  France,  and  of  Piedmont,  there 
are  floating  apiaries  of  a  hundred  bee  hives : 

1  So  through  the  vales  of  Loire  the  bee-hives  glide, 
The  light  raft  dropping  with  the  silent  tide; 
So,  till  the  laughing  scenes  are  lost  in  sight, 
The  busy  people  wing  their  various  flight, 
Culling  unnumbered  sweets  from  nameless  flowers, 
That  scent  the  vineyard  in  its  purple  hours.' " 

ROGERS. 


390  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

"  If  a  stranger  queen  be  introduced  into  a  hive, 
she  is  immediately  surrounded  and  taken  prisoner," 
continued  Georgiana.  "  The  lawful  queen  is  also 
confined  that  she  may  not  escape,  but  fight  for  her 
territories.  There  is  an  instinctive  rivalship  be- 
tween the  two  queens.  Their  guards,  the  working 
bees,  make  way  for  them  on  both  sides,  and  they 
rush  impetuously  to  the  combat,  darting  out  the 
sting  furiously :  if  it  strike  the  vulnerable  part  be- 
tween the  rings  of  the  belly,  the  wound  is  mortal. 
The  rest  of  the  body  is  encased  in  scaly  armour 
impervious  to  the  little  dart." 

"It  is  no  little  dart  however,"  said  Robert,  "to 
the  poor  bee.  I  suppose  it  must  be  in  proportion 
to  what  a  great  spear  would  be  to  us.  Does  the 
conquering  queen  remain  in  peaceable  possession 
of  the  hive?" 

"  Of  course  she  does,"  answered  his  sister. 

"It  is  very  ill-natured  in  them,"  said  Emma, 
"that  they  cannot  agree  together,  and  mutually 
hold  the  reins  of  government." 

"That  is  never  the  case  however,"  answered 
Georgiana;  "even  among  the  human  species  it 
would  cause  confusion  and  discord;  to  have  two 
equal  in  power  issuing  rules  and  orders,  often  oppo- 
site to  each  other.  Instinct  has  taught  the  bees 
that  one  queen-mother  is  sufficient  for  a  whole  com- 
munity; wherefore,  neither  she  nor  her  subjects 
will  suffer  the  encroachment  of  another." 

"But  are  not  all  the  females  queen-mothers?" 


CHAPTER  XI.  191 

inquired  Robert.  "  What  then  can  become  of  num- 
bers which  must  be  produced?"" 

"They  are  destroyed  by  their  mother  in  the 
cell,  which  she  tears  open,  when  she  sees  them  as- 
suming a  shape  like  her  own,  with  the  hatred  of  a 
deadly  enemy,  and,  darting  in  her  sting,  wounds 
them  to  death.11 

"  O !  the  horrid  cruel  bees,  I  hate  them,11  said 
Rosa;  "how  glad  I  am  that  my  own  dear  good- 
natured  mamma  is  not  a  bee." 

"  You  do  not  hate  bees,  however,  Rosa,  when 
you  are  eating  the  honey  they  so  industriously 
collect.11 

"  It  is  the  working  bees,  however,  not  the  queens 
which  collect  it,11  said  Emma. 

"Very  true,11  answered  Georgiana;  "it  is  also 
the  workers  which  clothe  the  young  grubs  or  worms 
in  a  silken  coat,  inclosed  in  every  direction,  to 
ward  off  the  sting;  but  these  supernumeraries  are, 
purposely  no  doubt,  left  uncovered  on  the  only 
vulnerable  part  of  the  body,  the  lower  rings  of  the 
belly,  that  they  may  be  destroyed,  which  is  neces- 
sary for  the  well-being  of  the  hive.11 

"  They  might  as  well  employ  the  workers  to  kill 
their  children,  and  not  do  the  barbarous  act  them- 
selves,11 said  Emma.  "How  can  they  understand 
each  other's  wishes  P11 

"The  antennae,  or  feelers,  as  is  supposed  from 
different  experiments,  are  the  organs  of  communica- 
tion; by  the  touch  of  these  they  work  in  the 


192  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

darkness  of  the  hive.  Their  sight  is  very  acute,  as 
has  been  discovered  by  their  swift  and  straight 
return  to  their  hive,  though  placed  among  a  dozen 
others,  after  having  gone  to  a  great  distance  from 
it.  If  deprived  of  sight,  they  fly  at  random." 

"  Have  not  each  of  the  three  classes,  the  workers, 
drones  or  males,  and  their  queen,  distinct  employ- 
ments?"" inquired  Robert. 

"  The  drones,  as  you  have  already  heard,  do  no 
work.  The  labourers  seem  to  have  different  works 
assigned  them.  One  set  are  architects;  they  plan 
and  build  the  edifice,  and  at  the  same  time  watch 
over  the  young — these  are  called  the  Nurse-bees; 
the  other  are  more  common  workmen,  bricklayers 
and  plasterers,  who  only  bring  the  raw  materials, 
without  forming  the  wax  into  any  shape.  These 
are  called  Wax-workers." 

"  How  is  the  wax  made  ?"  asked  Emma. 

"  It  is  a  secretion  found  under  the  belly  in  the 
form  of  scales;  they  pull  it  off  with  their  little 
pincers,  and  mince  it  with  their  tongue,  which  they 
can  change  into  different  forms,  according  to  their 
wants.  Sometimes  it  is  a  trowel,  then  flattened 
into  a  spatula.  At  other  times  it  ends  in  a  point 
like  a  pencil.  The  scale,  when  moistened,  becomes 
glutinous  and  draws  out  like  a  string.  As  they 
work  up  the  wax,  they  fix  it  to  the  vault  of  the 
hive,  and  go  away,  to  give  place  to  others,  who 
deposit  then*  supply  in  the  same  spot  until  a  little 
heap  is  raised,  from  whence  the  builders  remove  it, 


HIVE  BEES. — Api$  mettifica. 
1  Male.    2.  Female.   3  Worker. 


CHAPTER  XI.  193 

forming  the  cells  with  such  wonderful  skill  and  pre- 
cision as  would  puzzle  many  a  mathematician.1" 

4 'The  cells  serve  them  for  resting  places,  I  sup- 
pose, when  their  labours  are  over,"  observed  Robert. 

"  Not  at  all :  they  are  either  filled  with  honey  or 
serve  as  the  covered  recess  of  a  worm,  which  is  the 
young  bee — the  object  of  their  anxious  solicitude. 
The  working  bees,  having  gorged  themselves  with 
nectar  from  flowers,  hang  motionless  in  the  hive. 
Their  manner  of  reposing  is  very  curious.  Four  or 
five  suspend  themselves  to  a  part  of  the  hive  by 
their  forefeet,  stretching  out  their  hind  legs,  which 
other  bees  cling  to  with  their  forepaws.  Others  do 
the  same  to  them,  until  they  all  hang  down  like  a 
great  festoon,  or  in  clusters.1' 

"  There  are  three  sorts  of  cells;  the  first  are  for 
the  larvae  of  workers;  the  second  for  those  of 
drones;  the  third  are  the  cradles  of  the  infant  queen, 
which  differ  materially  from  the  other  cells;  they 
are  placed  vertically  in  the  form  of  a  pear  with  the 
small  end  downwards.  One  queen  is  sufficient  to 
fill  the  cells  with  eggs.  She  no  sooner  deposits  one 
than  it  becomes  the  care  of  the  nurses,  who  will  not 
suffer  more  than  one  egg  to  remain  in  each  cell.  In 
a  day  or  two,  the  little  worm  bursts  from  the  shell, 
and  is  attended  with  anxious  tenderness,  and  fed 
with  a  whitish  substance  on  which  it  also  reposes, 
This  is  prepared  by  the  working  bees  who  supply 
it  regularly  at  short  intervals.  In  ten  days,  the  worm 
is  at  its  full  growth,  and  no  longer  requires  food.^ 


194  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

The  mouth  of  its  cell  is  then  closed  up  with  a  waxen 
lid,  which  secures  it  from  every  injury.  It  then 
begins  to  labour,  and  lines  its  apartment  with  a  soft 
material;  soon  after  it  passes  into  an  aurelia  state, 
and  in  twenty-one  days  becomes  a  perfect  bee, 
fitted  for  its  future  labours ;  but  not  freed  from  the 
encumbrances  of  its  former  covering  until  licked 
clean  by  the  working  bees ;  some  of  whom  assidu- 
ously feed  it  with  honey,  while  others  clean  out  the 
empty  cell  that  it  may  be  ready  for  a  new  inhabi- 
tant. Instinct  immediately  directs  the  young  bee 
to  its  appointed  task.  It  roves  from  flower  to  flower, 
selecting  those  from  which  it  may  extract  honey, 
which  passes  from  its  stomach  to  its  honey-bag,  a 
little  oblong  bladder  clear  as  crystal.'*' 

"  O  yes,  I  know  that  bag  well,""  said  William ; 
"a  little  boy  caught  a  wild  bee,  killed  it,  and  shewed 
me  the  bag  full  of  honey,  which  he  gave  me  to  suck." 

"  I  hope  you  never  followed  his  example,  Wil- 
liam; for  the  gratification  of  tasting  the  quantity 
which  such  a  small  reservoir  could  contain,  how 
cruel  to  deprive  the  bee  of  its  life,  and  put  an  end 
to  its  useful  labours !" 

"  No,  Georgiana,  I  never  killed  a  bee,11  answered 
the  little  boy.  "Tell  us  more  now." 

"  The  young  bee  is  directed  by  the  same  instinct 
to  return  to  its  own  home  after  its  first  excursion, 
without  any  other  directer  or  guide." 

"  It  is  wiser  than  Rosa  and  I  were,  the  day  we 
strayed  away  from  you,  when  we  were  at  Duncan's, 
Vale,  and  could  not  find  our  way  back."" 


CHAPTER  XI.  195 

"How  is  the  bee-bread  made?"  inquired  Robert. 

"You  have  often,  I  am  sure,  remarked  the  farina 
inside  the  cups  of  flowers,"  said  Georgiana. 

"  What  the  yellow  dust  of  the  auricula,  and  many 
others?'1''  again  he  inquired. 

"The  very  same;  when  the  bee  perceives  a  flower 
plentifully  covered  with  this  dust,  it  enters  the  cup 
and  rolls  itself  round,  until  it  collects  the  whole 
upon  its  body,  which  in  many  parts  is  covered  with 
fine  down  or  hair.  To  secure  the  treasure,  it  is 
provided  with  little  brushes  which  grow  on  the  last 
joint  but  one  of  each  leg.  With  these,  one  after 
another  it  easily  contrives  to  clear  itself  of  the  pol- 
len or  dust,  which  it  collects  into  two  little  heaps, 
and  having  kneaded  it  into  very  small  pellets,  it 
sticks  them  into  its  little  baskets." 

"Ah!  Georgiana,  how  can  a  bee  carry  baskets? 
what  sort  of  atoms  must  they  be?"  inquired  Emma. 

"The  merciful  providence  of  their  maker  has 
furnished  them  with  these  necessary  appendages. 
In  the  thighs  of  the  last  pair  of  their  legs  are  two 
cavities,  fringed  with  hair,  in  which  they  deposit 
this  store  of  provisions;  when  increased  to  the  size 
of  a  grain  of  pepper,  the  bee  flies  away  to  the  hive 
to  unburthen  itself;  for  this  purpose  it  enters  the 
cell  head  foremost,  and  having  detached  its  load,  it 
is  moistened  and  mixed  with  a  little  honey,  and 
kneaded  into  that  substance  which  nourishes  the 
bees,  and  without  which  they  cannot  exist.  If  rob- 
bed of  their  honey,  treacle  will  serve  as  a  substitute. 


196  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

but  none  has  ever  yet  been  found  for  the  bee-bread. 
To  collect  it  unmixed,  the  bee  takes  care  to  rifle 
flowers  of  the  same  species  of  their  farina.  Though 
the  garden  be  full  of  flowers,  and  the  one  it  first 
alighted  on  very  scarce,  it  will  pass  over  all  the 
others  to  select  only  that  one." 

"I  have  observed  bees,"  said  Robert,  "collecting 
the  gum,  which  exudes  from  birch,  willow,  and 
poplar  trees.  Can  they  mistake  it  for  honey?" 

"Certainly  not,"  answered  Georgiana.  "They 
fill  their  little  baskets  with  it,  and  carry  it  home  for 
the  purpose  of  binding  closely  or  soldering  the 
angles  of  the  cells  destined  for  the  young.  It  is 
also  left  in  a  convenient  spot  for  the  workers,  which 
draw  it  out  like  a  thread,  cut  it  with  their  teeth, 
and  holding  it  in  their  claws,  enter  one  of  the  newly 
formed  cells,  which  it  lines  and  solders  at  the  angles 
formed  by  the  junction  of  the  six  sides.  Every 
crack  and  crevice  in  the  hive  is  glued  together  by 
this  substance,  that  no  other  insect  may  gain  admit- 
tance, nor  rain  penetrate  it,  which  would  do  infinite 
damage.  Another  use  has  been  discovered,  that 
the  bees  make  this  resinous  gum  to  cover  over  the 
body  of  a  snail  which  inadvertently  crawls  into  the 
hive.  They  are  remarkable  for  their  cleanliness, 
and  immediately  put  to  death  the  rash  intruder;  but 
not  being  able  to  remove  the  enormous  carcase, 
they  secure  themselves  from  any  farther  defilement, 
by  casing  it  over  thickly  with  this  glutinous  sub- 
stance, called  by  the  ancients  propolis.  In  one 


CHAPTER  XI.  197 

instance  a  snail  in  its  shell  had  got  into  a  hive,  and 
fixed  itself  to  the  glass  side.  The  bees,  unable  to 
penetrate  the  shell  with  their  stings,  imprisoned  the 
animal  for  life,  by  firmly  soldering  the  orifice  of  the 
shell  round  to  the  glass  with  this  resin."" 

"  The  poor  snail,"  said  Emma,  "  must  have  been 
starved  to  death  though  covered  up  in  its  own 
house." 

"  What  is  the  reason  of  the  bees  swarming  ?" 
asked  Robert. 

"The  old  bees  go  out  to  make  room  for  the 
young,"  answered  his  sister.  "A  queen-mother 
will  lay  from  70,000  to  100,000  eggs  in  one  season, 
and  of  course  a  single  hive  cannot  contain  so  many 
inhabitants — therefore,  the  old  experienced  bees 
willingly  consign  their  labours  to  the  young  brood, 
and  look  out  for  a  convenient  place  to  construct  a 
new  city  for  themselves.1" 

"  This  reminds  me,"  said  Robert,  "  of  the 
American  settlers  having  cleared  a  place  with 
immense  labour  and  industry,  built  a  house,  and 
established  themselves  comfortably,  and  then  they 
leave  all  to  their  sons;  and  remove  in  their  old  age 
to  another  settlement,  where  they  have  all  their 
labours  to  begin  again." 

"  There  are  about  twenty  royal  cells,"  continued 
Georgiana,  u  each  of  which  contains  a  queen,  who, 
as  I  have  already  told  you,  is  furiously  attacked  by 
its  mother,  when  she  sees  it  transformed  into  a 
nymph.  Each  cell  is  guarded,  but  the  guards 
s2 


198 


SISTER  S  STORIES. 


make  way  for  the  old  queen,  who  exhausts  her 
strength  in  murdering  a  few  of  her  daughters,  and 
gnawing  at  the  cells  of  others,  but  the  sight  of  so 
many  remaining  which  she  cannot  possibly  destroy, 
causes  her  to  rush  from  the  hive,  having  touched  the 
antennas  of  a  number  of  the  workers,  which  is  a 
signal  for  them  to  follow  and  seek  another  home. 
Days  intervene  between  the  births  of  the  young 
queens,  and  as  soon  as  one  is  at  liberty  she  attacks 
the  others,  but  is  not  treated  by  the  guards  with  the 
same  deference  as  her  mother  was;  when  she  ap- 
proaches a  cell  with  murderous  intent,  they  surround 
her,  bite  her,  and  drive  her  away.  She  goes  from 
cell  to  cell,  and  meets  with  the  same  treatment ; 
until  exasperated  and  furious  she  goes  through  the 
hive  communicating  her  feelings  to  a  sufficient 
number  of  workers,  who  issue  from  the  hive  with 
her  to  seek  another  abode.  In  this  way  several 
swarms  leave  the  hive  during  the  season;  and  for 
this  cause  it  must  be  that  the  lives  of  the  young 
queens  are  preserved.  When  there  happens  to  be 
too  many  appearing  at  once  for  the  population,  the 
bees  fasten  up  their  prison  doors  as  fast  as  they 
attempt  to  bite  their  way  out.  They  are  not  how- 
ever suffered  to  die  for  want;  as  often  as  they  pipe 
for  food  and  thrust  out  their  proboscis,  a  nurse-bee 
immediately  supplies  them  with  honey." 

"Do  they  always  detain  them  prisoners?1'  asked 
Emma. 

"  They  detain  them  no  longer  than  is  necessary," 


CHAPTER  XI.  199 

her  sister  answered;  "when  sufficient  workers  are 
produced,  and  the  hive  wants  thinning,  the  queens 
are  set  at  liberty.  When  several  swarms  have 
issued  forth,  and  no  more  bees  remain  than  are 
wanted  for  the  preservation  of  the  colony,  the  lives 
of  the  royal  brood  are  no  longer  guarded;  the  first- 
born queen  is  allowed  to  tear  open  their  cells,  and 
kill  the  nymphs,  the  bees  even  assist  in  destroying 
the  worms.  When  the  young  queen  is  not  permit- 
ted to  vent  her  rage  on  her  sister  brood,  she  appears 
greatly  irritated  at  the  conduct  of  those  who  ought 
to  pay  her  homage,  and  standing  upright  utters  a 
shrill  or  piping  cry,  which  when  heard  by  the  bees 
seems  to  paralyze  them;  they  hang  down  their  heads 
motionless,  but  immediately  are  roused  to  exertion, 
when  the  queen  makes  another  attempt  to  demolish 
the  cells.  The  cry  being  again  repeated  has  the 
same  astounding  effect  upon  their  senses." 

"What  becomes  of  the  swarming  divisions?*" 
asked  Robert. 

"  They  form  new  colonies  wherever  a  convenient 
spot  is  found ;  for  the  purpose  of  fixing  one,  scouts 
are  often  previously  sent  out.  Sometimes  a  young 
swarm  endeavours  to  enter  an  inhabited  hive,  when 
a  desperate  battle  takes  place,  which  lasts  for  hours, 
sometimes  days,  until  the  ground  is  strewed  with 
the  dead." 

"Do  the  bees  of  the  same  hive  live  peaceably 
together?"  inquired  Emma. 

"  Not  always,"  replied  Georgiana ;  "  they  are  often 


200  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

seen  issuing  in  pairs  from  the  hive  for  the  purpose 
fighting;  or  walking  outside  if  one  rudely  jostle  the 
other  a  combat  ensues;  they  roll  each  other  on  the 
ground,  dart  their  stings  between  the  scales,  and  infuse 
a  poisonous  liquor  with  which  the  insect  is  provided. 
When  its  antagonist  is  killed,  the  victorious  bee 
stands  beside  him  on  his  four  front  legs  and  rubs 
the  hind  ones  together.  Should  the  duel  take  place 
in  the  hive,  the  corpse  of  the  slain  bee  is  carried  out 
by  the  victor  and  left  outside. 

"  Another  very  extraordinary  manuoevre  of  the 
bees  is  the  ventilation  of  the  hive;'1  continued 
Georgiana.  "When  too  warm,  the  workers  unite 
their  wings  by  means  of  little  hooks  at  their  edges 
into  one  piece,  flapping  them  up  and  down  like 
fans.  For  this  purpose  they  range  themselves  in 
files  at  the  bottom  of  the  hive.  Some  are  stationed 
outside  with  their  heads  turned  to  the  entrance."" 

"  They  seem  to  have  intelligence  like  human 
beings,"  observed  Robert. 

"And  the  same  kind  of  angry  feelings,"  said 
Emma. 

"Yes,"  continued  Georgiana;  "  they  also  evince 
another  vice  to  which  human  nature  is  addicted, — 
theft  and  robbery.  When  they  manage  badly,  and 
do  not  supply  their  hive  with  a  sufficient  stock  of 
honey,  they  enter  by  stealth  into  a  neighbouring 
hive ;  at  first  few  in  number,  but  gradually  increas- 
ing, until  the  whole  troop  rush  in  and  prepare  for 
battle.  On  each  side  they  engage  with  desperate 


CHAPTER  XI.  201 

fury  until  one  of  the  queens  lies  among  the  slain ; 
then  the  bees  all  rally  round  the  sovereign  who  is 
the  survivor,  and  having  ransacked  the  hive  carry 
off  its  treasures  to  the  habitation  they  had  quitted. 

"All  that  I  have  been  telling  you  relates  to  the 
hive  bee,v  added  Georgiana:  "there  are  other  species 
of  bees  quite  different  in  their  habits  and  employ- 
ments. First,  the  HUMBLE-BEE,  which  makes  its 
nest  of  moss  in  a  little  hole  in  the  ground.  Not 
unfrequently  one  of  these  has  been  overtaken  on 
its  solitary  way,  and  robbed  by  a  party  of  hive-bee 
plunderers,  which  seize  it  roughly,  strike  against  its 
breast  and  pull  its  legs  until  they  compel  it  to  un- 
fold its  tongue  arid  disgorge  the  honey,  with  which 
it  was  laden  for  its  nest.  The  robbers  one  after 
another  take  a  sip  until  the  whole  is  exhausted,  and 
then  set  their  captive  at  liberty  without  doing  it 
farther  injury. 

"  The  humble-bee  is  supposed  to  be  of  a  kinder 
and  more  generous  disposition  than  the  others,  and 
to  possess  a  finer  instinct  in  discovering  the  recep- 
tacle in  which  the  honey  lies  concealed  in  the  flowers ; 
a  flower  which  has  been  deserted  by  the  hive  bee 
as  rifled  of  its  sweets,  will  be  probed  by  the  humble- 
bee  and  found  a  rich  repository.  In  times  of 
scarcity,  its  little  nest  is  frequently  plundered  by 
its  more  powerful  neighbours;  with  whom  it  has 
been  known  willingly  to  share  the  fruits  of  its 
labours,  when  invited  to  it  by  their  licking  it,  and 
presenting  the  proboscis  without  shewing  their  sting."" 


202  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

"  I  love  these  dear  little  bees,"  said  William ; 
"  and  remember  the  mowers  finding  one  of  their 
nests,  in  the  meadow,  as  you  describe  it,  made  in 
a  little  tuft  of  moss.  He  took  out  a  bit  of  the  comb 
and  gave  it  to  me  to  suck,  and  I  thought  it  the 
sweetest  honey  I  ever  tasted." 

u  What  other  kinds  of  bees  are  there?"  inquired 
Robert. 

"  There  is  the  CARPENTER-BEE,  which  bores  its 
nest  into  dry  rotten  wood,  and  having  formed  a 
cavity  from  twelve  to  fifteen  inches  long,  cleaning 
out  all  the  dust,  it  divides  it  into  twelve  compart- 
ments, in  each  of  which  it  deposits  an  egg  among 
a  collection  of  bee-bread,  and  covers  all  over  with 
a  composition  made  of  a  glutinous  substance,  ming- 
led with  the  saw-dust  which  it  had  shovelled  out  of 
its  excavation  in  the  wood." 

"  The  mother  takes  care  to  leave  provision  for 
the  young  bee;  but  when  old  enough  to  leave  its 
cell,  how  does  it  get  out  ?"  inquired  Robert. 

"  She  makes  a  hole  at  the  bottom  of  the  tube  or 
excavation,  which  serves  as  a  back  door  by  which 
the  young  brood  make  their  escape,"  answered  his 
sister. 

"  Well,  Georgiana,"  said  Robert,  "  certainly  the 
history  of  insects  is  most  surprising,  and  makes  me 
think  less  of  my  own  works  of  ingenuity.  If  I  had 
heard  of  these  bees  before  I  made  that  little 
carriage  for  Rosa,  I  don't  think  I  should  have 
shewn  it  about  with  so  much  conceit." 


CHAPTER  XI.  203 

"  The  labours  of  the  insects  carried  on  with  so 
much  method  and  unremitting  industry,  may  well 
give  a  lesson  of  instruction  to  us,"  observed  Geor- 
giana. 

"  There  is  a  bee  called  the  UPHOLSTERER,  which 
forms  its  nest  of  leaves,  which  it  cuts  as  dexterously 
as  any  lady  would  with  scissors,  rolls  them  into  a 
tube,  and  lays  them  horizontally,  or  vertically  in 
the  ground ;  there  are  several  layers,  and  the  cells 
with  an  egg  in  each  like  little  thimbles  lie  compact. 
The  mouth  of  the  cell  is  covered  with  a  circular  lid 
cut  off  a  leaf  to  fit  as  exactly  as  if  a  compass  had  been 
used  in  cutting  it ;  which  task  the  bee  accomplishes 
in  a  few  seconds,  and  at  a  distance  from  the  nest> 
but  as  if  it  calculated  the  precise  diameter  of  each 
cell,  though  the  outer  one  must  be  larger  in  every 
direction  than  the  inner.  Some  species  of  these 
bees  make  their  nests  by  the  edge  of  a  corn-field 
when  the  wild  poppy  is  in  full  flower,  the  scarlet 
leaf  of  which  it  loves  to  choose  for  its  gay  lining. 
It  fixes  on  a  dry  spot  for  its  purpose,  other- 
wise the  soft  lining  of  its  baby's  cradle,  and  the 
honey  designed  for  its  food  would  become  putrid;  so 
would  it  find  a  tomb  where  it  was  to  have  found  a 
birth-place. 

"  And  now  I  think  I  have  exhausted  the  re- 
sources of  my  memory  of  all  which  I  have  read  or 
heard  of  bees,  except  of  one  which  is  the  MASON- 
BEE;  shall  we  put  off  its  history  until  to-morrow?"" 

"  O  no,  do  let  us  hear  it  at  present,"  was  the 
general  petition. 


204  SISTER'S  STORIES. 

"You  will  find  its  nest,""  Georgiana  continued, 
"  enclosed  in  a  rough-looking  lump  of  mortar,  which 
seems  like  the  slovenly  work  of  a  clumsy  plasterer, 
who,  not  sufficiently  using  his  trowel,  has  left  it  to 
disfigure  the  garden  wall,  whose  sunny  aspect 
promises  an  abundant  crop  of  fruits  and  flowers  to 
the  trees  which  are  planted  against  it.  So  firmly 
are  these  lumps  fixed  to  the  wall  that  the  strong- 
est knife  will  be  ineffectual  to  separate  them. 
When  one  is,  however,  forcibly  detached,  it  will  be 
found  to  contain  eight  or  ten  cavities,  in  which  the 
larvae  of  the  bees  repose  with  their  supply  of  food. 
It  appears  like  a  solid  lump  of  mortar  pierced 
through,  which  is  not  the  case.  The  industrious 
bee  selects  each  grain  of  gravel,  and  cements  them 
together  with  a  viscid  liquor  from  its  mouth,  and 
mixing  in  a  little  earth  thus  forms  a  pellet  the  size 
of  a  garden  pea,  of  well  tempered  mortar,  with 
which  it  flies  to  the  spot  selected  for  its  nest.  It 
lays  down  its  heap,  and  returns  for  more,  until  the 
foundation  of  its  round  tower  is  laid.  It  does  not 
however  simply  lay  down  its  burthen,  but  twists 
and  twirls  it  with  its  teeth  and  forepaws,  until 
moulded  into  a  proper  form.  Though  rough  out- 
side, it  takes  care  to  have  all  smooth  within,  for 
the  accommodation  of  the  young  brood  which  are 
to  be  its  inhabitants.  Each  cell  is  separately  formed, 
and  when  arrived  at  a  certain  height,  the  builder 
goes  in  search  of  honey  and  pollen,  of  which  it 
deposits  a  supply  for  its  young,  kneaded  into  bee- 


CHAPTER  XI.  205 

bread,  and  nicely  packed  with  the  egg,  and  care- 
fully covering  all  up,  its  labours  are  over;  and 
having  fulfilled  the  purposes  of  nature,  the  insect 
dies.  The  worms  inclosed  in  then-  stony  prison, 
undergo  the  usual  changes  without  a  mother's  care, 
and  when  arrived  at  a  proper  degree  of  strength 
and  age,  work  their  way  out.  Before  the  nests  of 
these  insects  were  discovered,  some  naturalists  who 
saw  them  flying  with  gravel  stones,  imagined  they 
were  hive-bees  which  took  this  precaution  to  pre- 
vent their  being  carried  away  by  the  wind.  I 
must  not  forget  to  tell  you  that  they  are  usurpers 
of  one  another's  rights:  for  instance,  while  a  mason- 
bee  is  in  search  of  materials  to  finish  its  nest,  ano- 
ther of  its  own  species  enters,  and  takes  possession 
of  it  as  unceremoniously  as  if  the  labour  had  been 
all  its  own;  and  when  the  lawful  owner  arrives,  it 
refuses  her  admittance.  She  lays  down  her  load  of 
mortar  however,  and  endeavours  to  force  the  intru- 
der out.  A  combat  ensues,  which  though  furious  and 
long,  is  not  deadly;  the  bee  which  is  soonest  tired, 
leaves  the  other  in  quiet  possession  of  the  tenement." 

"Are  their  nests  always  constructed  of  this  kind 
of  mortar?"  enquired  Robert. 

"Sometimes  they  work  up  moist  clay,  which 
appears  like  a  splash  of  mud  thrown  against  the 
wall  where  it  had  dried  and  hardened,"  answered 
his  sister.  "When  closely  inspected,  however,  it 
will  be  found  mixed  up  with  little  stones,  which 
indicate  the  labour  of  the  bee.  The  cells  are 
exactly  the  size  and  form  of  a  lady's  thimble.  The 


206  SISTEE'S  STORIES. 

inside  polished  perfectly  smooth,  in  places  stained 
with  yellow.  These  last  are  not  so  inaccessible  as 
the  others,  and  are  the  kind  of  nests  to  be  seen 
most  frequently  in  our  own  country,  between  the 
interstices  of  bricks  in  a  wall.  The  others  are 
described  by  Reaumer,  the  Pliny  of  France  as  he 
is  called.  The  cells  are  sometimes  in  the  form  of  a 
little  bag  or  purse,  with  a  small  opening  at  the  top. 

"  These  bees  of  which  I  have  been  telling  you, 
are  classed  among  the  solitary  bees,  because  the 
females  alone  are  the  workers;  they  are  unattended; 
the  males  are  idle,  and  probably  do  not  even  know 
of  the  habitations  thus  diligently  constructed. 

"Let  us  now,  dear  children,  reflect  upon  these 
wonderful  operations,  which  the  Maker  of  all  things 
has  impressed  upon  the  minds  of  these  little  insects, 
such  as  no  human  architect  could  exceed.  The 
bee  has  no  plan  given  her;  no  tools,  but  those 
which  nature  has  provided— her  teeth  and  her  claws 
suffice;  with  these  alone  she  accomplishes  her  task 
in  the  neatest  manner,  cleaning  away  all  chips  or 
fragments  which  might  inconvenience  the  young 
inhabitant  of  her  cell.  The  works  of  human  indus- 
try are  daily  improving,  but  the  insects  have  but  one 
perfect  original  design,  which  neither  receives  nor 
requires  improvement.11 

"What  is  that  book  you  have  been  looking  into?11 
inquired  Robert. 

"The  Naturalist's  Diary,11  his  sister  answered, 
and  she  then  repeated  the  following  beautifully 
applicable  lines  of  Shakespeare : 


CHAPTER  XI.  207 

"  So  work  the  honey  bees  : 

Creatures,  that,  by  a  rule  in  nature,  teach 
The  act  of  order  to  a  peopled  kingdom. 
They  have  a  king,  and  officers  of  sorts ; 
Where  some,  like  magistrates,  correct  at  home ; 
Others,  like  merchants,  venture  trade  abroad; 
Others,  like  soldiers,  armed  in  their  stings, 
Make  boot  upon  the  summer's  velvet  buds  ; 
Which  pillage  they  with  merry  march  bring  home 
To  the  tent-royal  of  their  emperor : 
Who,  busied  in  his  majesty,  surveys 
The  singing  masons  building  roofs  of  gold ; 
The  civil  citizens  kneading  up  the  honey ; 
The  poor  mechanic  porters  crowding  in 
Their  heavy  burdens  at  his  narrow  gate ; 
The  sad-eyed  justice,  with  his  surly  hum, 
Delivering  o'er  to  executors  pale 
The  lazy  yawning  drone." 

"Have  you  any  more  to  tell  us  respecting  the 
bees?""  asked  Emma. 

"  Yes,  a  great  deal,  and  of  many  other  insects, 
which  would  interest  you  exceedingly,"  answered 
Georigana;  but  you  know  Robert  leaves  us  in  the 
morning,  and  I  have  promised  him,  not  to  continue 
the  history  of  insects  until  his  return.1' 

This  communication  cast  a  cloud  over  the  little 
party,  which  did  not  wear  away  for  that  evening, 
nor  entirely  for  some  days  after  their  brother's 
departure.  At  length,  however,  they  began  to 
anticipate  the  pleasure  of  his  return,  and  to  form 
plans  of  various  kinds  for  his  amusement  and  their 
own ;  and  all  their  sorrows  vanished  like  the  morn- 
ing cloud. 

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