PROC. ENT. SOC. WASH., VOL. 24, NO. 7-8, OCT. -NOV., 1922 203 



The famous physician, Edward Jenner, discoverer of vaccina- 

 tion as a preventive of small-pox, wrote a rhyming letter to a 

 friend giving forty reasons for declining an invitation to make 

 an excursion. Among these were the following: 



"The soot falls down, the spaniels sleep, 



And spiders from their cobwebs peep, 

 **'*** 



How restless are the snorting swine, 

 The busy flies disturb the kine, 



***** 

 Low o'er the grass the swallow wings, 



The cricket, too, how sharp he sings! 

 ***** 



Through the clear streams the fishes rise, 



And nimbly catch the incautious flies. 



***** 



The glow-worm, numerous and light 

 llumed the dewy dell last night. 

 ***** 



'T will surely rain; I see with sorrow 

 Our jaunt must be put off tomorrow.' 



Signs of Rain. 



Entomological fables like other varieties are perennial, but 

 what is believed to be a new one is this: 



A hungry sparrow chanced to spy 



A brightly painted dragon-fly; 



This gaudy fly, who was most vain, 



Bespoke the sparrow with disdain; 



"Just gaze upon my turquoise wings, 



Are they not resplendent things? 



And then my slender, graceful tail, 



Admire it, you cannot fail." 



But the sparrow cast a cynic's eye 



Upon this boastful dragon-fly; 



"I think this tail is much too long": 



Then snapped it off and so do I! 



