INSECT ENGINEERING. 189 



Dan thought her advice was worth heeding, and 

 walked off slowly, shaking liis head, and muttering 

 " 'Bout half de worl' is half cracked, anyhow, an' dat 

 ole Sairy, de cook is de wuss one among 'em." 



This is the story that the Mistress had to tell when 

 we had drawn up our chairs to the sitting-room tal)le 

 for the weekly conversation about our insect Tenants. 



The subject was Insect Engineering, and some of my 

 field studies of the aeronautic flight of spiders, by way of 

 preparation for our talk, had been the cause of Dan's 

 alarm. 



"Well, Dan," I said, for the old man was at his 

 chosen seat on the cricket b}^ the inner door, and 

 appeared to enjoy the Mistress's account of his blunder 

 as much as the rest of us, "you 're not so much to blame 

 after all." lean easily think that the strange attitudes 

 of an entomologist, while in hot pursuit of his favorite 

 study, would api)ear to })ersons who know nothing of his 

 tastes and habits like the wild behavior of a madman. 

 Besides, it is not the first time that I have been thought 

 a little unsound on account of my natural history 

 studies. Years ago when I first began to follow my 

 specialties with some zeal, our good Mistress there — as 

 she afterwards told me — spent many days in anxiety, 

 and passed many hours in tears over what she supposed 

 a development of insanity. 



"Why, Mrs. Mayfield," exclaimed Abby," could you 

 have been so foolish ?" 



"It was even so," wife answered, "and the recollec- 

 Jiioia of that fact proved a great comfort to me this 



