The Mason-bees 



of to-morrow; hodie tibi, eras tnihi. Every- 

 thing lives on that which lives or has lived; 

 everything is parasitism. Man is the great 

 parasite, the unbridled thief of all that is 

 fit to eat. He steals the milk from the Lamb, 

 he steals the honey from the children of the 

 Bee, even as the Melecta pilfers the pottage 

 of the Anthophora's sons. The two cases 

 are similiar. Is it the vice of indolence? No, 

 it is the fierce law which for the life of the 

 one exacts the death of the other. 



In this implacable struggle of devourers 

 and devoured, of pillagers and pillaged, of 

 robbers and robbed, the Melecta deserves no 

 more than we the title of ignoble: in ruining 

 the Anthophora, she is but imitating man in 

 one detail, man who is the infinite source of 

 destruction. Her parasitism is no blacker 

 than ours: she has to feed her offspring; and, 

 possessing no harvesting-tools, ignorant be- 

 sides of the art of harvesting, she uses the 

 provisions of others who are better endowed 

 with implements and talents. In the fierce 

 riot of empty bellies, she does what she can 

 with the gifts at her disposal. 



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