188 LECTURE XIY. 



Some are collecting what is called pollen a 

 peculiar food for the young bees ; others are in 

 search of honey. Some are busied at home in 

 the construction of cells ; others in giving them 

 a polish ; others in ventilating the hives ; and 

 some in feeding the young brood. 



But it would occasion this lecture to be of too 

 great a length if I were to enumerate all the 

 various instincts of these extraordinary insects. 

 Almost similar ones may be found in colonies of 

 ants, and amongst wasps and hornets, and, 

 indeed, in all the insect tribe. The Psalmist 

 tells us that "the tender mercies of God are 

 over all His works ; " and so we shall find it to 

 be the case if we examine into them. Thus, as 

 I have endeavoured to point out to you, not 

 even the least and most insignificant of His 

 creatures is deprived of His parental care and 

 attention ; each is under His directing Provi- 

 dence. Then why should we ever doubt that 

 a Being, whose very essence is love, will ever 

 deprive us of His care and Providence, unless 

 by our own wilful wickedness? Again, if we 

 were to look at the internal structure of insects, 

 as seen through a microscope (and I have 

 brought some delineations of them to show you), 



