THE ENCHANTED LEAF-TUBES. 29 



found in a footpath a great number of the perfo- 

 rations of the tapestry-bee. At all events, they 

 deserve looking for. 



Although we have, perhaps, lingered long enough 

 over the insect cradle, we must spare room for one 

 or two more remarks on this subject, and it were 

 almost a shame, while speaking thereon, to omit 

 a notice of one of the most elegant cradles of all 

 one made with rose-leaves ! As Reaumur's account 

 of the manner in which he first became acquainted 

 with these egg depositories is very pleasantly 

 written, we shall extract the substance of it from 

 his work. It was one day in July, 1736, that a 

 gentleman of rank, accompanied by his suite and 

 his gardener, who was in a state of great alarm, 

 waited upon an eminent naturalist in Paris. The 

 gardener had left his master's country-seat, near 

 Rouen, to proceed with all haste to the metropolis, 

 in order to communicate to his master the terrible 

 tidings, that his ground was bewitched ! He had 

 the courage, however, to pick up the spells, or 

 charms, which the sorcerer had placed in the earth, 

 and to carry them to his master, in full belief that 

 they were sufficient to convince all the world of 

 the reality of the enchantment. He had, indeed, 



