t 
THE STORY OF THE FLOUNDERING BEETLE J 
out again. No sooner did he get to the edge 
than he spread his great buzzing wings, and away 
we went over the world, higher and higher, miles 
high, over big oceans and mountains. I could 
see them all beneath me as I clung to the under- 
side of the bee. I believe I must finally have got 
dizzy and faint, for I remember at last finding 
myself at rest in a queer thicket of greenish poles 
with big yellow balls at the top of them, and 
great giant leaves fringed with long, glistening 
hairs. They told me afterwards it was a willow 
blossom. 
" It seemed a very good place to rest, so I 
dropped off from my bee and remained. Every- 
where about me, as I looked, the air was yellow 
with these blossoms, and full of the wing -music 
of the bees. But, as I have said, I was a restless 
baby, and having had a taste of travel I soon tired 
of this idle life, and began to get ready for another 
ride. My chance soon came. This time it was a 
honey-bee. She alighted in the flower next to 
mine, but I quietly piled over and clutched upon 
her leg, and was soon snugly tucked away under 
her body, with my flat head between its segments. 
And now for the first time I began to feel hun- 
gry ; and what was more natural than to take a 
bite from the tender flesh of this bee, so easily 
available ? I did it, and liked it so well that I 
adopted this bee for my mother for quite a long 
