174 UP AND DOWN THE BROOKS. 



There flies a bee. Job was responsible for the 

 existence of bees, I believe, according to the 

 rabbins. They anciently told a grisly tale that 

 before the days of Job there were neither silk- 

 worms nor honey - bees upon the earth. But, 

 after that righteous man's great affliction and his 

 restoration to prosperity, the worms that had de- 

 voured the body of Job were turned into silk- 

 worms, and the flies that had tormented him were 

 changed into honey-bees. 



Mahomet said that bees should be admitted 

 into Paradise, although I fear the gentleman was 

 about as far wrong in his assertion as the rabbins 

 were in theirs. It is at least a queer thing that 

 there should have once been thought to be so in- 

 timate a relation between bees and souls. I be- 

 lieve it is said that in some parts of England bees 

 are not allowed to leave their hives on Friday, on 

 account of the religious scruples of their owners. 

 And the French peasant women go on the Day of 

 Purification to read the Gospel to the bees. How 

 very wicked must wild bees that have no reli- 

 gious privileges appear to such people. 



These Hydrometridce are very numerous here. 

 You will see different sizes of them. In the day- 

 time, I mean. The Skaters go to bed at night, 

 like other respectable citizens. 



I discovered this fact by keeping some of these 

 creatures in a miniature pond. At night they 

 went to bed on the sides of the lake, on the earth 



