114 THE CHRISTIAN NATURALIST, 



AUGUST. 



INSECTS.— THE BEEHIVE. 



' To their delicious task the fervent Bees, 



In swarming millions tend ; around, athwart, 

 Through the soft air, the busy nations fly. 

 Cling to the bud, and with inserted tube. 

 Suck its pure essence, its ethereal soul ; 

 And oft, with bolder wing, they soaring dare 

 The purple heath, or where the wild thyme grows, 

 And yellow load them with the luscious spoil.' 



To whatever part of the works of God we tarn 

 ©ur attention, there is much to draw forth feelings of 

 wonder and admiration. But perhaps if we could look 

 through nature with a more intelligent eye than we 

 possess, we might discover even higher cause for 

 astonishment among the little than the great things 

 of creation. The mighty Oak, which has braved the 

 storms of centuries ; the huge Mountain, with its foam- 

 ing torrents ; the Sun, shedding life and heat upon a 

 dark world; and the Moon, walking in her brightness 

 through the midnight heavens, are instances upon a 



