A HONEY-DEW PICNIC 165 



It was interesting to discover, too, down deep 

 among the herbage, another suggestive fact in the 

 presence of a shrewd spider that showed a keen 

 eye to the main chance, and had spread his gos- 

 samer catch-all beneath the bramble. It was all 

 grist into his mill, and no doubt his charnel-house 

 at the base of his silken tunnel could have borne 

 eloquent testimony alike to his wise sagacity and 

 his epicurean luxury. 



I have pictured my picnic, and the question 

 naturally arises, what was it all about what the 

 occasion for this celebration ? There was cer- 

 tainly no distinct visible cause for the social gath- 

 ering upon this particular bramble -bush. There 

 were a number of other bramble -bushes in the 

 near neighborhood which, it would seem, should 

 possess equal attractions, but which were ignored. 

 In what respect did the one selected differ from 

 the others ? 



This bramble had become the scene of mv car- 



j 



nival simply because it chanced to be directly be- 

 neath an overhanging branch of pine some twen- 

 ty feet above. Here dwelt mine host who had 

 issued the invitations and spread the feast, the 

 limb for about a foot space being surrounded by 

 a colony of aphides, or plant-lice, from whose dis- 

 tilling pipes the rain of sweet honey -dew had 



