SOME APRIL INSECTS. 



A BLACK humble-bee came to the white hyacinths in 

 the garden on the sunny April morning when the yellow 

 tulip opened, and as she alighted on the flower there 

 hovered a few inches in the rear an eager attendant, not 

 quite so large, more grey, and hovering with the shrillest 

 vibration close at hand. The black bee went round the 

 other side of a bunch of hyacinths, and was hidden in 

 the bell of a purple one. At thus temporarily losing 

 sight of her, the follower, one might say, flew into a 

 state of extreme excitement, and spun round and round 

 in the air till he caught sight of her again and resumed 

 his steady hovering. Then she went to the next bunch 

 of hyacinths ; he followed her, when, with a furious, 

 shrill cry of swiftly beating wings, a second lover darted 

 down, and then the two followed the lady in black 

 velvet — buzz, buzz, buzz, pointing like hounds stationary 

 in the air — buzz, buzz — while she without a moment's 

 thought of them worked at the honey. By-and-by one 

 rushed at her — a too eager caress, for she lost her 

 balance and fell out of the flower on to the ground. 

 Up she got and pursued him for a few angry circles, 

 and then settled to work again. Presently the rivals 

 darted at each other and whirled about, and in the 

 midst of the battle off went the lady in velvet to another 

 part of the garden, and the combatants immediately 

 rushed after her. Every morning that the tulip opened 



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