The Resin-bees 



it. Her successors also benefited by it, espe- 

 cially after improving It. Little by little, the 

 rubblc-work of the lid and of the gravel bar- 

 ricade was invented: an enormous improve- 

 ment, of which the race did not fail to take 

 advantage. The defensive fortification was 

 the finishing touch to the original structure. 

 Here we have the origin and development 

 of the instinct of the Resin-bees who make 

 their home in Snail-shells." 



This glorious genesis of insect ways and 

 means lacks just one little thing: probability. 

 Life everywhere, even among the humble, has 

 two phases: its share of good and its share of 

 evil. Avoiding the latter and seeking the 

 former Is the rough balance-sheet of life's 

 actions. Animals, like ourselves, have their 

 portion of the sweet and the bitter: they are 

 just as anxious to reduce the second as to in- 

 crease the first; for, with them as with us, 



De malheurs evites le bonheur se compose.* 



If the Bee has so faithfully handed down 

 her casual invention of a resin nest built in- 

 side a Snail-shell, then there is no denying 

 that she must have just as faithfully handed 



'Bad luck missed is good luck gained. 



