178 A COUNTRY READER. 



greenfly. It is sometimes so abundant that it 

 will drop from the leaves of trees like rain, 

 especially from the leaves of the lime tree. 



This honey dew is, to some people, very 

 nauseating, and is of no use as food for the 

 young bee. It is very difficult to detect. It 

 has not the rich colour of honey and looks as if 

 soot had been sparingly mixed with sugar or 

 syrup. 



With all their wonderful wisdom it is curious 

 why the bee should be deceived by the honey 

 dew. Perhaps it serves a purpose we do not 

 understand. 



The prime object of a bee, in collecting honey, 

 is to gather food for its young, and to collect a 

 store of food for that season of the year when it 

 cannot be gathered outside the hive. 



