NATURE'S GEOMETRICIANS 231 



green bee flew down, like a spark of living light, 

 upon the flower, and, quick as thought, was caught 

 in the jaws of the spider. Six of his eight legs 

 were not brought into use, but were held far back 

 out of the way. 



Here, on my lens, I had a little tragedy of the 

 forest preserved for all time. 



There was no bud, no bloom upon the bowers; 



The spiders wove their thin shrouds night by night ; 

 The thistle-down, the only ghost of flowers, 



Sailed slowly by — passed noiseless out of sight. 



Thomas Buchanan Read. 



