THE DADDY 223 



to the depths of bark and wood, where the most gigantic 

 and, in aspect, most terrible of our waspish creatures has 

 its being. But the daddy-like creature that lives on the 

 life of the Puss Moss caterpillar is much commoner than 

 the parasite of Sirex gigas^ and is perhaps the only one 

 that might be taken for a daddy-long-legs. It, too, seems 

 to be common this year; but there are few rivals in 

 multiplicity to the daddy. Its hosts stumble from our 

 path as we walk ; it stumbles over the barriers of our 

 features at night ; it dies in our lights and our water- 

 tubs, and is maimed on our fruit nets : what a feast of 

 leather-jackets will grow underground for the sustenance 

 of rook and starling before next summer s date when 

 the new race of daddies will emerge ! 



5- 



Our great bee expert is the village schoolmaster ; and 

 he has had experiences lately that are quite new in his 

 records. His hive-bees, which are very kittle cattle at 

 the best of times, prove against all expectation to be 

 among the animals that have not enjoyed a dry summer. 

 Such lovers of sun and warmth should have flourished 

 beyond the normal. Everything seemed to be in their 

 favour. Was there ever more abundant blossom ? The 

 apple, pear, and plum orchards were an object of pil 

 grimage. The lime flower, which often supplies the 

 second great honey flow, scented the countryside. Even 

 to-day, though the &quot; crowded hour of glorious life &quot; is 

 over, the commons up to the very edge of London are in 

 the purple, and about the ling, which flowers even where 

 it has been close cut, are innumerable harebells, and the 

 yellow tormentil still survives after the vanishing of the 

 bedstraw and thyme. What more could a busy hive-bee 



