nature's proyision to preserve a balance. 33 



The learned formerly found little bunches upon leaves, 

 which excited their attention; these were stems as fine as 

 hairs, supporting a small bud, white like themselves; at 

 other times the buds were found open, like the chalice of a 

 flower ; the thing was declared to be a plant by the learned. 

 The learned, however, were wrong; Keaumur made it clear- 

 that they were the eggs of that pretty fly of which we have 

 just spoken, before and after the birth of the worm which 

 was afterwards to be transformed into a fly. 



I was afraid but now, of seeing the aphides invade the 

 whole earth ; I at present begin to fear that there will not be 

 aphides enough to feed all the insects to which they are 

 assigned as game. Nature appears to have partaken of this 

 second fear, and for this reason has suppressed the delays 

 and formalities, ordinarily reputed necessary ; aphides must 

 be born, eat, and be eaten in a very few days. 



But what is that black animal which is ascending the 

 stem of the rose-tree? It is an ant; it climbs spirally, to 

 avoid the thorns; there it is upon the branch that is covered 

 by the aphides. Is this another enemy? Why, La Fontaine 

 told you it fed upon worms and insects; there, it is upon 

 them, but it does not devoxu' them. As aphides eat, they 

 secrete a sweet liquor of which ants are very fond, and this 

 one is come to regale itself — it is a little black mUkmaid, who 

 comes to milk some little green cows, which pasture in a 

 meadow of the size of a rose-leaf. 



There is a bee which has glided into a rose ; it is not long 

 before it comes out again, and flies away ; its hind feet are 

 loaded with a yellow dust, which it has abstracted from the 

 heart of the flower. That yellow dust, mixed with the honey 

 which it disgorges, wUl be the paste destined for the worms 

 which are to become young bees. Do not fancy, however, 

 that this dust has no other destination. It is now time to 

 speak of the loves of the roses. 



We will abstain from allusions to, as we said before, the 

 apocryphal loves of the Eose and the Butterfly. The but- 

 terfly who lights upon a rose, seldom comes there for any 

 other purpose than to deposit eggs, which will become cater- 

 pillars that will eat the rose. The loves, then, of which I 

 will speak are real loves, and are the most charming in the 



D 



