HUMBLE BEE. 261> 
humble bee, is sometimes called the hum- 
viing bee, and sometimes the carding 
bee. 
Lucy, Carding bee ! why carding ? 
Mother, Because it is said to card 
the moss of which it builds its nest : to 
card wool is to divide, or comb it with a 
tool somewhat like a brush, formed by a 
number of wire teeth closely set in rows, 
and fixed in a flat wooden frame, with a 
handle on one side ; but our little carder 
has no tools, except its jaws, and feet. 
Lucy, How such tiny things as a 
bee's feet can card the coarse moss I can- 
not imagine. 
Mother. This bee is among the in- 
sects tbat are the earliest awakened from 
the winter's sleep, by the warmth of 
spring. It immediately begins to con- 
struct a nest, for which a mossy spot of 
ground is selected ; and having prepared 
some moss, and spread it bit by bit, so as 
to form a tliick, smooth carpet, it next 
proceeds to ransack the early flowers for 
wax and honey. Of these a kind of 
