The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1870-08-18

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ing given out from society Of bees
when lodged in a hollow tree, their nat
ural residence. The conclusion then
seems irresistible, that reason must have
been their guide, inducing departure
from their natural instinct as extraordi-
nary as would be that Of hen which
should lay her eggs in hot-bed, and
cease to sit apon them"
DR.. Darwin once noticed on the
Gravel walk Of his garden, large fly in
the clutches Of a wasp, which after cut
ting off the head and lower part Of the
body, few away with the remaining
portion, to which the wings were still
attached. A slight breeze, however,
which was stirring, affected the wings
Of the fly 50 as to cause It's captor's pro-
grcss to be anything but plain sailing.
Finding out what was the impedimeut,
the wasp took to earth again, severed
both wings from the body, and, thus
relieved from its difficulty, flew of,
This was surely a process Of reasoning
equivalent to that which leads a mari
ner to lower his sails in = head wind.
NJ. Huber, to whose many and pains
taking investigations into the"manners
and customs" of bees we have already
had occasion to advert, records the fol-
lowing anecdote. lie placed on a small
table, under a bell-gass, a dozen hum
ble-bees and a comb consisting ofabout
as many cocoons, which, not being Of
uniform height, caused the mass to rock
about when the bees mounted upon it,,
as their instinct prompted them to do,
to supply from their bodies the requisite
warmth for their young. This unstead-
iness evidently bothered them; but how
was it TO be rectifed? BY a device
which the reader might guess long
enough without finding out. Several
of the bees, planting themselves on the
edge of the comb, head downwards, set
their forefeet against the table, and, with
their hinder claws attached to the
comb, in this manner secured its stabiI-
ity For nearly three days they con-
tinued to steady it by this means, re-
lieying each other at intervals BY the
end of that period they had supply
of wax ready, Of which they construct
ed pillars to support the comb These,
some how or other, giving way, the pa
tient and intelligent little creatures at
once reassumed their office Of animated
buttresses. AT last the naturalist took
compassion on them and cemented the
comb to the table. "How could the
most profound architect have better
adapted the means to the end-how
more dextrousIy STORED up a tottering
edifce, until his beams and his props
were in readiness"
We forget where we met with the
next instance, but we know it was Civ
en- on good authority. One of the larg-
est gray slugs which are such dire nui-
sances in greenhouses, found its way in
to hive, and being quickly discovered
by the inmates, was attacked and stuHg
to death. The question now was how
to dispose of the corpse. To remove
it from the hive was out Of their power
and yet its decomposition indoors wouIC
be an oifense to their oliactories. They
hit upon the plan of covering it over
entirely with wax and propoIls "a gu-
tinous matter obtained from the bud.
of various trees, as the birch, etc. J, SO
as to exclude the action Of the atmos-
phere-proceeding, in fact, on the same
principle by which our merchants pre-
serve meat and other provisions i'll can
listers for long voyages.
In a larmyard near Berkshire, where
the piggeries were rallied off on one side
the fowls were accustomed when the
feeding uoughs were replenished, tC
assemble in a body, and, flying over the
rails, help themselves in no slnted mea
sure to the good things provided tol
their swinish friends. A stop was put
to these predatory incursions by the
clipping Of the fowls wings; but, soml
pigs CHANGING to be at large in the yard
bright idea struck one of the hens
who, seiaing her opportunity when
PIG wandered close to the railing, flew
on to its back, and then found no diff
Guilty in reaching the top, and theme,
descending as formerly, to the inter
dicled diet.
With regard to certain birds Of pas
sage, it has been often remarked tha
those which migrate from Scotland tc
Ireland cross over at the Straits of Port
patrick, that they wait for a side wind
and set out in the early morning-thu
adopting precautions precisely similar
to those used in the early days of navi
CATION by our ancestors, when they
chose the narrowest parts of the chan
mel to cross by, and preferred to have
the whole day before them.
An amusing instance Of dogs cute
t ness is related by contributor to "Lou
don's Magazine" While an omnibu
was waiting at one of its regular sta
tons for receiving passengers, dog G
the setter breed bounded in at the ope
door, and resisted every attempt on tn
part Of the occupants and conductor +
put him out. At none of the yariou
, stoppages on the way did he show tn
slightest inclination to move, till th
omnibus arrived at the Eagle Taven
in The City Road, when, the door be
ing opened, heimmediateIy jumped out
and walked off, as if well acquainte
with the locality. The contributor Q