Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1879-11-04
The tumble Rce

The Humble ISre.
Children did you ever stop TO consider
the immense power possessed by bum
bic hce2 An insect weighing no more
than the eighth of nm ounce is capabI,
OF "raising"a man weighing 300 pounds
from bench in tie public park, ant
then having lots Of lifting material left.
just stop and think Of it! Tie singer
of u bee is not near rs large aS the Hncsl
needle, hut such is the force behind II
that it can be driven through heavy
pants-cloth backed by merjno drawers,
and into the flesh about sixteen feet. If
q man could WELD crobar in compare
son he could drive It through seven saw
mills and Il whiskey distilery at one
blow. Mature cou'd hot give the bee
teeth and claws without spelling his
Leauty, and to compensate she gave him
this singer as a weapon OF attack and
defence. II the bee had no weapon
ants, beetles and bugs would cuff him
as they pleased, but as II is he is boss Of
the walk, and wont take word from
any Of them.
The bumhe-bec Il not naturally Of Il
quarrelsome disposition, but he can't be
sat down on over half an hour without
feeling as If some one was doing him
great wrong. If left TO himself he will
crawl up your coat-sleeye, look around,
and crawl down and 90 about his bust
ness, but If welcomed with blow be-
tween the eyes he is going to be revcng-
ed if it breaks leg. He invariably
closes his eyes when he stings, and you
have only to look bee square in the
| face 10 discover when he is fooling
around and when he means fourteen per
cent. per annum.
The bayfield, is n favorite resort Of the
humble bee, but YOU can find him al
most anywhere else if you try hard. -
Having no pair of long hind legs, he
cannot build his nest in u marsh, like
the frog, and having no bcak in which
to carry straws he cannot nest in tree
like bird. He therefore takes TO the
grass, and under the roots of an old
stump, OF amidst pile Of old raile, he
rems his gentle young and gives them
printed instructions rs to the difference
between stinginga stove pipe and rum
away boy. The knowledge Of old bees
Is wonderful. They know where the
school house Is. They know when
school is out. They can sail miles away
from home, get in their work on farm
er's son wedding out corn, aud return
home without missinga fence corner or
in need Of an afternoon nap. AS Gen-
eral rule they are early riscrs. Bare
footed boys driving up the COWS at day
light will find the bumble-boe out OF
bed and quite ready to begin the adu-
GUS lObors of the day. Along about
sundown he quits work, counts noses to
see If the family are all in and then
slows himself away for night Of calm
and peaceful repose.
The legs Of n bumble-bec are very
crooked. This seems too bad at first
sight, but you will soon discover that
Nature was lcvcl-hcadcd. His legs were
thus shaped to enable him to hang to the
brim Of Il boys straw hat. Were his
legs straight he could not walk fence
rail In high wind, nor could he turn
: around after reaching the top Of null
lein stock. The stripes on bee looh
4 like Il waste of material, but such Is not
] the case. They furnish an extra cover.
Z ing over his ribs 10 keep the frosty ali
off, and they serve TO sIiilen his spina
{ column in his flights through the air.
r A bumble-bee can fly at the rate oI
Y twenty miles an hour, IL he wants TO-
y bur there is no cause for him to fly any
faster than n boy can run. He some
7 times lives TO be three years old, and il
/, sometimes stricken down before he has
travelled at all His life Is y precariouI
one. He may run n deacon ont Of &
hay field to-day, aud be the big bee d
the nest, and tomorrow Il country schoo
ma'am may knock his head Off with heI
umbrella. Nothing In natural history
. weighs more for his size than the bee
i, and nothing In science works easleI
without cogvheels or rubber rollers
than his singer. It's always ready
never out of repair, and satisfaction Ut
the bee is guaranteed In every case.
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