The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-09-22


 Where there Is never Rardenset,
 Lavish and lovely In vraciousness
 l The humble and homcly Bouncing-Bef.
 -Harper's Bazar. INGENIOUS LITTLE RAsCAIs.
 | These little rascals live in Hilaria's garden. It might be called a pocket edition of a garden, 1t is so limited as to its area, nevertheless it's owner finds in it occupation and solace, and delight, and freckles-also. as might be ex- | pected, some disappointments and an- noyances that need not be described, since all gardeners know what these may be.
 It is not plant life alone that the gardener has opportunity to study, but many modes of insect life and insect warfare are revealed to the observing eye, especially the tricks and schemes and constructive ability of the canny and crafty spider. One weaves a verit- able web, wonderful in it's geometric regularity; another twists up leaf into lurking place, then builds tun- mel that allures to the exploration of the darksome depths beyond. Woe to all insect "Mirandas" that set forth upon such a perilous journey! Another spreads a magic carpet, silken and shining but it snares and letters un- wary feet. With others, mimicry takes the place of constructive energy They assume the color of the flower upon which they rest and thus rendering themselves almost invisible have no need of a web, but rapidly and deftly wind up all the business interests of little rope. One boldly attacks a grass hopper four times his own length and so tangles him up in his "atten- uated thread" that the hoppers size and strength avail him nothing, strug- gle as he may. Another snares wild bee. You see the bee lying helpless and exhausted, as you suppose, and hasten to his relief. And behold, it is only the upper husk or shell of a bee that lies upon the web,its neither parts and in- terior appurtenances have all been cum ningly eaten away. Was the upper part left in so perfect a shape that it might serve as a decoy and lure other wanderers to meet the same fate? This season another specimen of the spider family appeared in Hilaria's gar den, the cause being, probably, that she had for the first time introduced his favorite flower within it's borders. Some of her cosmos blossomed early, the flowers being pinky lilac in color, if it is proper so to describe them. Occa- sionally one of these flowers would pre- sent a curious, one-sided appearance. and the cause was always found to be the same-a little spider, looking much like a yellow and white crab, had taken possession of it and fitted it up for busi- ness purposes. First he had drawn two petals together and fastened them with the most delicate thread conceivable. Then the petal that was left between these two was drawn down over them and tied firmly. Under this dainty lit- tie triangular roof the ingenious scamp tucked himself away, his tiny yellow claws resting among the yellow stamens of the flower And when some little flying or creeping creatures came to collect the pollen those crab-like claws gently gathered him in. Once intro- duced into that luxurious little studio under the pinky petals, he came out never again.
 s"One more unfortunate-gone to his deathv'
 The questions that perplex Hilaria's mind are these: Shall she destroy these airy abodes, these ingeniously con- structed bridges over which living crea- lures pass to their doom, these deftly | hidden dens and robber caves of the | spiders, or shall she so respect and ad- mire their dexterity, their marvellous | mechanical skill, their triumphs of ar chitecture and engineering that she shall spare both the Work and the work ers?> Have they not A right to secure l their chosen food according to the plan which instinct teaches? Are their snares and nets more detestable be- cause less clumsily, constructed than those which their big brother, man. sets for the beast of the field and the fowl of the air and the fish of the sea And with the exception of the bee (and even he has way of demonstrating disagreeably when she would gather some of her own fowers), is she not glad to have insect pests removed from her garden, though by the treach- erous wiles of the spider? In short, which side ought one to take-that of l the artful. industrious spider, or that of the annoying fly or the all-devouring | orosebonnaro HTI ARv l