A man was once going along the road with an ass, whom he treated somewhat roughly, upon which the beast first whisked his long tail, and then groaned, and finally spoke outright. “It seems to me, sir,” said the honest creature, “that you use me very ill, particularly as I belong to a race of great antiquity, and one that has been honored above all four-footed beasts!”
“Why, how’s that?” said the man.
“How’s that? indeed!” said the ass. “If you had read the Bible as much as you should, you would remember that it was one of my ancestors which conversed with a prophet, and stood in the presence of an angel on a certain occasion. This is an honor which belongs exclusively to the ass family, of which I am one, and therefore it seems meet that you should treat me with proper respect.”
“Well done!” said the countryman; “well done! poor brute. This is ever the way. It seems to be with asses as with men: when one has no merit of his own, he always boasts the dignity of his family, or the virtues of his ancestors. For my part, I know of nothing that sinks a beast or a man lower, than to see him attempt to cover up his own vices, or weakness, or folly, by showing off the dignity of his pedigree, or the respectability of his connections.” Then, giving the ass a somewhat contemptuous kick, the man passed on.
Travelling Beehives.—In Switzerland, the traveller often sees a man trudging up the mountains with a hive of bees on his back. The people move the bees, because they know how good change of place is for them. This, too, is done almost everywhere in Scotland. In France, they put their hives into a boat, some hundreds together, which floats down the stream by night, and stops by day. The bees go out in the morning, return in the evening, and when they are all at home, and quiet, the boat floats on.
Architecture of Birds.
There is no topic in Natural History more curious than the architecture of birds. In the building of nests many species are exceedingly ingenious. The humming-bird constructs its nest of thefinest silky down, or of cotton, or of the fibres of the flag-top that the boys call cat-tail, or of some other similar material. Within, it is lined in the most delicate manner with downy substances. The outside is covered with moss, usually of the color of the bough or twig to which the nest is attached, and giving it simply the appearance of an excrescence. The delicacy and ingenuity of workmanship in this case, as well as the skill displayed in the whole management of the affair, could hardly be excelled by human art.
Humming-Bird’s Nest.