Indefatigable labours of the Bee.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume 2, Issue 36, 9 May 1850, Page 4

Indefatigable labours of the Bee.

The Bee gives us an example of industry and activity, which not only is not common, but perhaps has not its equal. They appear as soon as winter is over. When the juices of the flowers, which begin to blow, have not received from the sun a sufficient degree of coction to yield honey iu abundance, the bees still gather some little for their food. Hut their cares and activity very evidently redouble, during spiing anil summer. They arc never idle in these seasons ; they do all they can, and do not disdain small profits, if they can but increase a litlle tlieir provisions. Iu the building of their colls, they are so indefatigable, that we are assured that a honey-comb of double cells, back to back, and capable of lo Iging tli.ee thousand bees, is despatched in twenty-four hours. The whole of the work is divided among the member* of the republic. While some of the bees are gathering tile wax, preparing it, and filling the magazines, others are employed in different works. Some take the wax, which tliey use for building their cells ; others gather the honey from the llowers, and deposit it in the hive ; others again close with the covering of wax, the cells in which they keep their winter provision of lioney. Some carry food to their young; oihcrs closely stop up with a sort of birdlime, all the chinks and holes in the hive. Some drag out of the hive the dead bodies that might infect them ; or if those carcases be 100 heavy to bs carried away, they cover them over with bird-lime or wax, and cement them in such a manner, that in corrupting under that crust, they cannot occasion any bad smell. But it is not enough to admire the activity of these little creatures j it ought, likewise, to inspire us with emulation, and serve us as a model. Let us, therefore, never be slothful or idle in doing good : but let us acquit ourselves of the duties of life, willi all the zeal and activity of which we are capable, On Industry. Idleness shuts the door against improvement of every kind, whether of mind, body, or fortune. The law of our nature, the condition under which we were placed from our

birth, is, that nothing: good or great is to he acquired without toil and industry. A price is appointed by Providence to be paid for every tiling, and the price of improvement is labour. Industry nifty« indeed, be sometimes disappointed. Tlio race may not be always to ilia swift, nor tlio battle to the slron; : hut »t the same time it is certain that, in the ordinary course of tilings, without strength the buttle cannot be gained, without swiftness the race cannot he lull with success. If we consult cither the improvement of the mind or the health of the body, it is well Known that exercise is tlio great instrument of promoting both. Sloth enfeebles equally the bodily nud nientil powers. As in the animal system it engenders disease, so on the faculties of the soul it brings 11 fatal rust, which corrodes and wastes them, which in a short time reduces the brightest genius to the simo level with (lie meanest understanding.

Tiie StingAiu-e.—A New Zealand paper slates that recently a native of Uruili, nnined Ko Lola, with several others, was fishing for snappers nlung the beach ; ho waded up to bis knees in order to throw out his line when he suddenly trod upon n stiiifjaree, which s'rui'k him in the leg with his tail. From tlio poisonous nature of the wound, the poor fellow died in n qmir:er of an hour. Considering the numerous specimens of this amiable fish wliirli are constantly thrown aside IVoin the nets of our fishermen, we should strongly recommend our bathing readers to be a littlo on their guard, and in their occasional ablutions, iftluy have the alternative of stepping upon the lisb or the bare sand by all means lo prefer the s.uid. At the s ime lime we doubt tiie fact of the wound produced by the stingareo being merely n bony spine, incapable wo conceive of enrying venom. If it be true that poor Ko Lota came to so abrupt

and untimely mi end, we fancy that an artery must have been pierced. Encoun tkr with a Stisoauee.—'Yesterday morning Dr Ciretvcs was walking along the hrach in the vicinity of Limeburner's Point, having gone out with a gun in his hand witli the intention of shooting snipe, when he saw n few yards distant from liini some object floating on the surface of the water which at the moment lie took to be the body of a human being. A boat which was pulling oil' from the shore was hailed by Dr. Greeves, when the party came near, and Dr, G. stepping into it, desired the men to pull towards the object he indicated. On coming close upon the spot, they were surprised to find that the object which presented itself abovo the surface of the. water was the tail extremity of one of the largest Slingan-es ever before seen, the monster being nearly eight feet long and of nearly equal dimensions in breadth. The gun which Dr. 6, had with him was loaded, but charged only with very small shot. However lie took aim wit/i ilu piece and fired at the fish, which no simiicr felt that it was attacked than it nnde a rush at the- boat, at which it stiuck with tremendous violence. The fish then swam round and round the boat, thrashing the gunwale with its tail until another charge of >h«t was fired inio it, when it sunk below the water. The boat-hook was thrust

into it where it lay, and the persons in lite boat were in the act of dragging ''along when it turned over, and in it moment wrenched the iron liouk completely off the stall' anil got aw-iy. Dr. tire eves is of opinion that this monster of the deep could not have weighed less than eight hundred weight.— Gcclong Advertiser. ■ Support in Danguii.—A military officer, being at sen in n storm, with his lady, who was near him, and filled with alarm foi the safety of the vessel, was so surprised at his composure and serenity, that she cried out, " ;\ly dear, are you not afraid ? how is it possible that you can be so calm in such a storm }'"— He rose from a chair ljshed to the deck, and supporting himself l>y a pillar of (lie bcdplace be drew his sword, and pointing it to the breast of bis wife, he exclaimed, "Are you not afraid ?" Sho instnntly replied, " No, certainly not." "Why?' 1 said the officer.— " Because,'' rejoined the lady, " I know the sword is in the band of my husband, and he loves me too well to hurt me." " Then," said be, "remember, I know in whom I have believed, and that lie bohls the winds in His grasp and the waters in the hollow of His bands." Stkangf. Birth.—A boy in the district of Kirkaldy, who has a passion for chickenhatcliing, got a large egu some lime ago from some sailors just come from Alexandria, and placed it under a favourite lien, expecting to get a large ligyptian fowl ; but his surprise and amazement may be better conceived than described when he found one morning a live crocodile ! —Fifeshire Advertiser