dly the wind doth rage,
Loudly the waters roar,
And anxious are the hearts of those
That wait upon the shore,
Till through the darkness of the night
The lighthouse sends its friendly light.

Warning and guiding light,
It shines across the bay.
And helps the sailor steer his course
Till safely on the way:
The harbour gained, and home once more,
He greets his loved ones on the shore.

C. D. B.

[Illustration:

1. Water-bug's Lancet (much magnified).
2. Water-bug.
3. Sting of Bee and Poison-dart (both much magnified).]

INSECT WAYS AND MEANS.

I.--STINGS AND LANCETS.

Bees and Spiders, Earwigs, Beetles and Snails, Dragon-flies,
Grasshoppers, and Butterflies are familiar enough to us all; yet how
many realise how 'fearfully and wonderfully' they are made? What a
marvellously complex weapon is the 'sting' of the bee! What a wonderful
'rasp' the snail possesses! How many can tell how an insect smells, and
where its organs of taste and hearing lie? Since these are questions
which young people often ask again and again, some of them will be
answered in the course of these articles. To explain such matters
clearly is a very difficult task, but with the aid of drawings,
specially made for this purpose, the main facts at least should be easy
to grasp.

* * * * *

Most of us agree to treat the bee respectfully, having a wholesome dread
of the vengeance he is likely to inflict on those who offend him. But
how does a bee sting? and what is the sting like?

To take the last question first. The sting of the bee is really an
extremely cunningly devised weapon, so complex that only the bare
outlines of its structure can possibly be described clearly.

If you turn to the illustration of the bee-sting, you will notice, in
the right-hand figure, at the upper end, three pointed projections or
'processes' marked. The two outer ones (S S) we may neglect, for they
are only protecting sheaths; that in the middle (I S) is the sting
proper. This consists of two parts, (1) a strong gouge-like portion, and
(2) a pair of darts of marvellous delicacy. These darts we cannot see in
position because they lie on the other side of the gouge-like piece. But
to the left you will notice a long sword-like blade, drawn separately,
with a curiously crooked handle and a sharp barbed point. This is one of
the pair of darts. Those who have had the misfor