dle of his head, just under his eyes, a trunk with two or
three joints in it; at the end was an opening like two black lips,
folded over, with grooves or little hollows. The fly, thus urged to
show the use of his trunk, or, more probably, forgetting the sequel
of a discourse upon which he had entered in such a pompous style,
flew upon the sugar, and set himself again to sucking it.

Piccolissima again observed the little drops fall which she had
noticed before. It seems that the fly, being only able to take up
liquids through his trunk, wetted and dissolved the sugar that he
might suck it up. It was a pleasant thing to see his lips swell out,
and press, handle, and knead, as it were, the amber surface of the
sugar in order to make it melt sooner, and enable him to draw it up
faster. After having examined all these proceedings for some time,
with great amusement, the little apprentice naturalist cried out,
"Well, my little guest has a remarkable talent for eating barley
sugar."

The other fly, timid, wet, and with his wings folded, so that he
seemed naked, remained behind upon the frame of the window. "Come,
poor little wet chicken as thou art," cried the elder fly; "thou
wast complaining just now of having found in life only discomfort
and cold; dost thou not see these rays of the sun? dost thou not
perceive the perfume of this delicious food?" The young,
inexperienced fly was disposed to take Piccolissima, the dictionary,
and the barley sugar for a chain of mountains. However, when the
little girl turned her gentle, child-like face towards him, the
insect felt the pleasant warmth of her breath; it reanimated him,
and gave him courage, and with one bound he flew upon the arm of
Piccolissima. With a sudden familiarity he murmured in a low voice,
"Art thou, perhaps, an elder sister of mine? Thou warmest me. Art
thou placed in the sun to strengthen thy wings? Relate to me,
quickly, thy metamorphosis whilst I dry myself. Let us see, hast
thou been a caterpillar, a worm? How many feet didst thou once have?
I will lay a wager thou didst not have any. For me, I had three rows
of feet, forty-two in all, at least. Come, then, speak, and tell me;
answer my question."

Usually Piccolissima did not require to be urged to speak; but these
questions were of such an extraordinary nature, so unexpected, that
the little girl remained silent. "Whether I have been a caterpillar
or a worm? A queer question at the commencement of an acq