366 STUDIES OF NATURE. 



tion. The gray lark finds her fubfiftence among 

 the grafs of the plains. Does any thing terrify 

 her ? She glides away, and takes her ftation be- 

 tween two little clods of earth, where (he becomes 

 invifible. On this poft fhe remains in fuch perfedt 

 tranquillity, as hardly to quit it, when the foot of 

 the fowler is ready to crulh her. 



The fame thing is true of the partridge. I 

 have no doubt that thefe defencelefs birds have a 

 fenfe of thofe contrafls and correfpondencies of co- 

 lour, for I have remarked it even in infefts. In 

 the month of March laft, I obferved, by the brink 

 of the rivulet which waQies the Gobelins *, a but- 

 terfly of the colour of brick, repofing with ex- 

 panded wings on a tuft of grafs. On my approach- 

 ing him, he flew off*. He alighted, at fome paces 

 diftance, on the ground, which, at that place, was 

 of the fime colour with himfelf. I approached 

 him a fécond time ; he took a fécond flight, and 

 perched again on a fimilar ftripe of earth. In a 

 word, I found it was not in my power to oblige 

 him to alight on the grafs, though I made frequent 

 attempts to that effed, and though the fpaces of 

 earth which feparaied the turfy foil were narrow, 

 and few in number. 



* A fmall village in the fuburbs of Paris, noted for it's ma- 

 nufaftures in fine tapeftry, and fiiperb mirrors. H H. 



This 



