f;4 ^^^-^ ^'-- Transactions. 



crossed his path, and was secured. He was astonished at the 

 combination of colour that presented itself to him in this 

 small but exquisite work of the Creator ; and from that mo- 

 ment Stothard determined to enter on a new and difficult 

 field — the study of the insect department of Natural History. 

 He became a hunter of butterflies. The more he caught the 

 greater beauty did he trace in their infinite variety. He was 

 often heard to say that no one knew what he owed to these 

 insects — they had taught him the finest combinations in that 

 difficult branch of art — colouring. I might cite another ex- 

 ample which is told by Edward Newman of the impression 

 produced on his mind by the first butterfly he ever saw. He 

 says, when I was a very little boy indeed, I liked butterflies 

 better than books. And I recollect, as well as it had 

 been yesterday, the first butterfly I ever saw. It was a very 

 very long time ago, and the butterfly was the Tortoise-shell : 

 it was sitting on a leaf, and I called out, Oh, look what a beau- 

 tiful flower, and I tried to pick it up, but away it flew. I 

 recollect that I cried out the beautiful flower has flown away. 

 How lasting are early impressions ! I have never forgotten 

 that butterfly, and to this hour I cannot disconnect the idea 

 of a butterfly and a flying flower. If I were inclined to ran- 

 sack the Poets, I might fill a volume of quotations in praise 

 of the butterfly. From the time of the early Greek poets, 

 who so beautifully symbolized and recognised this great truth, 

 when they gave the same name Psyche to the soul, or spirit 

 of life ; and down to our own. day poets of all nations have 

 sung in sublime verse in praise of the butterfly. I have read 

 somewhere, but I don't remember where, that the ancient 

 Greeks were accustomed, even with their imperfect know- 

 ledge of Natural History, to have the figure of a butterfly 

 sculptured on their tombs, in the position of flpng upwards, 

 as emblematical of the souls of their relatives flying upwards 

 to a better world. I believe that the heart of the deep- 

 minded can be soothed by the study or contemplation of the 

 butterfly andozy. First, there is the grovelling caterpillar 

 state, so emblematical of our present imperfection. The 



