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of us have passed through a time when there was an irresistible impulse 

 to pull off one's hat and drop it carefully over the beautiful creature 

 that had rested for a moment on a blade of grass, or was feeding on the 

 nectar of a flower. But we did not always catch him with his pair of 

 eyes, each composed of hundreds of facets, occupying a large portion of 

 his head; he could see apparently above and below, in front, behind and 

 on all sides. Outstretched from the head also was a delicate pair of 

 thread-like organs, with a knob at the end, known as antennae, possibly 

 organs of scent or hearing, which revealed our presence through the crack- 

 ing of some stick trodden upon or by the brushing aside of some weed or 

 branch. And even if the butterfly could not either see, hear or smell 

 our approach, there is nothing more restless than a butterfly, and when it 

 settles it is always a question of whether it will stay there the small fraction 

 of a second or for several minutes before taking to its wings again. So 

 very often it was like the Irishman and the flea "When we put our fingers 

 on him, he wasn't there." 



But let us suppose that we have got beyond the idea of chasing butter- 

 flies either for the sport there is in capturing the elusive creatures, or the 

 more or less primitive habit of delighting to hunt and kill living things; 

 and that we wish to learn something of their names, the wonderful lives 

 they lead, and the relations they bear to other portions of Nature's realm. 

 The first question that is likely to arise in studying any animal or plant 

 is "What is its name?" That problem occurred from the very beginning; 

 so soon as Adam began to notice the things about him we find he had to 

 give names to the animals. 



Of names for butterflies and moths, we have a scientific or Latin 

 name just as we have for plants and birds; and for many of the commoner 

 sorts we have also more or less familiar ones in our own language; but, 

 unfortunately, in North America, these are apt to be confusing, for in one 

 place a certain name may be current, while in another district the same insect 

 will be known by a totally difi^erent name. This condition of things will 

 pass away, and the adoption of uniform common or popular names will 

 help much to increase the interest in our insect friends. In England, 

 I am glad to see by a book recently published*, they have a popular and 

 distinctive name for each and every butterfly and moth found in the 

 British Isles. There are no duplicates, which is more than can be said 

 for the scientific specific ones, although they are not nearly such great 

 sinners in this respect as we are in North America. I shall in so far as 

 possible avoid going into technical names or matters as this paper is one 



* Newman's. 



