66 NATURE IN DOWNLAND 



of labour before him, they are tired out and their 

 briefer day is finished. Now most butterflies when 

 they go to rest tumble anyhow into bed ; in other 

 words, they creep or drop into the herbage, take 

 hold of a stem, and go to sleep in any position, 

 their appearance being that of a dead or faded leaf. 

 The blue has a quite different habit. As a rule, even 

 where the down is smoothest and without shelter, 

 there exist slight hollows or depressions, where the 

 grass is higher and rougher than in other places ; 

 and to such spots the blues gather from all around; 

 but instead of creeping down into the grass, they 

 settle on the very tips of the dry bents. At some 

 spots in an area of a few square yards they may 

 be found in scores ; one or two or three, and some- 

 times as many as half-a-dozen, on one bent, sitting 

 head down, the closed wings appearing like a sharp- 

 pointed grey leaflet at the end of the stem. It is 

 hard to believe that they can really be asleep, sitting 

 thus exposed, their great black eyes looking very wide 

 awake, the afternoon sun pouring its light into their 

 tiny brains; but when touched they scarcely move, 

 and they will even suffer you to pick them off and 

 replace them on the bent without flying away; and 

 there they will remain through the night, however 

 strong the wind may blow. 



What we call sleep in an insect resembles the 

 somnambulistic state, rather than sleep as we experi- 

 ence it. Thus this resting butterfly can be made to 



