THE FAERY YEAR 



that their mere tips show above the inconspicuous 

 lower wings. 



Clearly, Mr. Frohawk's small heath butterflies 

 (with wings folded) at bedtime half-past five or 

 six o'clock, say are less conspicuous than my small 

 heaths on the embankment, resting (with wings 

 folded) during the sunny hours. It certainly does 

 look very much as if when it went to bed, and be- 

 came drowsy and incapable of flight, the small heath 

 put on its entire armour of protection. But I am 

 not clear as to who, after sundown, are the dreaded 

 foes against whom Nature need protectively dress 

 and arrange the wings of the small heath. 



The Butterfly's Waterproof 



Secrets with a deeply important bearing on life 

 and mind and their growth must often be held 

 within the smallest space by the lowliest things In 

 wood and field. The chequer of the fritillary's 

 wing, the scrawl on the bunting's egg if we could 

 but make out for certain the foreign words of the 

 story of these and their like ! No hieroglyphics or 

 palimpsest that a man ever pored over could equal 

 in interest a true translation of these. Hence time 

 and attention given to the habits and appearance of 

 these small deer of Nature are far from wasted. A 

 clue to the great discovery may be provided, in the 

 end, by something infinitely small. Within the last 

 ten days I have been making some rather minute 

 '34 



