THE FAERY YEAR 



dewy fields and watch their extraordinary pendulum 

 swing without the wonder of it growing less. 



It is the most distinctive and fascinating per- 

 formance I have ever watched in the veiled summer 

 evening. The swing of the pendulum is usually 

 referred to by those who wish to describe the move- 

 ments of the ghost moth over the grass tops, but it 

 is not altogether happy as a simile. It conveys the 

 idea of slowness and of a regular, steady beat ; 

 whereas, though on the whole the motion of a 

 ghost moth over a piece of ground a few feet square 

 is to and fro like the pendulum's, it is often highly 

 erratic ; not for long on the same plane, up and 

 down as well as backwards and forwards. 



It has seemed to me in the half-light as if the 

 ghost moth were dangled, and danced on some finest 

 of invisible elastic strings. But it is quite impossible 

 to convey by words a good idea of the ghost moths' 

 aerial dance. The exertion, the ecstasy of the dance 

 must, I believe, be intense and exhausting. I have 

 stood within touch of the dancers more than once of 

 late, and, after a spell, have seen one of them blunder 

 down hastily among the thick, wet grass. Dividing 

 the grasses and searching among them, I have 

 found the Corybant, as though feeble and tired out, 

 climbing a few inches up a stem and folding his 

 wings for a rest of twenty-four hours. 



Pick the grass round which he coils his legs, and 



shake it, he will only flutter slightly and cling the 



tighter. Whilst the passion of the dance enfolds, 



consumes him, the ghost moth permits of a near 



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