THE FAERY YEAR 



gathering of the whites in the air as purposeless : 

 like the crowd at Ephesus, at least the greater 

 number may not know why they have gathered. 

 There may be an analogy among birds ; in the case 

 of " sparrow shindies," if not " sparrow chapels," 

 many of the shouting, struggling birds, the late 

 comers especially, cannot tell what it is all about. 

 These are sucked into a whirl of excitement, as to 

 the origin and object of which they know nothing. 

 Only, the sparrow's agitation is quite obvious. No 

 one can doubt that he is in a fluster ; whereas the 

 butterfly's emotion is cryptic. At a glance, the least 

 observant watcher is satisfied that the sparrows are 

 furiously excited in the confused butterfly medley 

 he notes merely irresolute bobbings up and down. 



But if he watched the stance of the cabbage- 

 whites, he would hesitate to declare this wore a 

 vacant, purposeless look. Half a dozen, perhaps a 

 dozen, whites, chiefly cabbage, but I have noticed 

 an occasional green-veined among them, will occupy 

 a square yard of bare ground. I found them on 

 dry, caked mud on the common, or on close-cropped, 

 scorched turf. They are not oblivious of danger 

 whilst thus engaged ; one must approach slow and 

 soft, or they are all up and away in a trice. Some 

 will be sitting on the ground motionless, with wings 

 up, and closely folded, but not with the tips of the 

 upper pair pressed back, as in real repose during the 

 day, or profound sleep at night. Three or four 

 sitters will sometimes be in a line behind or beside 

 each other. Perhaps there is a second little row or 

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