A BUTTERFLY BOWER 



September 22d 



OMEWHERE among my books a wistful 

 poet sings, 



" I'd be a butterfly born in a bower." 



Now I don't know that it is the habit of 

 butterflies in general to be born in bow- 

 ers any more than anywhere else under 

 a cabbage-leaf, or a fence -rail, or stone, or 

 dried leaf, for instance. But I am going 

 to give my poet the fullest justice in assuming that 

 he meant to imply that he would prefer to be the 

 "Hunter's" butterfly to any other in creation; for in 

 this insect we have in truth the one butterfly that is 

 literally " born in a bower." 



Its bower is composed of petals and other parts of 

 flowers, and hangs among the blossoms of the common 

 everlasting (Gnaphalium decurrens). It is occasionally 

 almost concealed among the flowers, but may often be 

 found quite conspicuously displayed, and three to four 

 inches in length. 



If we take a walk in the grassy road, in the pasture 

 lot, or mountain path, we may now find dozens of them. 



