198 NORTH AMERICAN INSECTS. 



she sent for her little daughter, and requested me to ques- 

 tion her on the subject, at the same time bidding the child 

 to tell us what she knew about the insects in the cabinet. 

 That little child, only eleven years old, very modestly ad- 

 dressed us in French, saying, " You see, Sir, many butter- 

 flies and moths in this cabinet, of which shall I tell you 

 what I know about them ?" We asked her what she knew 

 about a certain magnificent butterfly, which glistened in 

 one of the boxes like polished silver, covered with the most 

 beautiful ultramarine color. She replied : " That handsome 

 insect is called Menelaus, and it is a native of South Amer- 

 ica: its caterpillar lives on the sapodilla - tree (Achras 

 sapota) a branch of which we have in our Herbarium, 

 but the fruit of which is unknown to me. Oh will you not 

 bring or send me some when you go to America?" And 

 so that interesting child went on, and related to us the his- 

 tory of Menelaus, and the Trojan war, and told us too the 

 history, geography, and natural productions of the country 

 of which the insect was a native ; and all this knowledge 

 she had gained, under the guidance of her mother, through 

 that entomological cabinet. When she had finished, her 

 mother said: "Now, Sir, do you not think that even a 

 small cabinet of Natural History furnishes a great amount 

 of knowledge, and for both old and young provides abund- 

 ant material for entertaining and instructive conversation ? 

 As for me," she continued, " I consider this noble science 

 as the philosopher's Spiritus familiaris, who snatches the 

 false face from the sophist and the atheist, and makes him 

 believe in, kneel down, and adore the omnipotence of the 

 Almighty." 



Our own opinions on this subject have been too often 

 expressed to need repetition here, and we will only add 

 that this accomplished lady is not the only one who has 

 practically proved the value of even the technology of this 

 science, and the great power of association in fixing facts in 



