148 A MIGRATING BUTTERFLY 



spring, meagre and ravenous, their wings worn and 

 battered by the long flight. They will probe the horn 

 of the Columbine, the slender tubes of the Honey- 

 suckle, and every flower that promises them nectar. 

 The exuding sap of the Maple or Birch will be a rich 

 repast, and they will revel for a time in the luxuriance 

 of our northern land. Soon they will seek their mates, 

 like the returning Swallows, and give up their lives 

 in the fulfilment of the law of perpetuation, the first 

 law of nature. 



