THE FLOWER MARKET 109 



in summer, for his wings to grdw, and finally he 

 gnaws the web away and crawls out a full-feathered 

 butterfly." 



" Full-feathered ? Do butterflies really have 

 feathers, or is that only a way of speaking ? " 



"They have feathers. This colour upon my 

 wings is made of feathers as perfect as those the 

 birds wear, but from their fineness you think them 

 only dust." 



" Where do you live in winter, Mr. Swallow- 

 tail ? I have never seen any of your brothers 

 hereabout, and you look so frail that I should 

 think the frost would wither you, as it does the 

 flowers." 



"In our family, two broods are raised every 

 season, and we full-grown butterflies die in the 

 autumn. The worms that have . spun the late 

 cocoons live hidden away in them all winter 

 because of the cold, not coming out as butterflies 

 until the spring. But every family, whether of 

 butterflies or moths, has its own habits. Some of 

 us sleep the long winter sleep as butterflies, and 

 die in early summer after laying the eggs, while 

 others fly away in autumn to warmer countries, 

 migrating with the birds." 



" Fly away like birds ? Which ones are able to 

 do that ? " 



