286 THE PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY. 



my borders, and accustomed to a close inspection 

 of all their operations, I have frequently touched 

 their wings with my fingers, while hovering over 

 a flower, and dipping their long tubes into the 

 corolla of a geranium : they would retire a little, 

 confused with such freedoms and interruptions, 

 but, experiencing no harm, they would return and 

 finish their meal, unmindful of such petty annoy- 

 ances. I have known this creature, like some 

 other insects, counterfeit death when apprehensive 

 of danger, fall on its back, and appear in all re- 

 spects devoid of life when in a box ; and, as soon 

 as a fit opportunity arrived, dart away with its 

 usual celerity. 



On the blue heads of the pasture scabious (sea- 

 biosa succisa) we occasionally see, toward the end 

 of the summer, the painted lady butterfly (papilio 

 cardui) ; but this is a creature that visits us at 

 very uncertain periods, and is vivified by causes 

 infinitely beyond the comprehension of the ento- 

 mologist, seeming to require a succession and 

 variety of seasons and their change, and then 

 springing into life we know not how. This was 

 particularly obvious in the summer of 1815, and 

 the two following, which were almost unceasingly 

 cold and rainy ; scarcely a moth or butterfly ap- 

 peared. And in the early part of 1818, the season 

 was not less ungenial ; a few half-animated crea- 

 tures alone struggled into being; yet this " painted 

 lady" was fostered into life, and became the com- 

 monest butterfly of the year : it has, however, but 



