THE PARSON LEPIDOPTERIST 125 



most beautiful things in nature ; naturally on meeting 

 a Lepidopterist I told him what I had seen, and some- 

 thing of the feeling the sight had inspired in me. He 

 smiled again, and remarked that the season had not 

 proved a very good one for the Macroglossa stellatarum. 

 He had, so far, seen only three specimens ; the first two 

 he had easily secured, as he fortunately had his butter- 

 fly net when he saw them. But the third ! he hadn't 

 his net then ; he was visiting one of his old women, and 

 was sitting in her garden behind the cottage talking to 

 her when the moth suddenly made its appearance, and 

 began sucking at the flowers within a yard of his chair. 

 He knew that in a few moments it would be gone for 

 ever, but fortunately from long practice, and a natural 

 quickness and dexterity, he could take any insect that 

 came within reach of his hand, however wild and swift 

 it might be. " So ! " the parson Lepidopterist explained, 

 suddenly dashing out his arm, then slowly opening his 

 closed hand to exhibit the imaginary insect he had 

 captured. Well, he got the moth after all ! And thus 

 owing to his quickness and dexterity all three specimens 

 had been secured. 



I, being no entomologist but only a simple person 

 whose interest and pleasure in insect life the entomo- 

 logist would regard as quite purposeless I felt like a 

 little boy who had been sharply rebuked or boxed on 

 the ear. This same Lepidopterist may be dead now, 

 although a couple of summers ago he looked remark- 

 ably well and in the prime of life ; but I see that some 



