V 



BUTTERFLIES IN BED 



" On the Infinitely Little." 



THE grassy, heathery clearing in the Surrey birch wood 

 has been the playground of butterflies for weeks past. 

 A few battered meadow-brown butterflies of July, their 

 poor wings worn as jagged as those of the comma, 

 linger on, but their junketings are nearly over. The 

 Ringlet and the Large Heath butterflies succeeded them 

 before the end of the month, and occupy the bramble- 

 bushes by day and night. Last year, though I pryed 

 closely in their woodland haunts in another district 

 among hazel, oak, and brake fern I could find very 

 few Large Heath butterflies settled for the night. 

 Lately I have discovered many on the bramble-bushes 

 in the birch wood. Like Meadow Brown, Grayling, 

 and other butterflies, the Large Heath, settling for 

 the evening and night, always draws down its folded 

 upper wings, so that the conspicuous spot or eye on the 

 back of them is hid. One effect J pf this is to make 



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