SOME ENGLISH BUTTERFLIES 23 



and warm as the true Fritillary glow, vividly and characteristically with the 

 With the reddish and the golden brown bright spring flowers, 

 of those sun-loving, companionable The butterfly-pictures of the year 

 wings, there comes up linked in grow no less distinct and characteris- 

 memory the whole bright yearly tic as the verdure deepens under 

 mosaic of the copses of flowery May. midsummer skies, though they mul- 

 Everywhere, in the herbage of the tiply greatly in number, and spread 

 rides, still richer with promise than from their earlier sheltering coverts 

 with fruition, there shines the veined across the whole face of the land. In 

 turquoise blue of the self-heal or the June copses, when the carpet of 

 prunella, and the lighter yellow spikes cow-wheat and prunella has been sub- 

 of dragon - mouthed cow -wheat ; merged by the rising growth, the 

 spotted orchises shine in the moister frosted silver of the bramble blossom 

 grassy places, and tall, stripling shakes itself to birth over the uncurl- 

 thistles begin to push skyward their ing fronds of bracken ; and when the 

 tight purple knobs. On the blue and cool, white bramble-blossom is born 

 the purple blossoms quiver the rich in the middle year, then the lordlier 

 brown wings of the Skippers and Fritillary monarchs come forth to 

 Fritillaries, and among them are al- bask and feast upon it in the glades, 

 ways to be seen, in the true May copses There is no more beautiful picture in 

 of southern England, two slender- the midsummer woods than the deep, 

 bodied Geometer moths, the cool, golden rides of oak and hazel and 

 shining Silver-ground Carpet, which springing bracken, where the High 

 seems so common as to overflow into Brown and Silver-washed Fritillaries 

 the daylight from its secret hiding- seem the proud and conscious mon- 

 places, and that welcome and delicate archs, sailing down the fair-way of 

 harlequin, the Speckled Yellow, in his the sunshine on broad wings of deep- 

 fancy dress of warm chocolate and ened sunlight glow, or fanning and 

 orange. The Grizzly and Dingy Skip- poising in ecstasy on some large June 

 pers are also abroad in May ; but they flower, while the sheen of the silver 

 are hardly such thorough copse-butter- mail of their under sides flashes for a 

 flies as their largest brothers, friends moment and is withdrawn again from 

 of the early Fritillaries, and their the light. Now, too, in woodland and 

 darker colouring does not combine so leafy places the midsummer sunshine 



