PEARL SKIPPERS 169 



live bijoutry of nature. He flies in one skipper ; or the blue butterflies or 



the fizzling heat of an out and out arguses one blue butterfly or one ar- 



August day ; whips from flower to gus ; that is to say, one kind of skipper, 



flower, mixing the nectar of birdsfoot argus or blue. That these forms of life 



trefoil with the nectar of hawk-bit ; began separately and independently 



and, after a few sips, will settle on the of each other is unthinkable, 



ground or on a leaf, draw-to those No ; the pearl skipper and the large 



muscular little wings, clean horns with skipper were evolved and distinguished 



legs, and unroll and clean his trunk by gradual creation. But what exactly 



too. gave the one his pearls and denied him 



He is scrupulous in this as are most white rings on the antennae or horns ; 

 butterflies. Comfort, not cleanliness what gave the other his white rings 

 for its own virtuous sake, and not but denied him the pearls ? Here is 

 fastidiousness or nicety, is the secret a riddle as unguessed as that of the 

 of all this wiping of trunk and horns, making of Antares and Arcturus, the 

 and perhaps of face, too, after a course great ruby and amber stars of these 

 of sweetmeats. All the same, it is a August evenings. Half the secrets of 

 very pretty thing to see the pearl life and evolution lie in epitome in this 

 skipper purify himself between the dot of a butterfly. Common sense tells 

 feasts. Then, whisk ! he is up and us the skippers evolved through a corn- 

 off, chasing or chased by another pearl mon ancestor. But darkness follows 

 skipper at such a hot pace that the eye on this glimmer of light. Why and 

 cannot always follow the combatants how pearls for the pearl skipper ? 

 or lovers, whichever they be. Nothing in food, habit of life, or haunt 



Pearl skipper and large skipper, which gives the clue. Take the pearl skipper 



we might call blood relations, first to pieces, put him under the most 



cousins even though, unlike first cou- powerful microscope, and I doubt 



sins in human relationship, they are whether his physiology will help you 



not suffered by Nature to intermarry forward in the least. Here theory 



have come from some common an- comes in with the general principle by 



cestor have evolved, if this term says which pearl skipper took one branch 



more. I cannot understand how any road, larger skipper another, on the 



one can doubt that these two skippers, map of life. But, unfortunately, it 



that all the skippers, were at the start cannot offer a tittle of evidence as to 



