52 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



as to the question of insect feelings and also as to our 

 right to shorten their existence, even by a painless 

 death. 



As to the first point, we have now the means of 

 giving any insect an utterly painless quietus, be it capable 

 of feeling pain or no. 



In regard to the second, I think few will deny that 

 man enjoys a vested right to make use of any of the 

 inferior animals, even to the taking of their life, if 

 the so doing ministers to his own well-being or plea- 

 sure, and practically every one assumes this right in one 

 way or another. Game animals are shot down (and 

 they assuredly do feel pain), not as necessaries of life, 

 but confessedly as luxuries. Fish are hooked, crabs, 

 lobsters, shrimps perish by thousands, victims to our 

 fancies. Unscrupulously we destroy every insect whose 

 presence displeases us, harmless as they may be to our 

 own persons. The aphides on our flowers, the moths 

 in our furs, the " beetles " in our kitchens all die by 

 thousands at our pleasure. Then, if all this be right, 

 are we not also justified in appropriating a little butterfly 

 life to ourselves, and does not the mental feast that their 

 after-death beauty affords us at least furnish an equal 

 excuse for their sacrifice with any that can be urged in 

 favour of any animal slaughter, just to tickle the palate 

 or minister to our grosser appetites 1 To this query 

 there can be, I think, but one fair answer, so we may 

 return with a better face to the question, " How to kill 

 a butterfly." 



