THROUGH THE YEAR 143 



it is true, as a few generations ago. Still we are 

 unknowing in these lovely things. I could never 

 find among English villagers, who know birds by 

 name and sight and sound, more than two names 

 for familiar butterflies. 



Yet our butterflies, though they may want the 

 splendid shot and dancing dyes and the size of 

 tropical butterflies, are curious and beautiful. 

 Butterfly life is harder to watch than bird life ; a 

 man needs more time, more patience to learn a new 

 about the fritillary or the peacock butterfly than he 

 needs for the study of a bird. The life is minuter, 

 the motives, passions, habits of the butterfly are 

 more subtle, hidden from outward view, than a 

 bird's. Nor does a butterfly touch us as a bird 

 touches us. It seems so non-human. The bird 

 strikes us as more human in several ways than any 

 other creature save the dog. Its song, vivacious 

 or mournful, its bright affections, its outbursts of 

 anger and grief, and often the confidence in human 

 beings when it is treated kindly these bring the bird 

 far nearer to us than any other wild creature. The 

 world of the bird is in some small degree explored, 

 but the world of the butterfly is aloof, mysterious. 

 The butterfly is a creature of the daytime, living in 

 full light, yet we remain almost as much in the 

 twilight about it as about the moth. 



All this keeps many people from the study of 

 butterflies. But much can be learned by a few 

 seasons of watching. As to the way some birds 

 will confide in human beings so too will butterflies 



