92 HIGH LIFE. 



And how does the preponderance of butterflies in the 

 upper regions of the air affect the colour and brilliancy 

 of the flowers ? Simply thus. Bees, as we are all aware 

 on the authority of the great Dr. Watts, are industrious 

 creatures which employ each shining hour (well-chosen 

 epithet, ' shining ') for the good of the community, and 

 to the best purpose. The bee, in fact, is the bon bourgeois 

 of the insect world : he attends strictly to business, 

 loses no time in wild or reckless excursions, and flies 

 by the straightest path from flower to flower of the same 

 species with mathematical precision. Moreover, he is 

 careful, cautious, observant, and steady-going a model 

 business man, in fact, of sound middle-class morals and 

 sober middle-class intelligence. No flitting for him, no 

 coquetting, no fickleness. Therefore, the flowers that have 

 adapted themselves to his needs, and that depend upon him 

 mainly or solely for fertilisation, waste no unnecessary 

 material on those big flaunting coloured posters which we 

 human observers know as petals. They have, for the most 

 part, simple blue or purple flowers, tubular in shape and, 

 individually, inconspicuous in hue ; and they are oftenest 

 arranged in long spikes of blossom to avoid wasting the 

 time of their winged Mr. Bultitudes. So long as they are 

 just bright enough to catch the bee's eye a few yards away, 

 they are certain to receive a visit in due season from that 

 industrious and persistent commercial traveller. Having 

 a circle of good customers upon whom they can depend 

 with certainty for fertilisation, they have no need to 

 waste any large proportion of their substance upon 

 expensive advertisements or gaudy petals. 



It is just the opposite with butterflies. Those gay and 



