MOORLAND IDYLLS. 



him in delight, with sympathetic joy for 

 his pure joy of living, as he unfolded those 

 white wings, with their brilliant orange badge 

 and their fringe of dark purple.' For a 

 second or two he darted off in the brilliant 

 sunshine, rejoicing ; he seemed to learn, 

 as he went, to recall of a sudden some dim 

 but recurring ancestral memory. All at 

 once, as he fluttered somewhat doubtfully 

 in mid-air, he caught sight from afar of a 

 female brimstone. " Will he chase her ? " 

 I thought to myself; though, indeed, I 

 knew well, had I chosen to recollect it, 

 that inherited instinct is far too strong in 

 these little creatures to admit for a moment 

 such egregious errors. Our great Bashaw 

 just glanced at her with unobservant eye ; 

 no gleam of recognition lighted up the tiny 

 face. He passed on without one word ; not 

 a curve of the feeble flight ; not a divergent 

 pirouette of the orange - tipped pinions. 

 Then a Clouded Yellow floated past, pur- 

 sued by two rivals of her own swift-winged 



68 



