My Neighbor's Wood-Shed 203 



may show themselves to greater advantage, 

 or because such surfaces are warmer than the 

 rough and darkly colored pieces of bark ? It 

 is hard to say, but temperature should hardly 

 enter into the question when it is over ninety 

 in the shade. The large yellow swallow- 

 tailed butterfly is a frequent visitor, and also 

 a big blue-black fellow that makes a grand 

 display when the sun shines on his wings ; 

 but these come and go as if by mere chance. 

 It is the smaller species that find the place 

 fitted to their needs and stay while the sun 

 shines dire&ly in the shed. In midwinter 

 the dingy mourning-cloak butterfly finds the 

 place as attractive as its native woods, and 

 remains there for many minutes at a time. 

 In other words, they are not so restless. 

 Are they attracted by the odor of the chips ? 

 for some of them are fresh and sappy. It 

 seems strange that they should leave the wild 

 woods for civilization, a display of bad taste 

 on their part ; but I always greet them with 

 a hearty welcome. There is positive nov- 

 elty about butterflies in winter, and this is 

 even more marked when the inseft comes 

 dancing down a winter sunbeam and enters a 

 prosy wood-shed. If some one of my neigh- 



