NATURE'S MYSTERIES 145 



of Biological science.' This emphatic state- 

 ment of one, whose lightest word commands and 

 deserves attention, should make us pause ere 

 we speak in a supercilious manner regarding 

 the study of butterflies, or, indeed, of any group 

 of animals, however humble they may seem to 

 us. There are mysteries in Nature, as to 

 which no man can foretell where we may find 

 a clue leading to a knowledge of their secrets. 

 With all deference to, and admiration for, the 

 labours of Darwin and others, we are bound 

 to admit that the origin of species is still a 

 secret, and likely to remain so. It is, however, 

 generally recognized that if the riddle can be 

 read by human ingenuity, the key is most 

 likely to be found in study of the lower 

 organisms. Every one, therefore, who labours 

 in this field, does so with the possibility that 

 he may make a discovery, which will lead to 

 the elucidation of some difficult problem of 

 natural history. 



The use of two terms, * butterfly ' and 

 ' moth,' to designate separate sections of the 

 Lepidoptera, is peculiar to English-speaking 

 peoples. Other nations do not use different 

 words for this purpose, but the twofold 



