122 Hillside. 



there, into a darker hue of green, which even at this distance 

 we know must indicate mangolds. Beyond, the shades of 

 green and brown become indistinguishable, but the whole is 

 backed up by a dense background of varied tints, where the 

 woods rise up above the fields to cap the hills towards which 

 we are about to wend our way. 



The bright little Copper butterfly, in its brilliant dress, 

 flits from flower to flower, or suns itself, lazily waving its 

 wing's to and fro. The Common Blue butterfly and its less 

 brightly hued lady disport themselves pleasantly around. 

 How variable are the females of this active little butterfly ! 



Fio. 22. THE SMALL COPPER BDTTEBFLY (Chnjsophanus pldceas). 



Some are dull brown, dingily, or at least, soberly clad ; 

 others are almost as bright as their lovers. We appear to 

 see comparatively few females, but this is only because they 

 are less conspicuous and less active than their partners. 

 Scarcely any of the blue butterflies which occur in the 

 tropics show a sexual difference ; both males and females 

 there are equally blue, but with us, the males are so much 

 the more conspicuous of the two, that a large percentage of 

 them must be captured by birds who prey on them, and 

 hence Nature steps in and protects the less conspicuous 

 form. That this should be the female is to be expected, 

 because on her devolves the duty of egg-laying, and the pro- 

 duction of another generation. 



