The Fairy Moths. 73 



the shadow of twilight or night do they come out to look 

 for their favourite food. And the protective instinct 

 is further seen in the fact that the upper wings are 

 usually a dull colour, that of the tree on which they 

 rest by day. Over in one of the cottage gardens not 

 far off, there, are gay clusters of evening primroses, 

 that nod and waver in the wind as I pass. It may 

 be that our beautiful red underwings and eggars 

 are making their way there to give and take after 

 nature's higher law of exchange. The moths retire 

 at dawn, when nature is just preparing to bring on 

 her army of day-workers, and, like too many invalids, 

 they fall into a profound slumber by three o'clock in 

 the middle of summer, and remain through all the 

 hours of sunlight as completely invisible as though 

 they were not. Lovely moths ! 



Thus my fishing for roach and tench has led me to 

 love this pond, where I am often to be found ; and my 

 love for the pond has gotten me many delightful friends 

 and acquaintances (who are not, like too many worldly 

 ones, prone to leave one just when they are most 

 needed), and these delightful friends and acquaint- 

 ances have done not a little to widen my sympathies, 

 if they have not helped to quicken my observation, so 

 that you are not surprised — as I, at least, hope you are 

 not — that I have even deemed it worthy of record alike 

 from pen and pencil. 



