THE NYMPHS 



When we were children a familiar sight to us 

 on our journeys to and from school were certain 

 large round-winged tawny butterflies settling 

 themselves as best they could on the thistle blos- 

 soms. When finally engaged in exhausting the 

 sweets offered at this roadside restaurant, their 

 wings were lifted and closed and we saw on their 

 lower sides what we called " butterfly money." 

 This currency was of various denominations, and 

 near the edges were what we called " dollars " 

 broken in halves and set in a row, a fact which 

 puzzled us until we discovered the lost halves set 

 in a row on the opposite wing ; a charming lesson 

 in short division this. Some of these butterflies 

 were much larger than others, and we never 

 doubted that the smaller ones were not yet grown 

 up. It had never been revealed to us that but- 

 terflies cease growing when they attain their 

 wing's. The largest of these butterflies that 

 carried their wealth under their wings were un- 

 doubtedly great spangled fritillaries ; and the 

 smaller ones were silver-spots. We never saw 

 that buff band just inside the "coins" along the 

 edge of the lower side of the hind wings which is 

 as wide in its narrowest place on the great 

 spangled species as is the diameter of the largest 

 "dollar" on the wing ; and which in the silver-spot 



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