A FAIRY FAUNA 65 



seldom flies until disturbed. A brown, a skipper, the 

 small heath, a small copper — these are some of the 

 most common species. Most abundant is the little 

 pale blue of the chalk downs ; in fact, he outnumbers 

 all the others together. Sitting on the grass, you can 

 sometimes count as many as thirty or forty fluttering 

 about in sight and near you at one time. It is curious 

 to note that the hue of the sky and atmosphere 

 on this insect's wings appears to have " entered his 

 soul," to make him more aerial in habits, more light- 

 hearted and playful in disposition than his other- 

 coloured relations. If one has ever seen the great 

 blue Morpho butterfly of the tropics, one recalls its 

 wonderful beauty, soaring high in the simlight, its 

 colour changing in depth at every moment; now 

 pale as otir pale little blue of the downs, now azure, 

 now deepest sapphire; and now flashing white as 

 polished silver, or as crystal. This is the angel 

 among butterflies, as our small blue of the downs 

 is the fairy; and, wide apart as they are, it is the 

 heavenly hue in both that distinguishes them above 

 other creatures of their class. 



As a compensation for their greater activity the 

 little blues have a shorter day than the other kinds; 

 like little children who have been running about 

 playing all day long, they go to bed early. Before 

 six o'clock, when other butterflies are still abroad 

 and active, when the sun is more than two hours 

 from setting, and the humble-bee has yet two hours 



