84 THE YOUNG 
to possess. Long and silently I watched 
them as they constantly charged and 
dashed against the glass of the windows. 
Evidently they could see one another 
through the glass, or were possessed of 
some other means of communication. 
It took me some time and much trouble 
to capture and confine in my closet the 
flying beauties that were in my room, 
after which I boldly lowered the upper 
sash of the window, when in flew all those 
that were outside. Quickly closing the 
window, they were safely imprisoned. 
Fearing that those confined in the closet 
might injure themselves, I released them. 
Well, it was a beautiful sight, this bed- 
room full of butterflies. I sat on my bed 
and watched them circle and float about 
in graceful curves, and when they passed 
through the bright moonlight, it was as- 
suredly a fairy scene from the fairyland 
of Nature. For an hour I remained per- 
fectly quiet, so absorbed was I in wonder- 
ment as to how this curious event had 
come to pass. At last I was aroused from 
my reverie by becoming conscious that 
the atmosphere' of the room was being- 
charged Avitli a very peculiar and pene- 
trating odor ; it was not absolutely dis- 
agreeable, but was certainly very oppres- 
sive, and it seemed to me that as the 
mysterious odor increased, the butterflies 
seemed to divide into couples as they 
continued their merry moonlight dance. 
At last the odor becoming so oppressive, 
I remarked to myself, "A. W. E., don't 
it strike you this atmosphere is becoming 
a little too tropical ? Hadn't you better 
lock your door on the inside, get out of 
the window, slide down the kitchen roof 
to the garden, and take a sleep with the 
cows to-night ? Mark you, it will never 
do to go down the stairs, for there's two 
that squeak dreadfully Avhen trod upon 
after ten o'clock at night." This being 
the true state of affairs, I turned to the 
window from out of which I intended to 
make my exit, and was astonished at be- 
holding almost as many butterflies flut- 
tering about the outside of the window as 
was contained in the first congregation 
that I let into the room only an hour be- 
fore. " Oh ! come in, come right in ; don't 
be bashful, odorous fairies of the moon- 
SCIENTIST. 
light! Take full possession of my bed- 
room, and have a good time I" I ex- 
claimed, at the same time pulling dowm 
the upper sash and letting them in. Then 
raising the lower sash, out I went. Early 
in the morning I was up and in my room 
again ; not a soul knew or suspected that 
I had been " out all night." My room 
was a sight to behold ! On the walls, on 
the bed-clothes, on bunches of autumn 
leaves, on rustic-work, were plastered 
strings and masses of small eggs of a dull 
yellow color, and in every direction hung 
the butterflies, listlessly, as if tired or 
weary, hardly moving a wing. Poor 
things ! if they had not been confined in 
this room, but had had their freedom,, 
they would have deposited these thou- 
sands of eggs on the young* and tender 
leaves of the elder. When I took mother,, 
father and brother to my room to see this, 
wonderful assemblage, and related my 
adventure of the previous night, they 
could hardly credit it. I asked them what 
was best to be done with so many beauti- 
ful butterflies. They were unable to ad- 
vise me, till my brother happened to re- 
member a doctor and druggist who lived 
near by, and who was quite a naturalist, 
and suggested that I take a specimen to 
him and ask his advice on the subject. 
The result of this intei'view I will give in 
the next issue of the Young Scientist. 
Casting in Plaster of Paris. 
BY MARK MALLETT. 
I. Tlie Material and its Preparation —The 
Moulds and How to Make Them, 
^^^lOME knowledge of the art of 
S^^H casting in plaster is essential to 
those who model, since without 
wIb'^i^ it they have no means of giving 
l)ermanence to their work. There are 
also other purposes for which it may be 
both useful and interesting; for casts- 
may be made from various objects, nat- 
ural or otherwise, and applied, as I pro- 
pose to show, to practical and decorative 
ends. 
Plaster, commonly termed " plaster of 
Paris," from having in the first instance 
been brought to this country from the 
quarries and works of Montmartre, near 
that capital, is made from alabaster or 
gyi^sum. This mineral, more scientific- 
ally known as sulphate of lime, consists 
