THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
7 
In life thou didst adorn and feed 
Thy mighty sire, — this insect nurse ; 
By death from that sweet service freed 
Thou didst become a fairy hearse, 
Wafting to some place of rest 
Death’s image, Resurrection’s hope, 
Warmly swathed in silken vest, 
Till birds again their bosoms ope. 
For e’er so long decay shall spare 
The texture of that curious fold. 
Then, Insect, leap into the air, 
Then , useful leaf, return to mould. 
Return, — and, whilst that tiny wing 
Sparkles among the leaves of May, 
Sap from thy very dust shall spring 
To clothe the wood some future day. 
E. H. 
November 10, 1858. 
AN APRIL DAY. 
When now the sun, with rays 
So long averted, has returned again, 
’Tis sweet to wander in the woods, or 
gaze 
In silence o’er the plain. 
I love the season well, 
The fragrant earth is peopled with light 
forms, 
All clad in fairy hues, which come to tell 
An end of winter’s storms. 
O’er all the scene a birth 
Of buds and blossoms, tight in Nature’s 
arms 
Is clasp’d, while to the listening mother 
earth 
The winds sing of their charms. 
The lark on high betimes 
The Maker’s praise thrills out in rap- 
turous rounds, 
The leader of the birds whose concert 
chimes 
In most harmonious sounds. 
And when the twilight shades 
Steal o’er the world, and the long 
quiv’ring beams 
Of golden light gush softly through the 
glade 
In soft effulgent streams, 
The little elfin world 
Of insect-race dance forth and revel 
in the flood 
Of light, to music of their own, while 
furled 
O’er field, and plain, and wood, 
Yet hangs Night’s curtain ; then 
As stealthy night creeps on, and as she 
goes 
Lets fall the folds, her silence says to 
men, 
That thus their lives shall close, 
However bright hath been 
Their April day, the evening leads, 
like this, t 
To darkness, which is but the veil between 
Now and to-morrow’s bliss. 
A Japanese Moth Fable. — “This 
moth (a beautiful species of Japanese 
night-moth) is about four inches long, 
slender, round-bodied, with four wings, 
two of which are transparent, and con- 
cealed under the other pair of wings, which 
shine like polished metal, and are most 
curiously and beautifully adorned with 
blue and gold lines and spots. The fol- 
lowing graceful fable owes its origin to the 
matchless beauty of this moth : — All 
other night-flies fall in love with it; and, 
to get rid of their importunities, it 
maliciously bids them, as a trial of their 
devotion and constancy, to go and fetch 
it fire. The blind lovers, obedient to 
command, fly to the nearest lamp or 
candle, and never fail to get burned to 
death .” — * 1 Japan and her People ,’ by 
Andrew Steinmetz. 
