OUR PHLOXES AND HELIOTROPE 175 
den at night when the stars are keeping watch. We 
know that moths come out then which are not here 
in the day; and perhaps some little animal comes 
to the edge of the wood-border, and looks at our 
flowers with his bright eyes. In the mornings we 
find our garden glistening with dew which no one 
sees forming; and twice in the soft earth I have 
noticed footprints that were unknown tO' me. 
The most dreadful thing in the world to hear at 
night is a screech-owl, to be awakened by its moan- 
ing, piercing cries, and to- be obliged tO' listen to it 
until near dawn. Lately Mr. Percy told us that, 
although these birds make such a melancholy noise 
at night, they should be welcome because they eat 
mice and help to keep the heliotrope from being de^ 
voured by cutworms. 
These hateful cutworms come out at night. In 
the daytime, like screech-owls, they hide themselves 
away. It would be hopeless, therefore, for Joseph 
and me to try to pick them from the heliotrope 
leaves which suit their appetites so well. The 
screech-owl knows their ways, and in the night, 
when they are having a good feast, this sharp-eyed 
bird catches and eats them, and all to the benefit of 
our heliotrope. 
I wonder if I have written before about the helio- 
trope-bed. It is one of the smaller beds of the tri- 
angle in which, in May, we set three do'zen plants 
bought from the nursery. We kept their buds 
nipped off until they were well rooted, and since 
