A MOUNTAIN TOP. 
1 8 
jokes. The greatest naturalists of this century have sug- 
gested, without any joke, that the loveliness of butterflies 
has been evolved by sexual selection, which would imply 
a faculty in them of discerning and enjoying what is 
beautiful in colour and form far above what average man- 
kind has ever attained to. However, there is another 
possible explanation of their presence here. I am inclined 
to believe that many butterflies are fond of soaring in the 
air, like birds of prey, though their small size makes it 
impossible for us to see them, and that they come down 
to the peaks to rest. As Euplcea core sails up and down a 
shady lane and the dusky Satyrs dance round the root of 
a tree, so, I imagine, do these bold spirits disport them- 
selves in the blue empyrean. 
There can be no doubt that fancy flying is an exercise 
in which those animals which are fitted to excel in it find 
great delight. To birds that can sail, like eagles and 
vultures, a windy day is as frost to skaters ; and who has 
not seen the kites collect to enjoy the great gust that 
precedes a thunderstorm ? Others sport with eddies and 
currents, where the wind is turned by a steep hill or a high 
tower. Years ago I used to notice the swallows amusing 
themselves in this way at the Bund Bridge in Poona. The 
