



Produced by ellinora and the Online Distributed Proofreading
Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from
images generously made available by The Internet Archive)





                  ------------------------------------

        This book has been transcribed for Project Gutenberg by
                       Distributed Proofreaders,
               in memory of our friend and colleague Emmy
          * * * Mentor extraordinaire, and so much more * * *

                  ------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Illustration:


  A
  BUTTERFLY CHASE

  Strasburgh, printed G. Silbermann.
]

------------------------------------------------------------------------




                                   A
                            BUTTERFLY CHASE.

                     TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH OF

                              P. J. STAHL.

                   WITH TWENTY-FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS BY

                            LORENZ FRÖLICH.

                             [Illustration]

                               NEW YORK:
                    D. APPLETON & CO. GRAND STREET.
                                 1869.

------------------------------------------------------------------------




[Illustration: Bertie and Minnie at desk with tools in hand, looking at
butterfly book.]

                                   I.


Yes, little Minnie and her cousin Bertie have quite made up their minds
to have a splendid collection of butterflies. They have been reading all
about it in a book which their uncle, who is a professor at the Museum,
has sent them. In this beautiful book they have learnt all about it—how
to chase the butterflies, and how to catch them, and how to arrange them
in glass cases when they are caught. Everything they want is ready for
them. Their uncle has sent with the book two butterfly-nets; a pretty
case filled with crooked scissors, tweezers, pincers, and all sorts of
sharp steel instruments; a pretty box, at the bottom of which are little
round pieces of cork, glued in rows, with long large-headed pins to run
through the butterflies; and another little box, with a lot of small
squares of glass, which are to be put over their wings to keep them
open, and prevent them from fluttering and beating about.

In the beautiful book there are pretty coloured pictures of the fine
butterflies that they may meet with in their chases, with the names of
each kind printed underneath, so that they will know them all when they
catch them.

How very interesting butterflies are!

------------------------------------------------------------------------




[Illustration: Minnie's mamma seated in a chair, looking at the children
with nets in their hands.]

                                  II.


Minnie’s mamma, who is almost like a mamma to Bertie too, though she is
only his aunt, would be very glad to see her little ones fond of natural
history, but still she does not seem quite pleased with their uncle’s
idea in sending them, not only the pretty book, but the nets and the
sharp, dreadful-looking steel things which they are to use in making
their collection. She shook her head rather sadly when she saw the
pretty nets which were to stop the butterflies from flying about so
happily, and the pins and tweezers which were to turn them into lifeless
specimens in a glass box.

But she did not wish to vex their kind uncle, who was a very learned
man, and was always thinking of collections and museums, and science and
experiments; and she did not like to tell him that she would rather her
little ones should learn about butterflies from the book with its
beautiful pictures, and from watching them flying about, and settling on
the flowers in the fields; and that she did not think it could be a nice
play for children to catch and kill the pretty harmless creatures.

------------------------------------------------------------------------




[Illustration: Minnie's mamma at the bottom of the steps as the children
are leaving with nets in hand.]

                                  III.


It is a beautiful day. Minnie and Bertie are all ready to start, with
their light gauze nets in their hands. Bertie’s is green, and Minnie’s
is blue. Bertie has slung the butterfly-box, with the corks and great
pins, over his shoulder. He looks quite like a sportsman.

They are going to the daisy field for their first chase; it is a
beautiful meadow, full of flowers, which the butterflies are very fond
of.

They say good-bye to mamma. She goes with them to the bottom of the
steps. The daisy field is not far off. From the drawing-room window dear
mamma will be able to see the chase. They have promised not to make
themselves too hot.

------------------------------------------------------------------------




[Illustration: Bertie and Minnie talking outdoors, nets in their hands.]

                                  IV.


Now they are off, armed with their nets. They are sure to have a
splendid chase. Bertie intends to catch a dozen peacock butterflies, and
Minnie a dozen emperors. That will make twenty-four butterflies.
Peacocks and emperors are the finest of all—the only butterflies they
mean to catch. As soon as they reach the field the two hunters hold a
consultation and arrange the plan of proceeding. Bertie will take the
right side of the field, and Minnie the left. They must not come in each
other’s way, only if one should want help, then the other is to fly to
the rescue.

------------------------------------------------------------------------




[Illustration: Minnie and Bertie in the field, with the donkey looking
on from the side.]

                                   V.


They walk gently along, each on the proper side, just as they agreed;
for, in the first place, the grass is very high, and that makes it
difficult to run fast; and then, of course, they must not frighten the
butterflies. They must go very cautiously, so as to take them by
surprise.

There is a donkey in the field. He looks very much astonished at
something. I think he is asking himself if the butterfly-hunters are not
come to hunt him. What an absurd donkey! to think of any one hunting
donkeys with a butterfly-net!

------------------------------------------------------------------------




[Illustration: Minnie with her leg bent, one hand holding her calf as
the other holds her net up. The donkey watches her as Bertie walks in
the background.]

                                  VI.


Everything is blooming in the meadow, the air is full of soft murmurs,
and the insects make a musical hum.

At the hunters’ approach the grasshoppers hop, the bees fly off, and
thousands of pale-blue or white butterflies seem to come out of the
flowers. But they are too small, and there are so many of them that they
do not know which to catch. Peacocks are what they want, or emperors.

Minnie finds that there are holes in the ground, hidden under the grass,
which make her trip, and there are disagreeable plants growing among the
daisies, which sting her legs, and even some that tear little slits in
her frock—but when one goes a-hunting one must not be particular;
another time she will ask for a pair of gaiters, like Bertie’s, and a
very thick frock. Mr. Donkey is very inquisitive.

------------------------------------------------------------------------




[Illustration: Bertie holds his net, watching a butterfly that is
perched on a plant nearby. The donkey is watching him and Minnie stands
in the background.]

                                  VII.


Hush!—Bertie stops all on a sudden, and makes signs to Minnie not to
stir. He must have spied a peacock. How cleverly and quietly he steals
up—nearer, nearer, without the slightest noise; he scarcely seems to
breathe. Minnie would like to run across to see the beautiful peacock.
Bertie holds up his net, all ready to catch the butterfly; the wind
puffs the green gauze a little, and Minnie’s heart beats with
impatience.

The Donkey cannot conceive what the children are doing. They seem to pay
no attention to him.

------------------------------------------------------------------------




[Illustration: Bertie on his hands and knees, looking at the net he is
holding on the ground, while the butterfly flies above. The donkey looks
over at him and Minnie stands in the background.]

                                 VIII.


All on a sudden Bertie brings down the net, and then throws himself on
his hands and knees, to make sure of his success. He must have caught
the butterfly....

No! there is no butterfly—nothing at all in the net but a bit of clover.
Bertie seems rather unhappy about it; but I know who is happy enough—the
beautiful butterfly that has had such a fortunate escape. How he soars
away! However, Bertie calls out to his cousin that it was not a real
peacock after all, which is some comfort.

The Donkey, seeing Bertie on all-fours, wonders whether he is mocking
him, and making fun of him.

------------------------------------------------------------------------




[Illustration: Minnie holding her net down.]

                                  IX.


Butterflies are very silly. I think the peacock cannot have noticed
Minnie, for he flies very imprudently close to her. Minnie will manage
much better than Bertie; yes, indeed, she is not going to let such a
beautiful butterfly get away, for he is very beautiful though he may not
be a peacock.

Pat! she has got him, and very tight too, so that he cannot possibly get
away under the rim.

------------------------------------------------------------------------




[Illustration: Minnie and Bertie looking up at the sky. The donkey is
grazing in the background, facing away from them.]

                                   X.


‘Have you got him?’ cries Bertie.

‘Yes, yes,’ answers Minnie. ‘Oh, come quick!’

Bertie runs up; but, oh, dear, the ill-natured butterfly has made his
escape through a hole in the net, which had been torn by a hedge.

He laughs at Miss Minnie, the good-for-nothing butterfly! He flies up so
high, so high, that the little hunters, gazing up at him, almost tumble
over on their backs.

But the Donkey is not going to waste his time in staring up into the
sky, and very wisely goes back to his browsing.

------------------------------------------------------------------------




[Illustration: Bertie and Minnie lying on the grass, the donkey watching
as the butterfly flies over them.]

                                  XI.


‘Let us lie down on the grass,’ says Bertie, ‘and be on the watch to
take the peacock by surprise. When he cannot see any more of us, he will
come down. Butterflies are too greedy to stay up in the air very long;
they want to come down to suck the honey out of the flowers.’

The two hunters hide themselves carefully, and wait for their revenge,
with their nets all ready in their hands. It is a long time to wait; but
if one goes a-hunting, one must have