The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-09-03
A TAME BUTTERFLY.
How 1t Was Kept, Trained and Fed
for Several Months.

The butterfly seems to be born and to
| die three times; but 1t is only a case of
| progressive development. accomplished in
| the midst of an apparent torpor. The cat
| erpillar already contains the rudiments
| of all the forms that it is to take on in
| succession. The anatomist discovers in it
| three creatures, one encased within the
| other; and the third is enveloped in a
| double winding sheet, which 1t finally
| throws off, to appear in all its beauty.
One cold, bleak November morning,
VIXEN all nature wore the sullen aspect of
the English climate at that season, a lady
that had just risen from a bed of sick
ness. went into an adjoining apartment,
where she was %astonished and delighted
to perceive a beautiful butterfly in the
window. As the sun came out for a brief
| bright space, It fiuttered joyously about
| the window, I'M impaired to the sick
| room an air of cheerfulness and hope.
| Toward evening the tiny creature dropped
it's wings, and the lady placed 1t in a glass
| tumbler on the mantelpiece. During the
| night a hard frost came on; the room
was very cold, and in the morning the
butterfly lay in the bottom of the tumbler
apparently dead. The invalid, grieved
that her gentle companion OF the previous
day should so soon perish, made some
effort to restore its fragile existence. She
put it in her own warm hand, and,
breathing upon it, perceived fhat it gave
signs of returning animation; she then
once more placed it in the glass tumbier
on the rug before the fire.
Soon the little insect spread out its
many colored wings and flew to the win
dow, where the sun was shining brightly.
By-and-by, when the sun retired; the win
dow panes grew cold and the butterfly
sunk down on the carpet again, appar-
emily l~ifeless. The same means were used
to restore animation, and with the same
success.
This Attenuation of life and death went
on for many days, till at last the little
thing became quite tame, and seemed to
be acquainted with its benefactress. When
she went to the window and held out her
finger it would, of its own accord, hop
upon it; sometimes it would settle for an
hour at a time upon her hand or her neck
when she was reading or writing.
It's food consisted of honey, a drop of
which the lady would put upon her hand,
when the butterfly would uncurl its sucker
and gradually sip it up; then 1t usually
slipped a drop of water In the same way.
The feeding took place only once in three
or four days.
In this manner its existence was pro-
loNged through the whole winter and part
of the following spring. AS 1t approached
the end OF It's career its wings became
quite transparent and its spirits apparent
" detected. 1t would rest quietly in the
t1,mbler ever when the sun was wooing it
to come out, and at last, one morning in
April. it was found dead.
BY the transformations of The butterfly
- 1901. ffxvn/ GroakG fBrfHad tho
change that takes place in mar when the
soul passes from its earthly existence,
enters Upon a spiritual life n realizes
fhe gIories and splendors of a happy i'm
morfality.-Our Animal Friend.