The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-02-23
COULDN'T RAISE BUTTERFLIES.
How an Effort to Make London Streets
Gay Came to Naught.
London Graphic.

When ii was cabled over a year ago that
so unitarian a body as the London County
Council had actually decided to raise but
TEXTILES so as to make the city parks and
streets more attractive very few believed
the story true. 1t was, however, and, de-
spite all warnings as TO the danger of in
PRODUCING a caterpillar plague into the parks
and streets the authorities went about the
fanciful business very seriously, but, very
unexpected, without results. According to
the Graphic the experiment was conducted
as follows: "A little stern busineSs-like
greenhouse, resembling the first great ex-
travagance of a botanical clerk in his
suburban villa, was erected in the students
garden in Battersea. 1t was a delightful
spot for the experiment, shut in from all
observation by fringes of bushes and trees,
made beautiful by the trim beds, laid out
in their families, and by the rougher trial
beds, and quite free from disturbance, even
from students. The spot was well selected
for the good work A modern Titan might
have painted the picture of the plans as
the birthplace of the butterflies only he
would have had to idealiZe a little the
cradle. to-wit, the stiff greenhouse.
The park keeper who fulfilled the Of
flee of nurse TO the butterflies was not
loath to show off the number of children
under his care. The little glass and wood
erection was as ugly inside as out, its sole
apparent ornament a decaying creeper. But
a further study revealed a very wealth of
chrysalis forms. They chung to every cor
ner and cTeVice Of the building. jostling
each other down the four chief corners and
central stand.
"A chrysalis at best is not a beautiful
or inspiring object, but the host of dull
play with the glory that should emerge
Three varieties were selected by the en-
genealogical London County Council as at
once hardy and beautiful-the Common
White and TOrtOlse-shell and the Red Adj
miral-and very gorgeous they would look
over the geranium beds and the plumbagOs.
But, alas for the picture, q doom worse
A
close inspection of one chrysalis revealed
a single minute hole in the top. as If some
one had pricked 1t with pin as a boy
pricks an egg for blowing purposes. Like a
blown egg the chrysalis gave TO pressure.
1t was nothing but a shell and within no
fat promise Of beauty. but little dust.
as ii were the last ashes.
Like the golden boys and girls the
bright butterfly TO be had come too soon to
dust. Putting the disappointment aside,
we Inspected and touched another There
was the same pin-prick, the same crumb-
ling OF the she'll the same scattering of
the ashes. Sadly with the keeper we con-
tinued the inspection. The tale was repeat
ed in every case and when we had crushed
between our fingers twenty cases the task
became too lugubriOus and we left the rest
of the collins cenOtaphs all, to their rest
taking away but two for inspection
II was not difficult TO gather the cause
Into the larva had been stung, or laid
the word is a synonym with this animal
the eggs OF the chalciS, little beast more
abomnable. in spite OF his diminutive size
than the house fly. The eggs had duly pro-
duced their brood, perhaps a score or two
in each chrysalis, and when the larva was
exhausted and food run short they had
punctured the cell and escaped into a larger
worm.
The London County Council had counted
without its chalcis. vicious insect that
can reproduce its kind with such rapidity
was given every advantage by finding its
friend the enemy confined in narrow a
space. From what we know OF the ravag-
Ing capacity Of this fly, whose varieties are
unnumbered, IL is highly probable that not
a single chrysalis has escaped. The Lon
don County Council might better have left
the pill-box house unbuilt. for IL they had
left the chrysalises TO take their chance in
the decent Obscurity OF a patch OF nettles
some at any rate, would have survived
However. like the good boy in the story
the London County Council must try again
Their aesthetic reputation is at stake.