28 MAY 1942, Page 14

A Colour Trick

One of the most charming and popular of butterflies, the orange-ti was hatched last week in great quantity ; and though the prime beau of the butterfly is the eccentric patrol of the flight and the gene gayness of the colours, a more intensive inspection has its rewar The apparently green patch, juxta-posed to the orange, has in real' not a speck of green in its composition. It is made up of yellow a black dots, which in their smallness and the closeness of their allian deceive our eyes. We rejoice to be deceived: the bit of greenery is lovely as the green within the snowdrop, that has aroused the admiral' of more than one essayist ; or the green feathers on the wing of a t Most of the butterfly colours are true dyes, not prismatic tints as some feathers. White butterflies, the only species that does any ha are in exceptional number, and last year their immigration across North Sea was immense. It has been ingeniously suggested that if few old cabbage plants are left to flower the butterflies will lay their e preferably on these and leave our proper crops immune ; and I ha already watched them under the attraction of these blossoms.