The Swan And Her Crew Part 28

"Don't be in a hurry, d.i.c.k; wait until it feels secure and gorges itself a bit," said Frank.

d.i.c.k listened to his sound counsel, and waited as patiently as he could for a few minutes, and then he raised his net, and with a single leap reached the spot where the carcase lay, and brought the net down over dog and b.u.t.terfly together.

[Ill.u.s.tration: GREEN WOODp.e.c.k.e.r.]

"I have got it!" he exclaimed.

"That's right; and you have got a lot of maggots in your net as well, and stirred up the stench most tremendously. Make haste and kill the b.u.t.terfly and come away, or you will catch a fever," said Jimmy.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BLUE b.u.t.tERFLY.]

The gorgeous insect having been secured in d.i.c.k's collecting box, they went off in search of other prey. On a common just beside the wood they found abundance of the beautiful blue b.u.t.terflies, which shone like flakes of summer sky, and also the small copper b.u.t.terfly, which rivals the most brightly burnished copper in its sheen. These were playing about in the greatest abundance, the small coppers settling on a blue flower, or a blue b.u.t.terfly on a red flower, forming most artistic contrasts of colour.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE HAUNT OF THE PURPLE EMPEROR.]

From its throne on the top of a tall nettle, where it sat fanning the air with its black, crimson-barred wings, d.i.c.k captured a magnificent red admiral, and shortly after another of the same species. Gorgeous as the upper surface of the wings of this b.u.t.terfly is, the under side is quite as beautiful in a quieter way, with its delicate tracery of brown and grey.

While d.i.c.k was setting the b.u.t.terfly in his box, Frank leaned against the trunk of an oak-tree, and as he did so he caught sight of a moth which was resting upon it. It was a large thick-bodied moth, and d.i.c.k on being appealed to said it must be a buff-tip moth, from the large patches of pale buff colour at the ends of its wings. Frank said,--

"I should not have seen that moth if my face had not almost touched it.

Its colour suits the tree-trunk so admirably that it looks just like a piece of the rough bark. I suppose it knows that, and rests on the oak-tree for safety."

"Yes," said d.i.c.k; "I have read that many moths and b.u.t.terflies are so like the substances on which they rest by day, that they can scarcely be distinguished from them, and of course there must be a meaning in it.

The lappet-moth looks exactly like two or three oak-leaves stuck together, and its wings are folded in a peculiar manner, so as to keep up the delusion. There are caterpillars too which can stiffen themselves and stand out on end, so as to look like sticks."

"It is the same with birds'-eggs," said Frank. "Those which are laid on the ground without any attempt at concealment are of such a colour that you can hardly see them. For instance, take a partridge or pheasant. How like their eggs are in colour to the dead leaves of the ditch where they nest. The same with the lapwings, and all the plover tribe. Coots and water-hens' eggs are so like their nests, that at a little distance you cannot tell whether there are eggs in or not."

"I wonder," said d.i.c.k, "if birds take any pleasure in the prettiness of their eggs. If so (and I don't see why they shouldn't), there is a reason why birds which build in bushes and branches of trees should have pretty coloured eggs, as they have, and why birds which build in dark holes should have white or light-coloured eggs, otherwise they would not see them at all."

"That is a very ingenious theory, d.i.c.k, and it may have something of truth in it," answered Frank.

That night was a still, warm night, and the moths were out in abundance.

As soon as it became dark they all went out with a dark lantern to hunt them, and they were very successful. As they were returning home they pa.s.sed by an old wall covered with huge ma.s.ses of ivy. d.i.c.k going close to it said,

"Do look here. There are hundreds of tiny sparkles. What can they be?

Why, they are the eyes of moths. The ivy is covered with the moths, feeding on the flowers. Look how their eyes gleam." And truly it was a marvellous sight. When they turned the light of their lantern on them they saw that the moths were busy with a curious silent activity, flying from flower to flower, sipping their sweets.

"There are so many that I hardly know how to set about catching them,"

said d.i.c.k. "Many of these must be rare and many common."

"Sweep the face of the ivy all over with your net as rapidly as you can, and keep them in your net until we get home, and then we can kill and pick out all that you want," counselled Frank.

d.i.c.k followed his advice, and with a dozen rapid sweeps of his net he seemed to have filled it. Closing the net by turning the gauze over the ring, they walked quickly back to the boat-house, and carefully closing the door and window, they opened the net and let them all out into the room, and then caught them singly. In a couple of hours they found that they had secured about fifty specimens, comprising twenty different species.

During the summer a strange creature which fed on the potato plants had much frightened the country people, who thought it a sign of a coming plague. It was a large caterpillar, of a lemon-yellow colour, with seven slanting violet stripes on each side and a horn on its tail. The people in the neighbourhood of Hickling, knowing that Frank and his companions were fond of collecting such things, brought some to them, and by this means they became possessed of more than thirty specimens. They were the larvae of the death's-head moth, the largest of all our British moths. It is remarkable not only for its size, but for two other things, each of which is very curious. On its thorax it has a perfect delineation in white of a skull, or death's head, with a pair of cross-bones below it.

In addition to this singular mark, it--and it alone of all our moths and b.u.t.terflies--has the power of making a squeaking noise, which it does when it is touched or annoyed. How it makes this noise no one seems to know. At least there are so many conflicting opinions that the matter may be said to be still in doubt.

The boys fed the larvae on potato-leaves put in a box in which there was placed about six inches of earth. When the larvae had finished their eating, they dived into this earth and turned into the pupae state. In the autumn the perfect moths came out, but only about half of the number reached the final stage. The others died in the pupae state. However, d.i.c.k had plenty of specimens for his cabinet and for exchange.

CHAPTER XXIX.

How to Attract Perch.--Perch-fishing.--Pike.--Good Sport.-- Plaster Casts.--Model Eggs.

"I say," said Frank, "you remember when the minnows ran at the caddis-worms in their transparent cases, but could not eat them?"

"Yes."

"And you know what shoals of perch there are about the broad, and how difficult it is to drop upon them, because the water is so shallow and clear?"

"Yes."

"Then what would you say to putting a quant.i.ty of minnows in gla.s.s bottles, and sinking them in the broad, in a good place, for two or three days? I think a lot of perch would collect together and prowl about trying to get at them, and then we could go and catch any quant.i.ty of them, live baiting with minnows."

This project was agreed to unanimously, and after a day or two, the boys were busily engaged in collecting wide gla.s.s bottles, or wide-mouthed jars, and in fishing for minnows, of which they got a considerable number by diverting the current of a brook, and baling the water out of a pool in it.

They had managed to obtain about a dozen large gla.s.s bottles or jars.

They filled these with water and put a number of minnows in each, and then corked them up, making holes through the corks to admit fresh water and air to the prisoners. These bottles and jars were conveyed to a spot where perch were in the habit of congregating,--near an island of reeds, where the water was about five feet deep, with a fine gravelly bottom such as perch delight in. The large shoals of perch which roamed about the broad were very often to be met with here, and it was a favourite fishing place of the boys.

One Friday night they took the yacht to this spot and moored her there in a convenient position, sinking the bottles and jars from six to twelve feet distance from her, so as just to be within easy reach of their rods. Leaving the yacht there they rowed back in the punt. The yacht was pleasanter to fish from than a small boat, and they took her there overnight to avoid making a disturbance in the morning.

On the Sat.u.r.day morning they rowed to the spot in the punt, armed with their rods and bait-cans filled with minnows. Getting quietly on board the yacht, so as to avoid any concussion of the water, they peered into the clear depths. Two of the jars were easily to be seen, and round each of them was a circle of perch, or rather several circles, for next to the jar were some very large ones with their noses placed against the gla.s.s. Behind these large perch were others, in circles of gradually lessening size, until they came to the very small ones, which were there, not so much attracted by the minnows as hanging on of necessity to the tails of their elders.

The boys laughed quietly to each other at the success of their experiment. They had certainly succeeded in drawing the fish together.

d.i.c.k was the first ready. He had baited his hook with a live minnow, the hook being run through the skin of its back near the back-fin. As the minnow sank through the water, and before the float touched the surface, there was a general rush of the perch up towards it. d.i.c.k pulled his bait out of the way of some small ones which were rushing at it, and then the largest of the shoal, a patriarch of about four pounds in weight, came hurtling at it, dashing the others to right and left of him. The poor minnow made a futile attempt to escape the wide open jaws, but it was of no use, and they closed upon it and the hook together. d.i.c.k struck and hooked the perch, which immediately made a spirited rush straight away. On being hooked it had blown the minnow out of its mouth, and it was eagerly snapped up by another perch. d.i.c.k's perch fought very gamely, and Frank and Jimmy forbore to put their lines in until it was secured, for fear of fouling. After a very sharp struggle d.i.c.k drew the perch within reach of a landing-net, which Frank slipped under it and lifted it out. It was a beauty, in splendid condition, its black bars being strongly marked across its golden scales.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PERCH AND GUDGEON.]

Frank and Jimmy now put their lines in, while d.i.c.k was rebaiting. In less time than you can say "Jack Robinson" they each had a fish on, both of them good ones. And now the sport was fast and furious. As fast as they put in they had a bite, the perch even following their struggling companions to the top of the water as they were being drawn out. The very large ones soon grew wary, but the smaller ones, fellows of about half to three-quarters of a pound, seemed not to have the slightest shyness, and rushed to their fate with the greatest eagerness. The floats lay for a very short time on the water before they went under with that quick dash which characterizes a perch's bite.

"Here's a gudgeon in the bait-can," said Jimmy. "I will put it on my hook and try for a big one. It may be tempting."

He did so and threw it in. Immediately the float went under water with such swiftness that he knew he had hold of a big one and he struck, to find his rod bending double and his line running rapidly off the reel with the rush of a large fish.

"You have got a big one," said Frank. "Let him have line."

Jimmy did so, until the line was nearly off the reel, and then he was compelled to give him the b.u.t.t. The line stood the strain, and the fish was turned and came back slowly and sullenly, while Jimmy wound in his line. The fish allowed himself to be drawn up close to the yacht, and they saw it was a large pike, and then it went off again. This time the rush was not so long or strong, and after two or three rushes of lessening power, the pike was drawn within reach. Frank unscrewed the net and fixed the gaff-head on the stick, hooked Mr. Pike through, and hauled him in. It weighed nine pounds. Jimmy was proud of having conquered it with a light rod and line not very well adapted for pike-fishing.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PIKE.]

Towards noon the wind began to rise, and as the clearness of the water was then destroyed by the ripple, the big perch lost their caution in consequence. The small ones now left off biting, possibly beginning to see that it was not a profitable occupation. Presently the sport altogether grew slack, and as it was then three o'clock, and the boys had been too busy to eat anything, they left off for lunch. After lunch Frank said,--

"I am sated with slaughter; and as there is such a nice breeze, let us sail about the broad."