That lovely butterfly, the Silver-washed Fritillary, has a _penchant_ for settling on the bramble, which {48} justifies the preference by proving itself the insect's best friend; but withal a most provoking opponent to his would-be captor, who may get him safely within the net's mouth at the first stroke, when, ten to one, the trusty bramble-hooks clutch into the gauze, and effectually prevent the quick turn of the net that should close it, while the prisoner, seeing his chance, darts out with a sharp rustle that one's irritated feelings easily interpret into a derisive laugh. But experience will in time teach the fly-catcher the required adroitness to avoid this humiliating defeat. * * * * * {49} CHAPTER V. HOW TO KILL A BUTTERFLY--AN APOLOGY--A TEST FOR LUNACY--CHARGE OF CRUELTY AGAINST ENTOMOLOGISTS--THEIR JUSTIFICATION ATTEMPTED--PAINLESS DEATH--CHLOROFORM--SETTING BUTTERFLIES--CABINETS AND STORE BOXES--CLASSIFICATION--LATIN NAMES--SAVING TIME AND MONEY. Having complied with the old adage, "First catch your hare," the next point naturally is--how to cook it. So, having caught our butterfly, what are we to do with him?--a question that generally resolves itself firstly into HOW TO KILL A BUTTERFLY. This truculent sentence may, I fear, look like a blot on the page to some tender-hearted reader, and, in truth, this killing business is the one shadow on the otherwise sunshiny picture, which we would all gladly leave out, were it possible to preserve a butterfly's beauty alive; but this cannot be done, and yet we have made up our minds to possess that beauty--to collect butterflies, in short; there is but one way for it, and so a butterfly's pleasure must be shortened for a few {50} days, to add to our pleasure and instruction, perhaps for years after. In the time of the great Ray, in such mean repute was the science of entomology held, mainly, I believe, on account of the _small size_ of its objects, that an action at law was brought to set aside the will of an estimable woman, Lady Glanville, on the ground of _insanity_, the only symptom of which that they could bring forward in evidence was her _fondness for collecting insects_! But this was some two centuries ago, and matters have greatly mended for the entomologist since then. Now he may collect butterflies, or other flies, as he pleases, without bringing down a commission "_de lunatico_" on his _head_, but still the goodness of his _heart_ is sometimes called in question, and he has to encounter the equally obnoxious charge of _cruelty_ to the objects of his admiration--that, too, from intelligent and worthy friends, whose good opinion he would most unwillingly forfeit. He, therefore, is naturally most anxious that those friends should be led to share his own conviction, that the pursuit of entomology--the needful butterfly killing and all included--may be not only not cruel, but actually beneficent in theory and practice.