Bunny Rabbit watched Him out of Sight
A BUTTERFLY PAINT-BOX
(MAY)
I wonder how many of my young readers know why these dainty flying creatures are called "Butterflies"?
We all know what butter is, and we know, too, that there are quite a number of English words which begin with "butter." It is not a pretty beginning, is it? But there it is. Let us think of a few—butter-fly, butter-cup, butter-wort, butter-fingers, butter-scotch—why, one can think of half a dozen straight away.
Now this shows us clearly that "butter" is a very old word, and that the people of long ago (who were much less clever than we are, perhaps) must have used it quite naturally when they wanted to describe anything which was squashy, or pasty, or greasy, or slippery, or yellow.
The Brimstone Butterfly
After whom all "Butterflies" are probably called