All to the haven where each would be—
Fly.
In Nevada County great flocks of them have been seen, following the course of a stream downwards from the mountains towards the sea. Before they reach the end of their journey they scatter, for although they appear in Bolinas suddenly and in large numbers, no flock has ever been seen approaching en masse.
The Monarch is of a reddish chestnut-brown, veined with black and bordered with a band of black which is ornamented by two rows of small white spots. The under side of the wings is paler, an ashy buff color similarly veined and bordered. The butterfly is large, measuring between four and five inches from tip to tip of outstretched wings.
When these butterflies arrive, the air seems full of them, hovering, flitting, whirling like brown autumn leaves caught in a gust of wind. Having reached their winter home they swarm on a cypress tree which affords the best shelter during wind and storm. Each year they come, not only to the same grove, but to the very same tree, and always to the southerly and easterly side of it. This tree is within sight and sound of the surf which perhaps reminds the butterflies of the roar of rushing streams and waterfalls in the mountains whence they came. Is it instinct, or scent, or the climatic advantage of some especial tree which guides them in their choice? It is certainly a mystery that a newly arrived flock should choose the identical tree which was the home of their predecessors the winter before; for they migrate but to end their days, and can not return to show the way to their progeny which will hatch next spring into stupid caterpillars having no desire but to eat till their time for sleep arrives. The instinct or intelligence of the awakened butterfly is inexplicable.
On sunny days the Monarchs feast on the flowers that bloom all winter in the village gardens, calla lilies, marguerites and heliotrope being their favorites. One day a bee and a butterfly were vying with each other for the possession of a marguerite. The butterfly alighted on it first, but the bee buzzed his way in under the wings of his rival who, realizing that his companion was dangerous, flew off, leaving the bee sole possessor of the coveted flower.
At evening the Monarchs return to the grove where they may be seen hanging on the cypress branches. A tree appears brown, as if covered with dead leaves, as the butterflies, in countless thousands hang close together with folded wings to conserve the warmth of their frail bodies. In stormy weather they remain thus dormant for days and even weeks, benumbed by the cold, yet clinging fast to the branches. Many, however, are wrenched from their places of refuge and lie scattered on the ground like a carpet of fallen leaves.
One evening a number of these which had hardly a spark of life remaining in their water-soaked bodies as they lay on the grass, were picked up and brought into the house where a fire of driftwood blazed bright on the hearth. The butterflies soon revived in the warm atmosphere, hung themselves to the curtains in lieu of trees and went to sleep for the night. Next morning dawned bright and clear. The captive Monarchs awakened early and flew away, happy, when the window was opened to release them.
The many birds that choose Bolinas as their winter home would have a feast if these butterflies were edible, but Monarchs are protected by an acrid secretion which is distasteful to birds, and enjoy a long life on this account, living not only all winter, but long enough to taste the sweetness of the spring wildflowers.
The Monarchs are great migrants. They have crossed the Pacific Ocean, probably on ships, and have reached the Philippine Islands and Australia.