o allude?"

"To that of a Caterpillar," rejoined the Philosopher.

"Caterpillar!" echoed the Butterfly, and "Caterpillar!" tittered all his
volatile companions, till the air seemed broken into little silvery waves
of fairy laughter. "Caterpillar! he positively thinks we were once
Caterpillars! He! he! he!"

"Do you actually mean to say you don't know that?" responded the
Philosopher, scandalised at the irreverence of the insects, but inwardly
rejoicing at the prospect of a controversy in which he could not be
worsted.

"We know nothing of the sort," rejoined a Butterfly.

"Can you possibly be plunged into such utter oblivion of your embryonic
antecedents?"

"We do not understand you. All we know is that we have always been
Butterflies."

"Sir," said a large, dull-looking Butterfly with one wing in tatters,
crawling from under a cabbage, and limping by reason of the deficiency of
several legs, "let me entreat you not to deduce our scientific status from
the inconsiderate assertions of the unthinking vulgar. I am proud to assure
you that our race comprises many philosophical reasoners--mostly indeed
such as have been disabled by accidental injuries from joining in the
amusements of the rest. The Origin of our Species has always occupied a
distinguished place in their investigations. It has on several occasions
engaged the attention of our profoundest thinkers for not less than two
consecutive minutes. There is hardly a quadruped on the land, a bird in the
air, or a fish in the water to which it has not been ascribed by some one
at some time; but never, I am rejoiced to say, has any Butterfly ever
dreamed of attributing it to the obnoxious thing to which you have
unaccountably made reference."

"We should rather think not," chorussed all the Butterflies.

"Look here," said the Philosopher, picking up and exhibiting a large hairy
Caterpillar of very unprepossessing appearance. "Look here, what do you
call this?"

"An abnormal organisation," said the scientific Butterfly.

"A nasty beast," said the others.

"Heavens," exclaimed the Philosopher, "the obtuseness and arrogance of
these creatures! No, my poor friend," continued he, addressing the
Caterpillar, "disdain you as they may, and unpromising as your aspect
certainly is at present, the time is at" hand when you will prank it with
the gayest of them all."

"I cry your mercy," rejoined the Caterpillar somewhat crossly, "but I was
digesting a gooseberry l