"The principal danger around here is stepping into something wet and sticky," said Sessily.

"Come; let's get our wings and leave; I can barely breathe because of the fearful chi fe

"Do you know what colors you want?"

"Let's get some blues and greens from that tree yonder, and some reds and yellows, from over there, a few blacks and purples and that should do nicely."

' The life cycle of the butterfly is of considerable interest. After abandoning its wings, it makes for the sea, but not without adventure along the way. First die grubs must pass hummocks of cemented soil four feet high from which issue parties of warrior insects, who seek to capture or kill the grubs and carry them back into the hummocks. The grubs are neither helpless nor overmatched; with jets of ink they first blind their adversaries, then nip off their heads, and proceed. Across Alaroli Meadow ferocious battles rage, while the ex-butterfly hordes march past unheeding.

Arriving upon the beach the grubs, having toiled so far, and now but ten yards from their goal, find a new hazard:

darting, swooping birds. The survivors of this depredation face one last danger: the yoot, a bulky animal, hybrid of mandoril and rat (mandoril hybrids are widespread across all ofCadwal), lethargic of habit, wandering die beach, sucking up grubs through a long proboscis. A repellent creature, semi aquatic with hide mottled pink and black, the yoot exudes a noxious odor, as do many other creatures ofCadwal.

The grubs which have escaped warrior insects, birds and animals still number in the millions. These plunge into the surf, to begin a new phase in their remarkable life cycles.

Among the rocks and reefs close to shore the ex-butterflies consume plankton, lose their legs, form a flexible carapace, a fishhke tail, and, indeed, presently become fish six inches long. Reacting to some mysterious signal, they swim to the east and away from Deucas, to begin a migration which will take them hallway around the world. Finally they arrive at a place south of Hcce, where an enormous bank of seaweed is trapped in a curl of the ocean current. Here the ex-butterflies, now foot-long fish, breed and lay eggs in the seaweed. With their destiny fulfilled, they die and float to the surface. The eggs hatch into kril, feed on the carcasses of their parents. Growing and undergoing ten molts to the condition of nymphs, the creatures crawl out on the seaweed and dry their wings. In due course they flutter into the air, and without ceremony depart for the west coast of Deucas.

They picked their way carefully across the meadow to the specified trees. With the net Glawen caught the wings as they drifted down from above and turned them over into the baskets: first, emerald green and blue, then pomegranate red and rich yellow, and finally purple, black and white.

Sessily stood, hesitant. Glawen asked: "Is this enough?"

"I'm sure it is," said Sessily.

"I'd like some of those yellow-reds and greens, but it's too far to walk, and this smell is making me sick."

"I see another reason," said Glawen in a suddenly flat voice.

"Let's get back to the flyer, and fast."

Following his gaze, Sessily saw across the meadow a long massive beast, black except for its white oddly human face.

It trotted on six taloned legs and clasped a pair of hooked pincers to its chest in the attitude of prayer. This was the semi-intelligent Muldoon tangle-top, so named for the squirming black tendrils at the top of its head.

Glawen and Sessily started back toward the flyer, as inconspicuously as possible, but the tangle-top instantly noted the movement. It turned and trotted forward, denying them the refuge of the flyer.

The creature halted a hundred feet away to appraise the situation, then uttered a querulous whine, a rumbling rasping groan, and with dire deliberation began to stalk them. , Glawen said between clenched teeth: "My father was right, as' always." He pulled the heavy pistol from his belt and aimed it toward' the tangle-top, which stopped short; from somewhere it had learned that men pointing weapons were even more dangerous than itself. It;

gave another querulous whine, then turned and ran on long loping lunges to the beach, where it pounced on one of the yoots. A horrids squealing protest became a mournful sobbing sound, then silence.

Glawen and Sessily had long since run to the flyer, where they;

packed baskets and net and without delay took the flyer aloft..

Glawen spoke in heartfelt emotion: "Safety! I've never appreciated;

it so much!"

"It was nice of the beast to go away," said Sessily.

"Very nice. It decided to give me another chance. My hands were, shaking so badly I could never have hit it. I wonder if I could have;

pulled the trigger ... I'm not pleased with myself." :!

Sessily said soothingly, "Of course you would have hit it, no doubt:

in some very painful place. The beast realized this. Also, I told it to:

go away."

"You did what?"

Sessily laughed airily.

"I used telepathy and told it to run off. It recognized a stronger will than its own and obeyed me."

"Hmf," muttered Glawen.

"Shall we go back and try again?"

"Glawen! It's wicked to tease me so. I was only trying to help." Glawen brooded: "I wonder if we should tell anyone what happened. It may sound too alarming, like a dangerous emergency--which it was."

"We'll say nothing about it. Do you feel hungry?"

"I still feel nothing but fright." Sessily pointed.

"There's a nice hilltop where we can have our lunch."

Early in the afternoon Glawen and Sessily returned to Araminta Station. Glawen landed the flyer in the park at the back ofVeder House, where Sessily alighted with her wings, net and picnic hamper. Glawen then flew the Mitrix to the airfield and landed beside the hangar.

Chiike came out to greet him.

"How went the butterfly hunt?"

"Quite well," said Glawen.

"Sessily is pleased with her wings."

Chiike looked over the Mitrix.

"The flyer seems to be in one piece. Why are you so pale?"

"I'm not pale," said Glawen.

"At least I don't think I am."

"I'd call you just a bit spooky."

"For a fact, there was something, but I don't particularly want to talk about it."