Sports Afield: Sage of all outdoors

Sometimes in late fall and early spring, I see butterflies that seem intoxicated flopping around my wood-- pile. Something must be wrong if they haven't migrated away for the winter, right?--Connie Vorel, Naperville, Illinois

All is hunky-dory, Connie. The butterflies haven't been on a bender. I suspect you're seeing this on warm days following extended cold spells, when, in a manner of speaking, a few butterfly species will awaken from a stupor. One species is the mourning cloak, which actually goes through winter as a winged adult without hightailing it out of town. The lurching flight is probably a result of the butterflies' adjustment period as the sun warms the creatures after a winter's nap.

Though this evolutionary adaptation sounds oddly like cryogenics, butterflies actually rearrange their chemical composition to withstand cold while in a state of dormancy. They drop the temperature at which they will freeze by lowering their water content and replacing it with glycerol (oddly enough, a form of alcohol). Compare this method to that of the majestic monarch, which migrates up to 2000 miles south. As much as I like a warm place in the wter, I have to say that I find myself admiring the strategy of the mourning cloak-sleeping it off.

I saw that episode of The Simpson where Homer eats some deadly Japanese puffer fish and starts freaking out that he has 24 hours left to live. Is there any basis of fact to his fear?Trevor Smith, Maple City, Michigan

What Homer does-and what Japanese gourmands have done for centuries-is called to sashimi roulette. Eat the puffer (fugu), and roll the dice of death in a bite. In fact, one fugu has enough tetradotoxin to kill 30 humans. The toxin is 275 times deadlier than cyanide, and just one milligram (which fits on the head of a pin) can kill you. D'oh!

Despite (or because of) this potential for piscatory harakiri, the fugu is a prized dish for Japanese sashimi. Chefs must apprentice for two years to learn how to prepare the fish by removing its liver, ovaries and intestines, where the tetradotoxin is concentrated. The reward is silken flesh that packs a euphoric punch when eaten. (I've heard of chasing a buzz, but this seems extreme.) You are, no doubt, familiar with Kabuki actor Mitsugoro Bando VIII, who died in 1975 of paralysis and convulsions after eating four servings of fugu liver.

I'll leave you with the advice of Bruce W. Halstead, who writes the following in his book Dangerous Marine Mammals: "[Puffer fish] makes an excellent poisonous bait for stray cats, but a poor food for humans." And Homers.

Ready to play games with our sapient outdoorsman? Send questions to: Stump Scroppo, 2S0 W. 55th St., NY, NY 10019 or e-- mail saletters@hearst. corn.