278 C. H. TURNER AND E. SCHWARZ. 



wire and represented by many thousands on a moist block of 

 artificial stone which they got to from the nest by means of a 

 long stick as bridge, it was first observed by Mr. Middleton 

 that the noise of thunder and of blasting rocks was followed by 

 a quick and very remarkable departure of almost all of the ter- 

 mites towards the nest. The blocks of stone weighed some sixteen 

 pounds each and rested in a large pan of water on a firm wall of 

 stone, so that it seemed likely that the concussion of the air 

 came to the termites directly and not as a tremor of the stones 

 they were clustered on. The same precipitous flight of the multi- 

 tude of termites from these stones to the nest along the bridge 

 was brought about by dropping a board upon the concrete floor 

 with a loud crash. Even the clapping of hands, which probably 

 shook the stone foundation but imperceptibly, served to drive 

 the termites back to the nest. . . . Attempts to influence the 

 termites by blowing horns of various pitches near them failed 

 though considerable disturbance of the air was produced." 



Montgomery ('10), after reviewing all that had been written 

 on the auditory powers of spiders, concludes that spiders are deaf. 



The above is not an exhaustive discussion of the published 

 research work on the auditory powers of insects other than the 

 Lepidoptera; yet, we trust it is sufficient to show the inharmon- 

 iousness of the results of different investigators. 



To the best of our knowledge, the first published results of 

 experiments upon the auditory powers of butterflies and moths 

 is an article by Romanes ('76) which appeared about thirty-six 

 years ago. The portion referring to the Lepidoptera is so short 

 that we quote it in full. "It seems worth while to add a few 

 words with respect to the sense of hearing in insects. So far as 

 I am aware, the occurrence of such a sense in this class has never 

 been actually proved. Although on a priori grounds there can 

 scarcely be any doubt concerning the fact of some insects being 

 able to hear; seeing that in so many species stridulation and other 

 sounds are made during the season of courtship. In the case of 

 moths, however, I believe that sounds are never emitted except, 

 of course, the death's head moth. 1 It therefore becomes inter- 



1 Romanes was mistaken when he asserted that the death's head moth is the 

 only Lepidopteran than produces sounds; for the literature contains records of 



