ON THE FUNCTIONS OF THE ANTENNAE. 593 



nor its larva could find its food after the removal of the antennas, 

 and that Flies of the genera Sarcophaga, Calliphora, and 

 Cynomyia were unable to discover a large piece of rotting flesh 

 when the antennae were removed, although they were flying 

 in a room in which it was freely exposed. He also states that 

 males of Melolontha vulgaris, Saturnia pavonia, and Ocneria 

 dispar, seldom found the females of the same species, even 

 when confined in the same case with them, after their antennas 

 had been removed, and contrasts their behaviour with that of 

 entire insects. 



Forel [194] removed the wings of some Bluebottle-flies 

 (Calliphora) and placed them near a decaying mole ; they 

 immediately walked to it and began to lick it and lay their eggs 

 upon it. He then took them away and removed their antennae, 

 after which, even when placed close to the mole, they did not 

 appear to perceive it. Plateau* made experiments on four 

 Cockroaches (Periplaneta), from two of which he removed the an- 

 tennae, and from the other two the palpi. The insects were under 

 observation from June 29 to July 31, in a glass vessel in which 

 a card box was placed containing bread moistened with beer. 

 Those without the antennas, with a single accidental exception, 

 never found the food, whilst the others were observed feeding 

 almost every day. Lubbock [276] states that Ants withdraw 

 their antennas when stimulated by the odour of musk, and 

 Graber himself found that a Beetle (Silpha thoracica) showed 

 no perception of asafoetida after the antennas were removed, 

 although it responded to stimulation by oil of rosemary. 



Oil of rosemary gives off an irritant vapour, whilst asafcetida 

 is a true odour. All the essential oils give rise to taste as well 

 as olfactory sensations, and are also direct irritants acting on 

 the respiratory tract. Probably the statements made by authors 

 as to the persistence of the sense of smell after the removal of 

 the antennas are due to their having used essential oils and 

 other irritants, like ammonia, sulphurous acid, or vinegar to 

 test the olfactory sense, instead of non-irritant odours. 



Hygroscopic Function of the Antennae. Lehmann [261] and 

 * Ann. Soc. Entom. Belgique, torn, xxx., 1886, p. cxx. 



392 



