THE COLOR-SENSE 201 



able to distinguish the color of objects. Lubbock has experimentally proved 

 that bees, wasps, and ants have this power, blue being the favorite color of the 

 honey-bee, and violet of ants, which are sensitive to ultra-violet rays. 



It is well known that butterflies will descend from a position high in the air, 

 mistaking white bits of paper for white flowers ; while, as we have observed, 

 white butterflies (Fieris) prefer white flowers, and yellow butterflies (Colias) 

 appear to alight on yellow flowers in preference to white ones. 



The late Mr. S. L. Elliott once informed us that on a red barn with white 

 trimmings he observed that white moths (Spilosoma, Hyphantria, and Acronycta 

 oblinita) rested on the white parts, while on the darker, reddish portions sat 

 CatoeahB and other dark or reddish moths. Gross observed that house-flies 

 would frequent a bluish green ring on the ceiling of his chamber ; but if it were 

 covered by white paper, the flies would leave the spot, though they would return 

 as soon as the paper ring was removed (Kolbe). We have observed that house- 

 flies prefer green paper to the yellowish wall of a kitchen, but were not attracted 

 to sheets of a Prussian blue paper, attached to the same wall and ceiling. 



It is generally supposed that the shape and high colors of flowers attract in- 

 sects ; but Plateau has made a number of ingenious experiments which tend to 

 disprove this view. He used in his investigations the dahlia, with its central 

 head of flowerets, which contrast so strongly with the corolla. He finds (1) that 

 insects frequent flowers which have not undergone any mutilation, but whose 

 form and colors are hidden by green leaves. (2) Neither the shape nor lively 

 colors of the central head (capitulum) seem to attract them. (3) The gayly 

 colored peripheral flowerets of simple dahlias and, consequently, of the heads of 

 other composite flowers, do not play the role of signals, such as has been attrib- 

 uted to them. (4) The insects are evidently guided by another sense than that 

 of sight, and this sense is probably that of smell. 



LITERATURE ON THE EYES AND VISION 

 a. General 



Series, Marcel de. Me"moires sur les yeux composes et les yeux lisses des in- 



sectes. Montpellier, 1813. 

 Miiller, Johannes. Zur vergleichenden Physiologic des Gesichtssinnes der 



Menschen uud der Tiere. 8 Taf. Leipzig, 1826. 

 Ueber die Augen des Maikafers. (Meckel's Archiv f. Anat. u. Phys., 



1829, pp. 177-181; Ann. d. Sc. nat., 1829, se'r. 1, xviii, pp. 108-112.) 

 Dujardin, F. Sur les yeux simples ou stemmates des animaux article's. (C. R. 



Acad. Sci., Paris, 1847, xxv, pp. 711-714.) 

 Gottsche, C. M. Beitrag zur Anatomie und Physiologie des Auges der Krebse 



und Fliegen. (Muller's Archiv fur Anat. u. Phys., 1852, pp. 483-492. Figs. ) 

 Murray, Andrew. On insect vision and blind insects. (Edinburgh New Phil. 



Jour., new ser. vi, 1857, pp. 120-138.) 

 Claparede, Edouard. Zur Morphologic der zusammengesetzten Augen bei den 



Arthropoden. (Zeitschr. f. wissensch. Zool., 1859, x, pp. 191-214, 3 Taf.) 

 Dor, H. De la vision chez les Arthropodes. (Archives Sci. Phys. et Nat., 1861, 



xii, p. 22, 1 PI.) 

 Landois, H. Die Raupenaugen (Ocelli compositi mihi). (Zeitschr. f. wissensch. 



Zool., xvi, 1806, pp. 27-44, 1 Taf ) 



und W. Thelen. Zur Entwicklungsgeschichte der fasettierten Augen von 



Tenehrio molitor L. (Zeitschr. f. wissensch. Zool., xvii, 1867, pp. 34-43, 

 1 Taf.) 



