154 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[July 1, 1S70. 



gate Forest through and through, from ten till four 

 o'clock, without seeing a single male. This, as will 

 be seen, was very remarkable. 



Tuesday, 26th. Left Brighton by tbe 11.30 train 

 for Balcombe, taking the two females with me, not 

 knowing at the time of my friend's want of success. 

 We got into the forest about one, and walked about 

 for nearly two hours without seeing a single speci- 

 men of S. carpini. My youngster, boy-like, began 

 to get impatient, when, a little before three, one 

 male came up against the wind, which was blowing 

 strongly from the S.W. After this, for about an 

 hour and a quarter, we were busily engaged in taking 

 the males, which came up singly, or in twos and 

 threes. We captured 34 specimens, nearly the whole 

 of which were in good condition. Some few, in trying 

 to reach the box containing the females, damaged 

 or slit their wings among the heather, and five* 

 which settled about the box, we failed to take, 

 simply from the inability of securing more than two 

 or three at a time. At one time we covered two 

 with our nets, while we bottled a third. Not count- 

 ing those which flew around and beyoud without 

 settling, we counted 39. These, with the 11 of the 

 day before, made up the astonishing number of 50 

 in the two days. I know that even larger numbers 

 of some species have been drawn up ; but we had 

 been told, on the authority of several entomologists) 

 that 14 was a very good day's work ; moreover, that 

 the attractive power of the female passed off after 

 the second day. This we did not credit, as we had 

 proved the contrary with the Oak Eggar. 



Now, the question naturally arises, by what sense 

 are these creatures attracted? It cannot be by sight, 

 for the females were in a box on the side of a slope 

 and the males flew across the valley and close to the 

 surface of the ground. When trying similar experi- 

 ments with other species, we purposely selected a 

 field with a wood at the end, and saw the males fly- 

 ing over the tops of the trees. If it be by smell> 

 then the odour, to us quite imperceptible, is wafted 

 to enormous distances. 



Another very natural question arises : Does the 

 same state of things prevail with other insects? To 

 this I answer, to a certain ascertained extent it does, 

 and, doubtless, the list of known examples might be 

 extended, if experiments were tried. In the case, 

 of the Apterous and Semi-apterous moths, such as 

 Orgyia, Cognostegma, and many others, the females 

 hardly move from the place where they emerge, — 

 nay, some of the Vapourers even lay their eggs on 

 the empty cocoon, and there is little to wonder at 

 in the males seeking their society ; but with those 

 species which possess the power of very rapid flight, 

 the fact of the females remaining stationary and 

 quiet is very remarkable. 



This peculiarity has long been known to British 

 entomologists. Barbut and Moses Harris practised 

 this method, which they termed " setnbling," and 



Iiaworth says, " It is a frequent practice with the 

 London amateurs, when they breed a female of the 

 Lappet moth (G. quercifolia), and some other day- 

 flying species, to take her in a box with a gauze lid 

 into the vicinity of the woods, where, if the weather 

 be favourable, she never fails to attract a numerous 

 train of males, whose only business appears to be 

 an incessant, rapid, and undulating flight in search 

 of the females. One of these is no sooner 

 discovered than they become so much enamoured 

 of their fair kinswoman as absolutely to lose all fear 

 for their own personal safety, which at other times 

 is secured by the reiterated evolutions of their 

 strong and rapid wings. So fearless, indeed, have 

 I beheld them on these occasions as to climb up and 

 down the cage which contained the dear object of 

 their eager pursuit." 



In the Zoological Journal (vol. v. p. 142) there 

 is a very curious record of observations made by 

 J. H. Davis, Curator of the Portsmouth Philo- 

 sophical Society, who being, as he says, engaged 

 in adding the British insects to the collection of the 

 Portsmouth Philosophical Society, "had procured 

 a variety of larvae. * * * They in due time had 

 passed into the pupa; and the first which emerged 

 was a female Sphinx convolvuli. On going into my 

 study in the evening I found it fluttering on the 

 floor. On lifting it up it ran up my coat, and several 

 times round the collar before I could place it in 

 safety. I went from thence into my garden, to shut 

 some hot-bed lights, where I was occupied about 

 ten minutes ; from thence again to my study, where 

 I found two fine males of Sphinx convolvuli had, 

 whilst in the garden, attached themselves to the 

 collar of my coat, where the female had previously 

 been. 



" After this, another female of the same species 

 had been produced ; three males found their way 

 into my study down the chimney, there being no 

 other mode by which they could obtain entrance, 

 and one of them fell into a vase standing under it 

 where he was captured. A few days after, two 

 females of the" Phakena salicis (satin moth) 

 emerged. On the same evening I saw several of 

 that species fluttering against the window ; and on 

 opening it six males rushed in and instantly sought 

 the females. Precisely similar circumstances took 

 place with the Phakena neustria, the males pre- 

 senting themselves at the window." 



We could give other examples to prove the point 

 that this power of " sembliug " is not confined to 

 one family of moths. We would urge those who 

 have the time and opportunity to try experiments 

 with females of each family, and see whether the 

 same law does not prevail, more or less, with all. 

 We have often seen several male butterflies round 

 one stationary female, and last autumn, wishing to 

 diminish the Tipults daddy-longlegs, I instructed 

 my youngster to collect all the females he could as 



