SEEING BY AID OF THE LENS. 



407 



FIG. 1. FIG. 2. 



MOTH ANTENNA. BUTTERFLY ANTENNA. 



shaped; in the butterfly (Fig - . 2) In- 

 dian-club shaped. It is interesting to 

 examine these antennae under a me- 

 dium power microscope, where may be 

 clearly seen tiny pits, evidently the 

 location of certain nerve cells. These 

 very small pits cannot be clearly seen 

 in a photomicrograph, which partakes 

 more or less of the nature of a silhou- 

 ette. 



Experiments have been made with 

 insects by removing the antennae. 

 This from one point of view seems to 

 be a cruel operation, but probabl} r does 

 not inflict pain in the same sense or at 

 least not to the same degree as with 

 higher forms of animal life. Those 

 who have experimented along this line 

 find that the removal is borne by dif- 

 ferent insects in different ways. Some 

 bear the loss without much appa- 

 rent discomfort as they may live 

 for months, while others die in 

 the course of a few days. Those that 

 seem to be the least injured are those 

 whose antennae have been removed in 

 hibernation. Experiments have been 

 made by coating the antennae with 

 liquid paraffine, thus excluding the air, 

 and the result upon the actions of the 

 insect is the same as if the antennae 

 had been removed. Probably one of 

 the most curious and elaborately con- 

 structed of all these organs, (Fig 3) 

 is that of the Melolontha beetle. 



Under the microscope these resem- 

 ble a Japanese fan. Even to the naked 

 eye, or to the simple pocket lens, the 



appearance is noteworthy. With a 

 higher magnifying power, each of these 



leaf-like bodies exhibits a structure 

 which, in detail, suggests a honeycomb. 

 Here is a good field in which a nature 

 student may make careful study. Not 

 only are the forms interesting, but it 

 would be valuable to know just how 

 these strange forms are used. One 

 wdio has watched ants even casually 

 cannot have failed to observe that at 

 times they touch each other much af- 

 ier the manner of two human beings 

 who meet and shake hands, although 

 the results of these touchings seem to 

 indicate that some idea has been con- 

 veyed from one insect to the other. 

 It would be interesting, for example, 

 to find out to what extent insects can 

 smell with their antennae. Experi- 

 ments have shown that they are useful 

 as olfactory organs for a short distance, 

 or perhaps, as in some cases when the 

 male is seeking a mate, they may be 

 a guide for at least several rods. Some 

 experimenters claim that perhaps they 

 may serve as guides for several miles, 

 but it is easy to let iact merge into 

 fancy when 'leading with such natural 

 objects. 



FIG. 3. ANTENNA OF MELOLONTHA 

 BEETLE. 



