254 CHARLES W. HARGITT 



would give signs of reaction by becoming restless, edging side- 

 wise, forward, and finally in flight, alighting in open sun. One 

 of the unusual phases intimated above was noted upon two 

 specimens, namely, while resting and oriented in about normal 

 manner, with wings spread wide and flat, they would slowly 

 close them over the dorsum. While in this pose, if a shadow 

 were cast upon the specimen, its reaction would be an imme- 

 diate spreading of the wings. Upon removing the shadow the 

 wings would again close over the back; and repeating the shadow 

 the same reaction would occur. This experiment was repeated 

 upon one specimen seven times at intervals of from 15-20 seconds. 



To test whether this particular form of reaction was due to 

 sudden visual reflex the interposition of the shadows was made 

 so gradually as to render any such reaction rather improbable, 

 or again by sudden thrusting of the shadow upon the body to 

 induce such reflex. But it was not evident that the reaction 

 was wholly visual. 



Another feature of the observations today was the fact that 

 no selection was apparent upon the part of specimens as to the 

 place of coming to rest. For example, they frequently came to 

 rest on the open, spreading leaves of the mandrake, leaflets of 

 cohosh, grass blades, etc., and in some cases nestling down 

 among grasses, utterly indifferent to the hazy shadows of such 

 positions. In other cases they would alight on dead stumps, 

 naked limbs, flat stones, etc., and almost invariably with the 

 head directed upward, sometimes at an angle of 20-30 degrees 

 from level of the ground. In only one case in all the observa- 

 tions was a specimen seen to alight upon a tree trunk. 



Sense of locality. It was frequently noted that a given speci- 

 men showed some sense of particular locality. For example, 

 it was often observed that a specimen at rest and oriented in 

 a given place would arise in chase of a passing specimen and 

 after a buffeting flight together for some distance the first speci- 

 men would return and alight in the same spot from which it 

 had taken flight. This was seen so many times that there hardly 

 seems doubt of the fact that it reveals a sense of locality almost 

 as marked as by such insects as bees. Reference will be made 

 to this matter in a later section in connection with the question 

 of sex attraction. 



My next observations of importance took place at Woods 



