80 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



If other proof were wanting, this, I think, shows pretty clearly that 

 the female moth gives forth some attraction by which her presence is 

 made known to the male, and I think there must be something peculiar to 

 the female of each species which affects the males of that species only, 

 and by which they are directed to their proper mate,, otherwise all would 

 be confusion and there would be no such thing as distinction of species. 



Sembling is a method of taking the males of Bombycidas known and 

 practised by most Entomologists. Are there any instances on record of 

 the female of one species having attracted the male of another ? 



In the Canadian Entomologist, vol. iv, p. 138, Mr. R. V. Rogers, 

 of Kingston, Ont., states that a young female cecropia was confined in a 

 box and exposed on a verandah. The first night five male cecropias were 

 taken, on the second ten and on the third eight, while in the morning the 

 remains of five others were found, which he supposed had been killed by 

 cats. He also informs us that several specimens of Telea polyphemus 

 were taken in the same manner. In the Can. Ent., vol. v, p. 139, the 

 Rev. C. J. S. Bethune states that on the 19th of June, 1873, he exposed 

 a young female cecropia for several nights without success, the evenings 

 being cool. On the 28th, the evening being warm and misty, six male 

 cecropias were taken, and as the female had been so long in confinement 

 the experiment was discontinued. Mr. Bethune also tells us that he tried 

 the experiment with a female promelhea, but as the cocoon had been 

 brought from a distance, no males were attracted. 



Dr. Hagen says : " There is perhaps another circumstance in favor of 

 my conjecture. The hybrids of Tetreao cerogallus and tetrix, known as 

 Tetreao intermedia, occur notoriously always when by excessive hunting 

 the males of the first are killed in such a number that the females are 

 obliged to recur to the males of the other species. Now it is not impro- 

 bable that in times when some species of Attacus are extensively damaged 

 by parasites, the interbreeding would be much facilitated." 



(To be Continued.) 



