imi] on the Scents of Butterflies. 85 



known to 1)0 a piece of putrid meat. But iu matters of love-making, 

 the huttcrflj seems to resort for his uieans of fascination to methods 

 wliicli i-ecall the human lover with his gifts of flowers and boxes of 

 \anilla chocolate. 



The evil odours tend to be somewhat persistent. In some cases 

 liiey may be detected for a long time after the butterfly is dead and 

 stiff. The agreeable scents, on the other hand, are usually evanes- 

 cent, becoming imperceptible very soon after the insect has ceased 

 to live. On one occasion I was aljle to detect the lemon-plant odour 

 of a (^ireen-veined White when the butterfly had been dead for eleven 

 days, l)ut this is proliably an extreme case. Both kinds of odour 

 may be present in the same species ; when this is so, it is commonly 

 found that the first impression given by the butterfly is a disagree- 

 able one, the pleasant constituent only becoming apparent when its 

 distributing apparatus is specially exposed. These cases of a double 

 odour follow the same rule of repulsive scents being common to tlie 

 two sexes, and agreeable perfumes being confined to the male. 



This, ladies and gentlemen, finishes what I have to say on the 

 subject of the Scents of Butterflies. I am conscious that I stand 

 ill need of your indulgence ; as, from the force of unavoidable 

 circumstances, I have had but a short time in which to prepare this 

 Lecture. But, " qui s'excuse, s'accuse," and I trust that in spite of 

 its sketchy and imperfect character the discourse to which you have 

 just listened may have succeeded in quickening the interest that 

 most of us feel in these very attractive objects of nature, and in 

 giving fresh emphasis to the fact that the study of insects in general, 

 and of butterflies in particular, is capable of shedding light upon 

 questions of high importance in the science of biology. 



