lO SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 63 



According to Marcel de Serres (1811 ), even if insects have their 

 olfactory organs located at the entrance of the respiratory organs, 

 the view that the palpi serve as organs of smell does not contradict 

 the former view, because the palpi communicate both internally and 

 externally with the air. This view resembles Duponchel's theory 

 ( 1840) , except that the latter author considers the antennae of certain 

 water insects as having a respiratory function. Duponchel thought 

 that the antennse were provided with minute perforations through 

 which the air passed. 



Newport (1838) performed many experiments with certain insects 

 (Sylphffi) and he concludes that they find their food by smell but he 

 did not think that the olfactory organs are found either in the 

 antennas or spiracles. He says : 



Hence, I think it must appear * * * from the motion of tlie palpi and the 

 avidity with which the insect darted upon the food when held in front of it, 

 it seems but fair to conclude that the sense of smelling must certainly reside 

 in the head. 



AVe may include Newport with those who believe that the palpi 

 are the seat of olfaction. 



Driesch (1839) favors the opinion that the seat of the olfactory 

 organ is located in the palpi. 



Perris (1850) found that after the amputation of the- palpi insects 

 showed none or only a very little sensibility to odors. In the articu- 

 lates the sense of smell resides in the antennae and in the palpi ; but 

 the antenna; are destined to perceive odors from both afar and near, 

 while the palpi perceive odors from afar only. As far as the palpi 

 are concerned he thinks that the seat- of smell lies in their last joint. 

 Cornalia (1856) also shared this view. 



Plateau (1885) performed many experiments by cutting ofif the 

 palpi. He ascertained that the amputation of both maxillary and 

 labial palpi did not destroy the olfactory sense. 



Wasmann (1889) favors the view that the group of delicate peg- 

 like papillae on the tips of the palpi probably function as olfactory 

 organs. 



To ascertain whether the palpi of the honey bee bear the organs 

 of smell, the author cut off the labial palpi and maxillae of 19 workers 

 at their bases. When put into observation cases these bees appeared 

 normal in all other respects, but certainly were not completely normal, 

 for they lived only 24 hours on an average. When tested with the oils 

 of peppermint, thyme and wintergreen, honey and comb, pollen and 

 leaves and stems of pennyroyal their average reaction time was 4 



