l6 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 63 



Forel (1874, 1885) says that myricids (ants) appear to have the 

 sense of touch highly developed m the antennae, while in the antennae 

 of Tapinoma (ants) the sense of smell is better developed. If indi- 

 viduals of either genus are deprived of their antennae they cannot 

 guide themselves and are not able to distinguish companions from 

 enemies or even to discover food placed at their sides. While de- 

 prived of the anterior part of the head and of the entire abdomen 

 they preserve all their faculties. The same author (1878a) claims 

 that the moving-back and forth of the wino;s enables insects to scent 

 certain substances by means of their antennae. Olfaction may cause 

 certain flying insects to proceed in a given direction. 



Forel (1878b) used three wasps that had previously fasted. The 

 first was left intact, both antennae of the second were cut ofif, and the 

 anterior part of the head up to the compound eyes of the third was 

 cut oiT. After a short rest a needle dipped in honey was brought near 

 the first insect. It at once directed both antennae toward the needle 

 with rapid movements and followed the needle when it was slowly 

 moved away. Exactly the same thing took place in the wasp with the 

 anterior part of the head cut ofif, and thus with the nerve endings of 

 the mouth, the pharynx, and Wolfif's olfactory organs lacking. It 

 was quite different with the one with the removed antennae. It re- 

 mained near the needle motionless, did not react to honey at all, and 

 did not follow the needle. 



Forel (1908, p. 92) cites some of his experiments performed in 

 1878. He found the putrid bodies of a hedgehog and -a rat infested 

 by a swarm of carrion-feeding beetles belonging t-o several genera. 

 He collected more than 40 specimens from the carcasses and removed 

 their antenna?. Then he placed them all at one place in the grass and 

 moved the dead bodies a distance of 28 paces from the beetles and 

 concealed them in a tangle of weeds. Examination the next day re- 

 vealed the fact that not one of the mutilated beetles had found the 

 carcasses, and repeated experiments gave the same results. No beetle 

 without its antennae was ever found on the dead animals, although at 

 each examination new individuals of the several species were present. 

 On the supposition that the mutilation itself might make the beetles 

 abnormal to such an extent that they did not care to eat, Forel next 

 cut off all the feet on one side of the body from a dozen beetles with 

 their antennae intact and changed the location of the dead bodies 

 again. The next day five of this lot were found on the carcasses. 



Trouvelot (1877) performed various experiments on the antennae 

 of many butterflies, several promethea silkworm moths, and some 



