March, 1877.] 217 



ON STEIDULATION IN THE GENUS ACHEHONTIA. 

 BY A. H. SAVLNTON. 



The mouse-like cry of the European death's-head moth has long 

 engaged the attention of naturalists, as may be seen in an article by 

 H. N. Moseley, Profs. Westwood and Eolleston, in the number of 

 " Nature " for June 20th, 1872. Remimur says the sound is produced 

 by the friction of the haustellum against the palpi ; Roesel considers 

 it due to the friction between the abdomen and thorax ; Rossi to ex- 

 piration of air from the haustellum ; Schroter to the friction of the 

 haustellum and head ; Engramelle says it proceeds from the " spallette ;" 

 and Lorey from expiration at the base of the abdomen ; Passerini from 

 the haustellum, caused by expiration from a suction cavity at its 

 origin ; Chavannes and B-ochebrune have also written on the subject. 

 Then Burmeister thinks the seat of the voice is in the head ; Vallot 

 and Johet consider it is produced by loing -percussion ; Wagner says it 

 is due to expiration from the large vesicles at the anterior part of the 

 abdomen, through the oesophagus and haustellum ; Duges that it 

 proceeds from the friction of the opposite edges of the two halves of 

 the haustellum ; and Nordmann from expiration at the base of the 

 abdomen. Duponchel and Guerin next refute Passerini, and state 

 that the sound arises from the friction of the pro thorax on the scutel- 

 lum, and Groureau says it arises from a crumpling of the plates foi'ming 

 the integument of the abdomen ; Abicot refutes Gonreau, and Ghiliani 

 confirms Passerini ; Paris ascribes it to a fluid forced up and down 

 inside the haustellum with the assistance of the palpi ; and Landois to 

 the friction of the palpi against the haustellum ; J. Van der Hoeven 

 says it proceeds irom friction at the basal portion of the haustellum ; 

 Westmaas confirms Passerini and coufutes AVagner ; Capronnier says 

 an imago with a deformed head was mute ; Edward Newman, E. A. 

 Johnson, W. II. Taylor, and the Rev. T. A. Preston, repeat the theories 

 of Lorey and Passerini ; and lastly, H. N. Moseley confirms the theory 

 of Passerini, and gives a diagram and description of the cavity ^nd its 

 muscles. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY.* 



Reaumur. Mem. p. serv. a I'hist. des Ins., ii, 173G, pp. 289 — 293. 

 RcESEL. Insecten-Belustigung ; NUrnberg, 1755, § 16. 

 Rossi. Opuscoli scelti ; Milano, 1782, v, pp. 173—188. 

 ScnEOTEB. Der Naturforscher, xxi, 1785, pp. 66 — 83. 

 Engeamelle. Papillons d'Europe, iii, 1782, pp. 84 & 85. 



* Extracted from " Nature," vol. vi., pp. 151—153, with some addition. 



