77 

 fgCIENTIFIC NOTES. 



The Genus Hepialus {continued from p. 56). — The males oi hectus 

 fly in a somewhat similar fashion to those of humuli, backwards 

 and forwards, like a pendulum, but there is this difference between 

 them : Hiimuli generally selects an open place, and exposes himself 

 as much as possible, flying generally three or four feet from the ground. 

 Hectus, on the other hand, will conmience his motions on the sheltered 

 side of a bush or large fern, or in some other secluded spot. He flies 

 a shorter distance, too, before he turns, and altogether behaves in a 

 quieter and more retiring manner than does his bigger brother. Mr. 

 Barrett was the first to detect the manner in which the male hectus 

 attracts his partner. He found it flying freely at Canaster Wood, and 

 as he wanted some specimens for the museum, he took as many as he 

 could during the few minutes it remained on the wing, in all forty 

 males and four females. The remainder of the passage had better be 

 given in his own words : — " To the fortunate circumstance of taking so 

 large a number perfectly fresh, 1 attribute the discovery of a fact which 

 I have not seen recorded — that this species, when in fine condition, 

 diffuses a very decided perfume, almost exactly the same as the 

 perfume given off by the larva of Papilio machaon, when the forked 

 tubercle is extended, and more like that of ripe pineapple than any 

 other perfume of which I know. I noticed it faintly when turning the 

 moths out of the pill-boxes, but when a number were pinned into a 

 box it became very noticeable indeed. It was confined to the male 

 moth, and seemed especially to come from the curious bladdery 

 termination of the aborted hind legs, but of this I am not positive. It 

 certainly does not continue to be observable when the moths get worn. 

 I suspect that it has some connection with the curiously inverted habits 

 of the sexes in Hepialus, and seems to attract the females" {E.M.M., 

 vol. xix., pp. 90-91). Subsequently (September, 1886), Mr. Barrett 

 returned to the subject : — " I have again noticed the very distinct and 

 even powerful perfume of pineapple given off by the male Hepialus 

 hectus, and now think that it is connected with rather abnormal sexual 

 habits in this species. One evening, in June, they commenced flying 

 very early (about half-past eight o'clock) in broad daylight, and on 

 capturing some males, which were quite freshly out, I noticed the 

 perfume very distinctly. Presently, while watching two males oscilla- 

 ting in their peculiar manner in a little space enclosed by two or three 

 bracken fronds, I saw a female flying along, when she entered the 

 space, she flew against one of the males, buzzed about a little, and 

 then settled on one of the bracken fronds, where she hung with 

 quivering wings. Instantly the male began to search for her, not, 

 apparently, assisted by vision, but buzzing blindly up and down and 

 around the spot until he came in contact with her quivering wings. 

 This proceeding was so surprising that I watched further, and presently 

 another female went through a similar performance, and then a third, 

 the males in each case being within a very small space regularly 

 oscillating until discovered and interrupted. Yet the males were not 

 plentiful at all, and bracken was, of course, very abundant, and the 

 female, coming from a distance, had, apparently, no reason for flying 

 into the little space occupied by the males, unless, as seemed evident, 



