More Beetles 



plans Is that from Les Cloches de Corneville, 

 With this lure shall I secure the attention of 

 a Cockchafer, a Capricorn or a Cricket? 



I begin with a Capricorn, the little Ceram- 

 byx cerdo. I seize the moment when he is 

 courting his mate at a distance. With his 

 delicate antennae extended motionless, he 

 seems to be making enquiries. Now, melodi- 

 ously, Les Cloches de Corneville ring out: 

 ding-dong-ding-dong. The Insect's medita- 

 tive posture Is unchanged. There Is not the 

 least tremor, not the least Inflexion of the 

 antennae, the organs of hearing. I renew the 

 attempt, altering the hour and the degree of 

 daylight. My experiments are useless : there 

 Is not a movement of the antennae to denote 

 that the Insect pays the least attention to my 

 music. 



The same result, with the Pine-chafer, 

 whose antennary leaves retain exactly the 

 same position as when all was silent; the 

 same result with the Cricket, whose tiny, out- 

 stretched, thread-like antennae should vibrate 

 easily under the Impact of the sound-waves. 

 My three subjects are absolutely Indifferent 

 to my methods of exciting emotion : not one 

 of them gives a hint of feeling any Impres- 

 sion whatever. 



208 



