ORGAN OF HEARING. 107 



seeing me, it receded. Upon my making a slight 

 but distinct noise, its antennae started : I repeated the 

 noise several times, and invariably w^ith the same 

 effect, A beetle {Harpalus), which I was holding in 

 my hand, answered the sound in the same manner 

 l*epeatedly, I will now mention another effect that I 

 observed, still more remarkable. A little moth was 

 reposing upon my window; I made a quiet, not loud, 

 but distinct noise : the antenna nearest to me im- 

 mediately moved towards me. I repeated the noise 

 at least a dozen times, and it was followed every 

 time by the same motion of that organ ; till at length 

 the insect, being alarmed, became more agitated and 

 violent in its motions. In this instance, it could not 

 be touch ; since the antenna was not applied to a 

 surface, but directed towards the quarter from which 

 the sound came, as if to listen." It is necessary, 

 however, to remark, that there is a want of pre- 

 cision in these experiments, us no precautions are 

 mentioned to have been taken to hide the cause of 

 the noise from the eyes of the insect. 



*' It has been used as an argument," he continues, 

 " that the antennae are primarily factors or instru- 

 ments of touch, that a four-winged parasite fly 

 {Foenus jaciilator, Fabr.), before it inserts its ovipo- 

 sitor, plunges its antennae into the hole forming the 

 nidus of the bee, to the grub of which it commits its 

 egg. But had those who used this argument mea- 

 sured the antennae and the ovipositor of this ich- 

 neumon, they would have discovered that the latter 

 is thrice the length of the former : and as these in- 

 sects generally insert it, so that even part of the 

 abdomen enters the hole, it is clear that the antennae 

 cannot touch the larva ; its object therefore cannot be 

 to explore by that sense. Others suppose that by 

 these organs it scents out the destined nidus for its 

 eggs; but Lehmann has satisfactorily proved that 

 they are not olfactory organs. We can therefore only 



