282 Transactions. — Zoology. 



and glass, to see whether they would attract females by 

 calling, and have taken the cage into the bush. Unfortunately 

 my experiments have failed so far, as the male has refused to 

 utter a sound beyond an indignant squeak quite distinct from 

 his usual call. 



Cicadas do not seem to indulge much in flight, and, con- 

 sidering the numbers there must be about, 1 have seen very 

 few on the wing except when they have been actually dis- 

 turbed. Their sluggishness may be accounted for by the fact 

 that these insects are perfectly defenceless, their only protec- 

 tion being their protective colouring, and their greatest safety 

 lies in sitting still. The great majority of unarmed insects, 

 which are well adapted to their surroundings, sit fairly close. 

 This is the case with the cicadas. Several species will allow 

 the branch on which they are sitting to be roughly shaken or 

 even struck with a stick within a few inches of themselves 

 without moving ; and yet this is no proof that they have no 

 sense of touch, for to such insects immobility is their safest 

 course up to a certain point. 



I cannot see that there is any impossibility for insects to 

 possess additional senses which we have not. I need only 

 mention one instance. It is well known that termites have 

 no eyes, yet any one who has observed them will have noticed 

 that they can perceive light — even to the slightest ray they 

 show a strong dislike. Now, what is the nanxe of the sense 

 which enables them to do this ? It cannot bo sight, for they 

 are blind ; neither can it be any of the four senses as we 

 understand them, for to our ideas light has no smell or taste, 

 and is inaudible and intangible. I should very much like to 

 see the solution of this problem. 



Akt. XXIII. — DescriptioJis of Tivo New Si^iccies of 

 Lepidoptera. 



By E. F. Hawthobne, 



[Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 9th September, 



1896.] 



The two insects here described appear, on the evidence avail- 

 able, to be each eminently distinct from the previously known 

 forms of their respective groups. For the purpose of facilitat- 

 ing identification, those words which are descriptive of the 

 specially distinctive characters of each species are printed in 

 italics. 



