184 SOCIAL LIFE IN THE INSECT WORLD 



On the morrow of the invasion I found in my study 

 eight of my nocturnal visitors. They were perched, 

 motionless, upon the cross-mouldings of the second 

 window, which had remained closed. The others, 

 having concluded their ballet by about ten o'clock at 

 night, had left as they had entered, by the other window, 

 which was left open night and day. These eight perse- 

 vering lovers were just what I required for my 

 experiment. 



With a sharp pair of scissors, and without otherwise 

 touching the butterflies, I cut off their antennae near the 

 base. The victims barely noticed the operation. None 

 moved ; there was scarcely a flutter of the wings. Their 

 condition was excellent ; the wound did not seem to be 

 in the least serious. They were not perturbed by 

 physical suffering, and would therefore be all the better 

 adapted to my designs. They passed the rest of the 

 day in placid immobility on the cross-bars of the 

 window. 



A few other arrangements were still to be made. In 

 particular it was necessary to change the scene ; not to 

 leave the female under the eyes of the mutilated butter- 

 flies at the moment of resuming their nocturnal flight ; 

 the difficulty of the search must not be lessened. I 

 therefore removed the cage and its captive, and placed it 

 under a porch on the other side of the house, at a 

 distance of some fifty paces from my study. 



At nightfall I went for a last time to inspect my eight 

 victims. Gix had left by the open window ; two still 

 remained, but they had fallen on the floor, and no longer 

 had the strength to recover themselves if turned over on 

 their backs. They were exhausted, dying. Do not 



