PSYCHE. 



ON THE MATING INSTINCT IN MOTHS. 



BY ALFRED GOLDSBOROUGH MAVER, CAMBRIDGE, MASS. 

 [Annual address of the retiring president of tlie Cambridge Entomological Club. January 12, 1900.] 



During the past summer the author 

 carried out a series of experiments to 

 determine tlie nature of the mating in- 

 stinct of Callosamia promethea. 



A large number of the cocoons of 

 this moth were kindly collected for the 

 author by W. L. Tower, Esq., in the 

 neighborhood of Cambridge, Mass. ; 

 and others were found by the writer at 

 Maplewood, N. J. Altogether 449 

 cocoons were obtained during the win- 

 ter of 1S9S-99. These were allowed to 

 remain out of doors in Cambridge 

 where they were exposed to the winter's 

 cold, and then on May 5th they were 

 taken to Loggerhead Key, one of the 

 Dry Tortugas Islands, Fla. 



This situation was most favorable for 

 the prosecution of the experiments, for 

 the insect does not extend south of the 

 Carolinas, and thus the moths were 

 separated many hundreds of miles from 

 others of .their species. Moreover Log- 

 gerhead Key is a small sandy island, 

 surrounded by many miles of ocean, 

 and thus no interference with the ex- 

 periments could come from the outside. 



The cocoons were hung under the 



shade of some trees, where they were 

 protected from the direct rays of the 

 sun. It was remarkable that all but 

 five of the moths (3 ? and 2 ^ ) issued 

 from the cocoons during the early morn- 

 ing hours between sunrise and eleven 

 o'clock. 



The following table will show the 

 rate at which the moths issued from the 

 cocoons : 



Date. No. of No. of Total. 



M'y iS 

 ■9 



25 

 26 



27 

 2S 



30 

 3" 



June I 



Date. No. of No. of Total- 



d'cT ?? 



J'ne8 I I 2 



■) 6 I 7 



10 13 3 16 



15 

 16 



■7 

 iS 



24 

 25 

 26 

 27 



65 



176 



