34 
the markings in the ribbon-like portion, as well as having a pedicle 
similar to that possessed by the blues. Investigating this family, I 
found the same story told throughout—a distinctive scale, ribbon- 
like and tasseled, on every male of the family, but never a scale of 
such a character on the females. In each of the families described, 
there is generally a difference of wing markings between the males 
and females, occasionally they resemble each other, and some few 
insects have been found with the wings on one side with the male 
markings and on the other with the female markings. It would be 
very curious to find out if, with this assumption of marking, they 
also on the male-marked wings had this undoubted sex distinction. 
There is only one other family of English butterflies possessing, as 
far as I have been able to make out, a characteristic scale, and that 
is the Argynnide or Fritillaries, or at least these among them the 
underside of whose wing is marked by mettallic spots. The male 
scales are of a very decided character, differing essentially from 
those of the Pieride on the one hand, and from the Hipparchie, 
which they somewhat resemble, on the other. Some are of a very 
long, narrow, and ribbon-like form, with the tassel at the apex, 
while others are shorter and broader. Some too, like the Hippar- 
chice, are nearly opaque, except at the apex, while others have the 
ribbon-like portion opaque for one-half its length. The position of 
these scales on the wings differs from that of any others we have 
described, for instead of being placed in rows beneath the ordinary 
scales, they are situated on the black veins of the upper surface, 
and have mingled with them in some species very peculiar Indian- 
club-shaped scales or hairs. Mr. Watson, whose opportunities of 
examination have been far greater and more extensive than my own, 
has found plumules, as he calls them. on 80 genera of butterflies, or 
nearly 600 species. In every case they were found on the male 
species alone. We consequently draw the inference, a very rea- 
sonable one, that battledores, tasseled scales, or plumules, wherever 
found, are characteristic of sex. What purpose they serve in the 
animal economy is not yet clear, their paucity or abundance on 
individuals cannot be, as some have suggested, marks of greater or 
less virility, because as we have seen scales do not grow with the 
age of the individual, nor do you find more scales on one freshly 
emerged butterfly than another of the same species: they may 
render the males more buoyant on the wing, but here we are met 
by this difficulty well known to field entomologists, the females are 
more rapid in most cases than the males. They seem rather to be 
the type of the beard in man, the mane in the lion, the comb in the 
cock, or the more brilliant plumage of some birds, and possibly to 
insect eyes, render their possessors more attractive than the duller 
coloured and non-plumuled sisters of their species. There are many 
debated points of structure we scarcely feel justified in touching on, 
because we have rather dealt with the scales as a means of differen- 
