608 Dr. G. B. Longstaff' s Bionomic Notes on Bvtterjiies. 



even the space occupied by it in the " Transactions " be 

 amply justified. 



The immortal work of Lyell, of Darwin and of Wallace 

 was largely built upon seeming trivialities, on facts many 

 of which were "obvious," and therefore to some persons 

 uninteresting. But with what different eyes do we now 

 look upon those same facts, filled as they are with new 

 meaning ! Surely present-day naturalists cannot do better 

 than follow humbly in the footsteps of those " old masters " 

 — observe, record and arrange facts — extract and dress the 

 ore ready for some future metallurgist to smelt, so that 

 some future smith may have the wherewithal to forge 

 useful tools or works of art. 



Far more experienced observers than the writer have 

 unfortunately lacked the time or the inclination to place 

 their facts on record. Indeed it is one of the saddest 

 things in the history of science that so much knowledge 

 has perished with the gleaners.* Again, though the facts 

 may have been recorded it is surely well that they should 

 be confirmed, even time alter time, before hasty inferences 

 are drawn. Yet again, it is surely desirable to find out 

 how far the facts extend, to what species, genera, families ; 

 to what degree they are developed ; whether they vary in 

 the two sexes, in the individual, the species, the genus; 

 how they are distributed in space and time and season. 

 Lastly, it is just possible that here and there a seemingly 

 small fact, a residual j^henomenon of real import, may 

 have hitherto escaped observation, or at any rate may not 

 have been recorded. 



With this apology the following somewhat disjointed 

 notes are communicated, notes on observations made for 

 the most part in the West Indies or Ceylon, but some in 

 other lands and some in Devonshire. Previously recorded 

 kindred observations of the author's are referred to in foot- 

 notes, and occasionally quoted in full, with a view to 

 focussing, as it were, all the scattered facts, in the hope of 

 illuminating even to a small degree sundry holes and 

 corners in the great mystery of evolution. 



§ 1. Scents. 



It is now four years since Dr. F. A. Dixey drew atten- 



* Col. C. T. Bingham's diaries wei'e in my mind when writing 

 this ; he died the week after the paper was read ! 



«l 



