VARIOUS FUNCTIONS OF ANTENNA. 367 



to the motions of insects must have seen the 

 antennae actually employed as it were in exploring 

 the number or nature of objects immediately 

 around. From these and the preceding remarks, 

 it becomes manifest, that, next to the organs 

 of sight, the antennas are most important and 

 useful appendages to the body of the insect. 

 When we consider the various purposes they 

 serve, we become much perplexed to understand 

 how it is possible for one organ to fulfil such 

 varied duties ; nor can it be explained. We are 

 unable to conceive of the senses of insects except 

 by comparing them with our own ; and in our 

 case there are no organs which can receive, 

 and, at the same time, communicate, intelligence. 

 Our ears, eyes, nose, and the other organs of the 

 senses, have only one function severally assigned 

 to them ; and had they more, there would proba- 

 bly be no little confusion in our perceptions of 

 external things. Such confusion does not probably 

 exist in the insect ; but it is very possible that its 

 perceptions are somewhat different from ours. 



Before we leave the region of the head, we have 

 the important task to fulfil, of describing the 

 mouth of the insect : this part is more complicated 



