The Life-History of a Butterfly 



supports three very essential organs the eyes, the 

 horns, or antennae, and the tongue, or sucker. 



The antennas are undoubtedly the organs of smell, 

 which is perhaps the most highly developed sense in 

 the Insect World. That the eyes are a marvel of beauty, 

 and that the tongue is a finely finished little instrument 

 for its work no one can question ; but the sense of 

 smell has a much longer range than even the eye, with 

 all its facets. And you will generally find, in relation 

 to the faculty which any animal or insect has to exert 

 most so as to procure its food and propagate its kind, 

 the organ of that faculty reaches the highest point of 

 development and service. 



The eyes of the condor and the gannet must 

 be marvellous in range and penetrating power. I 

 have watched scores of the latter birds sailing and 

 hovering 150 feet and more above a troubled sea. 

 Suddenly there would be a slight pause, and then a 

 rocket-like dive right down into the waves below. To 

 see a fish on the surface from such a height would be 

 a great feat, but to see and catch one a dozen feet 

 deep in a broken sea as a gannet can do, is wonderful 

 indeed. 



With butterfly and moth the sense of smell is of the 

 greatest importance. Their vision is good, but short 

 in range ; so to find the flowers wherein lies their food 

 the sight is good, but the power to detect them by 

 scent must be far better. " Over the hedge is a garden 

 fair," and if a butterfly cannot see through the hedge, 

 he can at least smell through it. He could fly over it ? 

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