More Beetles 



plans is that from Les Cloches de Corneville. 

 With this lure shall I secure the attention of 

 a Cockchafer, a Capricorn or a Cricket? 



I begin with a Capricorn, the little Ceram- 

 byx cerdo. I seize the moment when he is 

 courting his mate at a distance. With his 

 delicate antennae extended motionless, he 

 seems to be making enquiries. Now, melodi- 

 ously, Les Cloches de Corneville ring out : 

 ding-dong-ding-dong. The insect's medita- 

 tive posture is unchanged. There is not the 

 least tremor, not the least inflexion of the 

 antennae, the organs of hearing. I renew the 

 attempt, altering the hour and the degree of 

 daylight. My experiments are useless : there 

 is not a movement of the antennae to denote 

 that the insect pays the least attention to my 

 music. 



The same result, with the Pine-chafer, 

 whose antennary leaves retain exactly the 

 same position as when all was silent; the 

 same result with the Cricket, whose tiny, out- 

 stretched, thread-like antennae should vibrate 

 easily under the impact of the sound-waves. 

 My three subjects are absolutely indifferent 

 to my methods of exciting emotion : not one 

 of them gives a hint of feeling any impres- 

 sion whatever. 



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