THE STORY OF THE UNIVERSE 



in the hot sunshine of August, no fewer than four 

 more males came rapidly in succession to the parlor 

 window, which was a little open, and, after beating 

 about the panes a few minutes, found their way in, 

 and made straightway for the basket, totally regard- 

 less of their own liberty. 



It must be manifest to you that some extraordinary 

 sense is bestowed upon these moths, or else some or- 

 dinary and well-known sense in extraordinary devel- 

 opment. It may be smell; it may be hearing; but 

 neither odor nor sound, perceptible by our dull facul- 

 ties, is given forth by the females; the emanation is 

 far too subtile to produce any vibrations on our sen- 

 sorium, and yet sufficiently potent, and widely dif- 

 fused, to call these males from their distant retreats in 

 the hedges and woods. 



The male gnat presents in its antennae a pair of 

 plumes of equal beauty, but of a totally different 

 character. The pattern here is one of exceeding 

 lightness and grace. 



In the tribe of two-winged insects, which we term, 

 par excellence, flies (Muscadae) , the antennae are of 

 peculiar structure. The common house-fly shall give 

 us a good example. Here, in front of the head, is a 

 shell-like concavity, divided into two by a central 

 ridge. Just at the summit of this projection are the two 

 antennae, originating close together, and diverging as 

 they proceed. Each antenna consists of three joints, 

 of which the first is very minute, the second is a re- 

 versed cone, and the third, which is large, thick, and 

 ovate, is bent abruptly downward immediately in 

 front of the concavity. From the upper part of this 



