CHAPTER X 



Butterflies and Moths, and the Coloration of their Wings — Female 

 Choice and "Fine Feathers" — When Male Butterflies are 

 Dominant — Sexual Selection among Butterflies — Abortive 

 Experiments — Wallace and the Sexual Selection Theory — 

 The Sense of Smell in Butterflies and Moths — Fragrant Butter- 

 flies — Wingless Moths and their Lures to Lovers — Methods 

 of Pairing among Butterflies and Moths — More Experiments. 



Not the least impressive feature met with in the study 

 of animal behaviour under the spell of the Sexual Instincts 

 is its uniformity. This fact becomes the more apparent 

 as one turns to the lower grades of life. Whether one 

 starts with the vertebrates and works downwards, or 

 vice versa, the same problems arise and the same inter- 

 pretation is demanded. That is to say, the theory of 

 " Sexual Selection " leads one to the same conclusions 

 whether it be tested by the evidence afforded by the 

 Butterflies and Moths, or that furnished by Birds or 

 Mammals. 



The accessory phenomena, the vehicles which give 

 expression to these internal fires, are in like manner 

 curiously similar. These " vehicles " are the " secondary 

 sexual characters " — colour, and armature, and scent. 

 These very tangible signs are the phenomena in the 



i8s 



