SOME OF THE "LOWER ORDERS" 195 



female." But in the case of the Silk-moths — and here 

 is another illustration of the merciless criticism to which 

 he submitted his own theories — he remarks : " The females 

 appear not to evince the least choice in regard to their 

 partners." This fact, which is certainly true in the case 

 of both Butterflies and Moths, and these gorgeous hues, 

 disconcerted him, as is shown in the passage : " Unless 

 the female prefer one male to another, the pairing must be 

 left to mere chance, and this does not appear probable." 



The facts which have come to light in regard to the 

 " Courtship " of Butterflies since Darwin wrote are 

 meagre enough, but such as have been recorded give no 

 support to the supposition that the females are really- 

 influenced by, or even perceive the colours of, their mates. 

 Just on five-and-twenty years ago the naturalist Skertchly 

 published some observations on the Courtship of that 

 magnificent Bornean Butterfly Ornithoptera brookiana. 

 He one day came on a male sipping honey from the flowers 

 of a tree, vibrating its wings with the rapidity of a Hawk- 

 moth, and the vivid green of the wings flashing in the 

 sunlight, though the crimson areas thereof were invisible. 

 The female came " and did all the wooing." They circled 

 about in flight with the female above and somewhat behind, 

 so that she could see, we are told, the emerald markings ; 

 but there was no real evidence here that she was really 

 influenced by his coloration, and if this really were the case 

 then the coloration of the female equally demands an 

 explanation, for this, though less gorgeous than that of the 

 male, is far from a primitive type ; on the contrary, it is of a 

 highly differentiated character. Furthermore, in this genus, 

 as has already been remarked, the males outnumber the 

 females by, roughly, one hundred to one. Again, Moseley, 

 the naturaliot on the Memorable Voyage of the Challengc'r 



