CHAPTER XV 



THE COURTSHIP OF INSECTS 



That courtship is a recognised institution among insects 

 cannot be doubted. In the following passage Lord 

 Avebury quaintly describes the love-making of a tiny 

 creature known as Smynthurus luteus — one of the lowly 

 Apterous insects. "The male, which is much smaller 

 than the female, runs round her, and they butt one another, 

 standing face to face, and moving backwards and forwards 

 like two playful lambs. Then the female pretends to run 

 aw r ay, and the male runs after her with a queer appear- 

 ance of anger, gets in front and stands facing her again ; 

 then she turns coyly round, but he, quicker and more 

 active, scuttles round too, and seems to whip her with his 

 antenna? ; then for a bit they stand face to face, play with 

 their antenna;, and seem to be all in all to one another." 



The sexes of many insects differ not only in size, but 

 in many details of form and colour ; and the male is 

 usually the more highly developed, being equipped with 

 elaborate sense-organs and other specialised endowments. 

 For example, his eyes are often very large and prominent. 

 We have already seen that the compound eyes of certain 

 male may-flies are divided, so that the insect appears to 

 have two eyes on each side of the head. Careful examina- 

 tion of these remarkable structures has led to the con- 

 clusion that their special function is to discern moving 

 objects in the dusk, thus enabling the insects to secure 

 partners during their brief twilight dances. Large eyes 

 are also a distinctive masculine feature in many species 



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