INSECTS. 317 



(butterflies and moths) will be retained for a separate 

 chapter. 



Thysanura. The members of this lowly organized 

 order are wingless, dull-colored, minute insects, with ugly, 

 almost misshapen heads and bodies. Their sexes do not 

 differ, but they are interesting as showing us that the males 

 pay sedulous court to the females even low down in the ani- 

 mal scale. Sir J. Lubbock* says: "it is very amusing to 

 see these little creatures (Smynthurus luteus) coquetting 

 together. The male, which is much smaller than the 

 female, runs round her, and they butt one another, stand- 

 ing face to face and moving backward and forward like two 

 playful lambs. Then the female pretends to run away and 

 the male runs after her with a queer appearance 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 antennae; then 

 for a bit they stand face to face, play with their antennas, 

 and seem to be all in all to one another." 



Diptera (Flies). The sexes differ little in color. The 

 greatest difference, known to Mr. F. Walker, is in the 

 genus Bibio, in which the males are blackish or quite 

 black, and the females obscure brownish-orange. The 

 genus Elaphomyia, discovered by Mr. Wallace f in New 

 Guinea, is highly remarkable, as the males are furnished 

 with horns, of which the females are quite destitute. The 

 horns spring from beneath the eyes, and curiously resemble 

 those of a stag, being either branched or palmated. In one 

 of the species they equal the whole body in length. They 

 might be thought to be adapted for fighting, but as in one 

 species they are of 'a beautiful pink color, edged with black, 

 with a pale central stripe, and as these insects have alto- 

 gether a very elegant appearance it is perhaps more proba- 

 ble that they serve as ornaments. That the males of some 

 Diptera fight together is certain; Prof. WestwoodJ has 

 several times seen this with the Tipulae. The males of 

 other Diptera apparently try to win the females by their 



*" Transact. Linnean Soc.," vol. xxvi, 1868, p. 296. 



f " The Malay Archipelago," vol. ii, 1869, p. 313. 



i" Modern Classification of Insects," vol. ii. 1840, p. 526. 



