THE NATURAL 



wood louse, sometimes long and cylindrical with points 

 and lines of all colours on its wings. One of them, scuti- 

 form, known as lineata, with red back and black stripes, 

 is common on umbellifera. Copulation takes place end 

 to end; one can see them thus, the female towing 

 the smaller male from leaf to leaf, from umbel to umbel. 1 

 The forficula also couple end to end, fleas, whose male 

 is smaller, couple belly to belly with feet enlaced; the 

 position recalling that of dragon flies is more remark- 

 able, in the louvette, a small insect which lives on broom, 

 and readily throws itself upon man: the vulva is in fact, 

 near the mouth. 



Coleoptera are given to cavalage, of duration varying 

 from ten hours to two days. The male cockchafer pur- 

 sues the female with fervour, he is so ardent that he often 

 mounts other males, deceived by the odour of rut floating 

 in the air. He seizes the female and holds her clamped 

 by his forelegs and genital hooks. The union continues 

 a day and a night, finally the male, exhausted, falls 

 over backward, and still hooked by the penial pincers, is 

 dragged along on his back by the impassive female who 

 moves on feeding, pulling him over the leaves until death 

 detaches him; then she lays and dies in her turn. But- 

 terflies are likewise very fervent, the males make veritable 

 voyages in quest of females, as Fabre has proved. They 

 often fly coupled, the stronger female easily carrying the 



'This does not seem to be general. I have recently observed, 

 on the umbels of wild carrots, numerous couples of scutilaries, 

 proceeding by cavalage, the male inert, couched on the walking 

 female, who started at the least alarm. Form narrow, almost 

 cylindrical; colour: orange red, with two short black bands: 

 strong sucker, long antennae. Union lasting at least a day and 

 a night. R. de G. 



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