PHILOSOPHY OF LOVE 



to them ally them closely to birds of paradise and cor- 

 vida. Doubtless, but that is not very important. The 

 grave fact is the gathering of the first flower. The useful 

 fact explains animality; the useless fact explains man. 

 Now, it is of capital importance to show that the useless 

 fact is not peculiar to man alone. 



Crickets also have courting fights, but perhaps for 

 a different reason: the feebleness of their offensive weap- 

 ons, and the solidity of their armour. There is, how- 

 ever, a winner and loser. The loser decamps, the con- 

 queror sings. Then he shines himself, stamps, seems 

 nervous. Fabre says that emotion often renders him 

 mute; his elytra (wing-shells) shake without giving a 

 sound. The female cricket, witness of the duel, runs to 

 hide under a leaf as soon as it is over. "She draws back 

 the curtain a little, and looks out, and wants to be seen." 

 After this play, she shows herself completely, the cricket 

 rushes forward, makes a half-turn, rears up and slides 

 under her belly. The work finished, he gets away as 

 fast as possible, for we are before an enigmatic orthop- 

 ter, the female is quite ready to eat him. It is the 

 male's song which attracts the female cricket. When 

 she hears it, she listens, takes her bearings, obeys the 

 call. It is the same with cicadas, even though the two 

 sexes usually live side by side. By imitating the sound 

 of the male, one can deceive the females and make them 

 come to one. 



Sometimes sight, sometimes smell guides the male. 

 Many hymenoptera, furnished with a powerful visual 

 organ keep watch for the females, spying the vicinity. 

 Thus also many day butterflies. When the male riotices 



