THE NATURAL 



a female, he pursues, but in order to get in front of her, 

 to be seen, and he seems to tempt her with slow waving 

 of his wings. This display lasts often quite a long time. 

 Finally their antennae touch, their wings stroke each other, 

 and they fly off in company. The coupling often takes 

 place in the air; thus among pierides. In certain species, 

 bombyx for example, the females are heavy and even 

 aptera, the male who is in contrast lively, fecundates 

 several, going from one to the other, which is doubtless 

 what gives butterflies their reputation for inconstancy. 

 They live too short a time to deserve it: many born in the 

 morning do not see the next day's sun. One might 

 rather make them a symbol for pure thought. There are 

 some who do not eat, and among those who do not eat 

 there are some whom nature has vowed to virginity. 

 Hermaphrodites of a singular sort, male on the right side, 

 female on the left, they seem to be two sexual halves 

 welded together along the medial line. The organs whose 

 centre is cut by this line are but demi-organs good for 

 nothing save the entertainment of observers. Hybrid 

 butterflies, produced by crossing of two species, are not 

 very rare; they also are incapable of reproduction. 



The coupling of day butterflies lasts only a few minutes, 

 among night butterflies it is often prolonged for a day and 

 a night, as in sphinx, phalenes, noctuelles. If it is a re- 

 ward, it is due to their long courageous voyages in quest 

 of the female whom they have divined. The great-pea- 

 cock moth covers several leagues of country in the at- 

 tempt to satisfy his desire. Blanchard tells of a natur- 

 alist who having caught a female bombyx and put her 

 in bis pocket, returned home escorted by a cloud of over 

 136 



