Scent Glands in Lepidoptcra. 313 



visitor in Aberdeenshire. This is, however, not the case. At 

 certain seasons of the year it is very common in the neighbour- 

 hood of this city, where it frequently congregates in large num- 

 bers, especially about the pools on the links of Old Aberdeen, 

 and Mr. Mitchell mentions to me, that on more than one occasion 

 he has observed immense ilocks near the same locality. It 

 breeds in great numbers in various parts of our county.' On 

 the other hand, Mr. James Taylor, in The Naturalist for 1853, 

 writes : — ' Although common in the Outer Hebrides and other 

 parts of Scotland, it is rather rare with us (Aberdeenshire), 

 I only remember seeing a pair in 1845, which I shot ' ' As 

 regards Ireland, the Starhng, according to some ornithologists, 

 is to be regarded as a comparatively recent addition to its 

 avifauna, but how is this to be reconciled with the fact that 

 in The Zoologist for 1848 is a record of the finding of a singular 

 nesting-place of the Starhng in or near Belfast ; and in 

 The Naturalist a correspondent records, in 1852, seeing half 

 a dozen nests within a radius of twenty yards in Dublin. 

 Many other quotations might be given of the distribution of the 

 Starling about the time when this species was said to be rare 

 or unknown in certain locahties in Britain, all of which point 

 t o the fact of it being much more widely dispersed a species 

 than would be inferred from traditional statements. It would 

 indeed be a singular feature in the economy of the Starling 

 if this localism in its distribution could be clearly established, 

 and it is to be feared, as far as the district is concerned, the 

 traditional belief that this species first made its appearance 

 here (Wilsden) about the decade between 1835 and 1845, is, 

 to say the least, very doubtful. It is somewhat singular 

 that White does not more frequently allude to this species in 

 his letters to his friends. He speaks of Lapwings and Starhngs 

 sometimes associating together, but beyond this he is very 

 reticent. 



SCENT GLANDS IN LEPIDOPTERA : THEIR 

 CHARACTER AND FUNCTIONS. 



]. W. TAYLOR, M.Sc. 



I have perused with considerable interest the recent com- 

 munications of your valued correspondents, Mr. B. Morley 

 and Mr. G. T. Porritt, on the nature and methods of Sexual 

 Allurements in Lepidoptcra, and although much light has been 

 shed upon the subject, yet, as the topic is an interesting one, 

 I trust I ma}^ be allowed to add a few comments thereto. 



I gather from Mr. Morley's remarks that he doubts the 

 presence of the scent glands in Lepidoptcra and consequently 

 the existence of any sexually attractive emanations there- 



1918 Oct. 1. 



