360 Field Notes. 



Vibration or Scent in Animals. — There is a passage in 

 Mr. Morley's remarks, p. 292, ' Experience teaches . . . scent 

 theory of attraction must be banished,' which requires comment, 

 if by the word ' animals ' he includes mammals. Those with 

 a well-marked scent or stink (Skunks, etc.) have glands ; but, 

 on the other hand, it seems to me clear, after observing wild 

 mammals in confinement for over twenty years, that a male 

 (in a species where no stink-glands exist) can recognise that a 

 female is near, especially if the latter is ' on heat.' It seems to 

 me there must be some scent from the female, which makes a 

 male know it is there, even though unable to see it through 

 the division between the cages. Many of the lower mammals 

 can detect a smell which human beings cannot ; and it 

 seems erroneous to assume that, because no scent gland is 

 found in a moth, there is, therefore, no smell which the male of 

 the same species can recognise. A human being cannot tell 

 how much or how little any particular species of moth is capable 

 of smelling ; and experience of wild mammals shows that 

 some species can wind an enemy better than others. But are 

 not the question of moths being attracted to light and the 

 question of male and female moths copulating two different 

 subjects ? As to the former, when in Hertfordshire, in 1893 

 and 1S94, the only Hawk moth which I saw come to light was 

 an Elephant Hawk, and it dashed frequently in one direction 

 and then in another, past the light in a way which suggested 

 it was fascinated and attracted by the hght. On the other hand, 

 no Poplar Hawk came, although several were caught on trees 

 within seventy yards of where the Elephant Hawk came to 

 light. When collecting, the same summers, in Devon, I used 

 often to pill-box netted specimens, and in order to avoid shaking 

 them, placed the full pill-boxes on the ground in parts where 

 I could easily find them on returning. Having spoilt some 

 specimens when transferring them from pill-box to the cyanide 

 kilHng-bottle, I made holes through the hds and the card- 

 board bottoms of the pill-boxes, so as to let the cyanide fumes 

 through into the pill-box without disturbing the moths. These 

 boxes, when filled from the net, were turned glass-top down on 

 the ground when left, as above described, in order not to excite 

 the moths inside by their being able to see out. On returning 

 later, I found on several occasions another moth on the pill-box, 

 evidently attracted by the one inside. How could the outside 

 moth tell, exceft by scenting the one inside ? During these 

 two summers in Devon, I chased at least fifty male Oak Eggars 

 by day, they flying in sunshine (and rapidly too at times, as 

 I soon found out !). I never saw a female fly by day, but only 

 by night, when the males were, so far as I could see, not active 

 in flight ! How is this explained, by wing vibration ? — F. D. 

 Welch. 



Naturalist, 



