SCIENTIP LG 
BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS AS BOTANISTS. 
By J. Ropway. 
The close connection of plants and insects is nowhere so conspicuous as in the 
Lepidoptera. In some cases the whole life of a butterfly may be passed on and 
around a particular species. The males and females feed in the flowers, flit 
around in their love flights, then the female searches for a suitable place to lay 
her eggs, the larvae come out to feed on the leaves and finally go into the pupa 
stage on or very near the branches. She knows the plant, probably by its 
odour, for it can scarcely be expected that she remembers what she fed upon in 
her immature stage, although 1 would not say that the memory is not uncon- 
sciously present. 
It may be safely presumed that most of the secretions of plants are intended to 
keep off insect enemies, but in no case as far as can be gathered is the secretion 
perfectly successful. Every plant has its enemies, some more, some less, but it 
may be safely presumed that these foes are checked by the secretions. It is well 
known that under cultivation some plants are less immune than those of the 
same species found wild and this is due to the fact that they become more luxuri- 
ant and generally have less pungency. We take care of our economic and garden 
plants with certain objects which sometimes are not quite consistent with the pro- 
tective measures adopted under natural conditions. Other protective measures, 
besides pungent and bitter tastes and smells, are taken, apart from man’s influ- 
ence, such as that of the trumpet tree which provides a garrison of one kind of 
ant to keep off the leaf-cutter. 
Whatever may be the reason for these secretions, however, there is no doubt 
that the old saying, ‘“‘ What is one man’s meat is another's poison, ” is applicable 
to butterflies and moths. Some of the most venomous plants have their special 
enemies which fatten upon what would kill man or any other mammal. They 
simply revel among the poisons. 
Lepidoptera generally feed on leaves, but this is by no means universal. 
Some bore into living trees, even hard-wooded species, other into roots and more 
or less soft stems ; they eat flowers, fruit, twigs, clothing, wax in the bee-hive 
and are even parasitic in a few cases. As a rule they confine themselves to a 
particular kind of food and cannot go far beyond their province. Some, however, 
range over a large numbe: of plants and are practically able to assimilate any- 
thing. I may here mention that solitary wasps also bring particular classes of 
insects as food for their larve ; they discriminate between flies, spiders, larve 
of moths, cockroaches and grasshoppers, every species having its own particular 
food. It is not suggested however that they confine themselves to one species. 
When we come to the more specialised butterflies and moths we have some 
ihat are very dainty in their tastes. They go so far as to discriminate natural 
utders and their allies, genera and even species. Possibly the highest develop- 
