306 Dr. W. Miiller on the Scent-organs in Phiyganidge. 



form of the head, dissected the animal, the inflated palpi, 

 which, as is well known, give the head its peculiar appear- 

 ance and cover it like a mask, at once reminded me of the 

 scent-organs of the Lepidoptera, and especially the hair-tufts 

 of the Satyridse. There may, perhaps, be some hesitation 

 about recognizing any resemblance in this instance, but at 

 any rate the comparison led me to the correct interpretation 

 of the organs in question, although at first it did not seem an 

 easy matter to obtain any proof of the correctness of this in- 

 terpretation. 



To me it was a confirmation of my hypothesis that, as I 

 satisfied myself from individuals taken in copula^ these pecu- 

 liarly modified palpi only occur in the males (which, how- 

 ever, has long been known). An experimental proof, usually 

 to be obtained easily in the Lepidoptera, could not, however, 

 be arrived at, and this was due to the fact that the animals 

 could not be induced to unfold their scent-organs by pressure 

 or similar manipulations, the cause of which is to be found 

 in the peculiar mechanism of the process. Finally, an indi- 

 vidual which I probably captured during courtship favoured 

 me by spreading out his palpi and unfolding the hair-tufts 

 lying in them, when the hair-tufts surrounded the head like 

 a halo, and then I was able by pressure to prevent the animal 

 from folding up the tufts. In this individual I remarked, as 

 also did a second person, under whose nose I held the animal, 

 a distinct odour nearly resembling that of vanilla, and thus is 

 furnished the proof that the dilated palpi of the males of 

 Sericostoma serve as scent-organs. 



As a further observation bearing upon this subject I may 

 state that of numerous male and female individuals of Seri- 

 costoma personatum which I kept alive in a large glass vessel, 

 a male placed himself in front of a female and then unfolded 

 his hair-tufts. 



As regards the form and structure of the organs in question, 

 having neglected to preserve the animals in spirits, I was 

 Fig-. 1. Fig-. 2. 



Sericostoma 2)ersonatum, K. & Sp. 

 ], Female 5 2, male. Mi'^j, maxillaiy.palpus. 



