1889. 227 



rated. It might be partly my own imagination, but its palpi, the 

 position of its legs, every motion seemed to express passion. 



" I brought it down stairs and placed it on a table in the drawing 

 room, where Mr. Westwood (who was with me at the time) heard the 

 noise faintly, but we tried in vain to excite it again to anger. 



" I intended to examine the base of the wings, and try to ascertain 

 the means by which it produced the noise, which has never yet been 

 done with the living insect, but it stole away and hid itself so effectually 

 as to elude our search." 



Mr. Swinton, in his work on " Insect Yariety ; its propagation 

 and distribution," quotes (p. 115) an observation by Mr. A. H. Jones 

 on a hibernating female of Vanessa Antiopa, which, when disturbed, 

 would partially expand her wings, and at the same time was produced 

 a grating sound, which seem to come from the base of the wings." 

 Mr. Swinton also mentions (p. 116) an observation he had once made 

 in Scotland in August, on a female Vanessa urticce, which had taken 

 shelter for hibernation in an outhouse. He placed her, still drowsy, 

 on the palm of his hand. " Then with the other hand," says he, 

 " touching lightly the tails of the hind-wings, I induced her to depress 

 and shut the wings successively. Each time she testily performed 

 this action I heard distinctly, as the fore-wings were brought forward, 

 when only the extreme basal portion of the wings was in contact, a 

 sound like grating sandpaper." 



It will be observed that in all these instances the sound was pro- 

 duced by a species of Vanessa. The observations of the English 

 entomologists relate to Vanessa Jo, Antiopa, and urticce, when in 

 hibernation, or laid up for that purpose. The American entomologist's 

 note refers to Vanessa Antiopa when in a state of activity (the month 

 is unfortunately not mentioned). 



In each case some motion of the wings took place when the sound 

 was produced, but this may have been only accidental correlation, be- 

 cause the insect was in a state of excitement at the time. 



Mr. Hewitson alone speaks of the wings as being rubbed together. 

 "Whether the sound produced was in each instance the same is rather 

 uncertain. 



" A voice similar to that of Acherontia Atropos ;" " a faint hissing 

 as though caused by an adder;" "a distinct sound like the friction of 

 sandpaper ;" " a grating sound ;" scarcely read like so many descrip- 

 tions of the same thing. 



Mountsfield, Lewisham, S.E. : 

 February 6th, 1889. 



