Summary and Discussion 211 
where he would often remain poised on the wings and the wind 
would drift him back until he came leeward to the female, when 
a few vigorous strokes of his wings would bring him more or 
less toward her again.’’. . . ‘‘In other words, speaking of the 
male being attracted and ferreting out the female in these two 
species of moths, the male pursued the method of trial and error 
so ably shown by Jennings to be prevalent in the animal king- 
dom.”’ 
Turner has shown that Saturniid moths, polyphemus and 
cecropia, perceive sounds, and moreover have been taught to 
associate certain sounds with pain. It seems to me that hearing 
in these creatures is for the purpose of avoiding enemies, and 
not to locate mates. I cannot agree with Mr. Frank E. Lutz* 
when he says: ‘‘In the case of some moths, the males are sup- 
posed to locate the females by odor. . . . Incidentally, it may be 
said that none of the experiments believed to have demonstrated 
that odor is the guiding factor in the case of moths, have abso- 
lutely ruled out sound, and male moths have antennae quite as 
plumose, apparently, as well fitted to receive sounds, as those 
of male mosquitoes.’’ 
I think my simple experiments where males were in close 
proximity to females in the same cages, and mating did not oc- 
cur, because there was no wind to carry the female odor, demon- 
strated the error of this view. It might be possible for the 
female moth to emit sounds that transcend the human ear, but 
surely it would influence the male if such sounds were emitted 
by the female when he was only an inch or two away. 
Likewise in the glass box experiments, where the females could 
have emitted sounds and probably would have done so at this 
time if they ever do so, to attract the males, we see perfect indif- 
ference so long as the air is motionless. Again it seems logical to 
assume that a five- or six-day old female would be more profi- 
cient in the art of communication than one a few hours old if 
her attractiveness depended upon audible expression. It is 
well known that fresh, young ones wield the greater sex attrac- 
tion. Of course Mr. Lutz will admit that something other than 
sound excites the males to copulation when he remembers the 
work of Freiling! and of Kellog? on the silkworm moths, Bombyx 
*Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. agli 1924 
Dp. a 
1Quoted by McIndoo, loc. Li 
2Biol. Bull. 12: 152-154. 1907. 
