326 



THE AMEEICAN 



SOME GOOD THOUGHTS FROM AN EMINENT ENTO- 

 MOLOGIST. 



In the chapter on Diptera, in the "Record of 

 American Entomology for the year 1SG9," we 

 find the foHowIng remarks from Baron Osten 

 Sacken, whicli wc hcartil}' commend: 



" However meagre dipterology has appeared 

 among ns in 1869, tliere is a good deal of comfort 

 to be derived from the healthy direction it is 

 taking. Together with the other branches of 

 entomology in this conntry, it has assumed an 

 eminently practical tendency. By practical I 

 do not merely mean the relation of entomology 

 to the dollars and cents question, but its i-elation 

 to living nature in general. The more this science 

 progresses in America, the more it becomes ap- 

 parent that its development does not depend on 

 the necessity of putting in order a museum and 

 classifying some boxed up specimens, but from 

 the craving to understand living nature and the 

 desire to master it when necessary. This craving 

 for knowledge among the masses in America is 

 as remarkable as the keen eye for observation, 

 and the open mind which are brought into play 

 to satisfy tliis instinct. Entomologists often re- 

 ceive lettei-s of inquiiy from farmers, gardeners, 

 mechanics and other persons, mostly deficient in 

 a preparatory knowledge of natural history ; and 

 they generally have every reason to be astonished 

 at the fulness and accuracy of the observations 

 of those men of manual labor, as well as at the 

 shrewdness displayed in the management of their 

 experiments. Very often an investigation is fully 

 carried out by them, and aU that they apply for 

 to a scientific entomologist is the scientific name 

 of the specimen. But here lies the difficulty. In 

 a great many cases this name cannot be given 

 with any degree of certainty, on account of the 

 insufficiency or the absolute want of specific 

 descriptions. 



" If we have reason to rejoice at the liealthy 

 direction American entomology is taking, it is 

 not without an eye to those, unfortunately very 

 numerous, persons who seem to think that the 

 so-called descriptive entomology is the aim and 

 cud of science. When a Champollion, or a 

 Grotefend attempt to study hj-croglyphic or 

 cuniform inscriptions, do they look upon the 

 compilation of a dictionary of these modes of 

 writing as the ultimate aim of their efforts? It 

 is evident that the dictionary in this case is only 

 a stepping-stone towards the real end in view — 

 the bringing to light the treasures of facts buried 

 in ancient inscriptions. Descriptive natural liis- 

 tory furnishes the dictionary of nature; it gives 

 names to objects, which without these names it 



would be imioossible to designate. When a 

 gardener has observed the operations of some 

 noxious fly, he applies to you for its name, be- 

 cause the knowledge of the name will enable him 

 to communicate to others the knowledge he has 

 acquired of the habits of the insect." 



INSECT SOUNDS. 



For many years it has been alternately asserted 

 and contradicted, that the Deatli's-head Motli 

 (^Acherordia airopos) possesses the power oi 

 emitting sounds on certain occasions; and re- 

 cently it has been contended tliat the caterpillar, 

 and also tlie pupa of this moth, possess a similar 

 power. Newman, I believe, in his work on 

 "British Moths," brings foi-ward authority to 

 prove it; and DeGeer, lleaumur, Kirby, and 

 other authors, believe in the fact. 



A correspondent of Science Gossip, over the 

 signature of "A. Mercer," relates tiie following 

 circumstance, which would seem to settle the 

 question. He states that he had placed the pupa 

 of A. atropos in some damp moss, and says : "In 

 this position it was kept for about two months, 

 during- which time I repeatedly heard the noise. 

 On being touched it would emit a noise resem- 

 bling the chirrup of the grasshoppei-." 



Another correspoudcnt states that he never 

 heard the noise from the pupa, " but had fre- 

 quently heard a sound from the caterpillar. It 

 was generally short and abrupt, like the tick of 

 a watch. 1 could always induce the creature to 

 make a noise by touching it rather smartly with 

 the finger." Other correspondents testify to the 

 same thing, so there would seem to remain no 

 doubt that A. atropos emits sounds in every 

 stage of its existence. But is this power of 

 speech, as it may be called, peculiar to tliis in- 

 sect? Verj' unlikely. 



Another correspondent of Science Gossip saj's 

 that, " In several butterflies I have noticed tliat 

 when caught they have emitted a sound lilce that 

 of a blow-fly. Having cauglit a specimen of the 

 small Tortoise-shell {Vanessa arlicce), on pro- 

 ceeding to nip it near the nose, I was struck by 

 the sound it made, only diflcring in intensity 

 from that made by a fly under similar circum- 

 stances." Here, however, I imagine the sounds 

 were occasioned by the vibration of the confined 

 wings. 



But that caterpillars are capable of making 

 sounds may be fully ascertained by almost every 

 one that possesses a grape-vine. The laiwa of 

 Thyreics Ahltotii, as is generally well known, 

 has the habit, when touched, of violently jerking 

 itself, and bringing the head and tail nearly to- 



