Chap. VIII. 



Proportion of the Sexes. 



253 



from eggs or caterpillars, I have received only the few following 

 auses : — 



I Males. I Femalefi. 



The Rev. J. Hellins" of Exeter reared, during 1868,y 



iiQMgos uf 73 species, which consisted of, , ./, 

 Mr. Alhert Junes of Elthfim reared, during 1868,1 



iraagos of 9 sjjecies, which consisted of . . . ji 

 During 1869 he reai-ed images from 4 species, con-V 



sisting of J: 



Mr. Buckler of Emsworth, Hants, during 1869,V 



reared images from 74 species, consisting of. . )\ 

 Dr. Wallace of Colchester reared from one brood oflj 



Bombyx cynthia J 1 



Dr. Wallace raised, from cocoons of Bombyx Pernyiy 



sent from China, during 1869 /| 



Dr. Walliiie raised, daring 1868 and 1869, from two'l' 



lots of cocoons of Bombyx yaraa-mai . , , j . 



Total 



934 



761 



So that in these eight lots of cocoons and eggs, males were produced 

 in excess. Taken together the protiortion of males is as 122'7 

 to 100 females. But the numbers are hardly large enough to be 

 trustworthy. 



On the whole, from these various sources of evidence, all pointing 

 in the same direction, I infer that with ni'St species of Lepidn^iteia, 

 the mature males generally exceed the females in number, whatever 

 the proportions may be at tlieii' first emergence from the egg. 



With reference to the other Onlers of insects, I have been able 

 to collect very little reliable information. With the stag-l'ee le 

 (JyucanKS ceriius) "tlie males appear to be mucii more numerous 

 "than the females;" bill when, as Cornelius remarked during 1867, 

 an unusual number of these beetles appeareil in one part of Geriuany, 

 the females appeared to exceed tho males as six to one. With one of 

 the Eluteridie. the males are said to be much more nnmernus than the 

 females, and '• two or th ee are often found united with one female :" 

 " so that here polyaiKlry seems to prevail." With Siagonium (St.ii)hy- 

 linidse), in which the males are furnished w.th horns, "t e females are 

 " far more numerous than the opposite sex." Mr. Janson stated at the 

 Entomological Society that the females of the bark- feeding Tomieite 

 iiiUosut are so common as to be a plague, whi.st the males are so rare 

 rtS to be hardly known. 



'^ This naturalist has been so 

 kind as to send me some results 

 from former years, in which the 

 females seemed to preponderate ; 

 Vut so many of the Kgures were 

 estimates, that 1 fiund it impossible 

 to tsboiate them. 



'* Giinther's ' Record of Zoo- 

 logical Literature,' 1867, p. 260. 

 On the excess of female Lucanus, 

 ibid. p. 250. On the males of Luca- 

 nus in England, Westwood, * Modern 

 Class, of insects,' vol. i. p. 187. Od 

 the Siagcsium, ibid. p. 172. 



