334 



THE DESCENT OF MAN 



excess in the number of tlie males. But I am bound to add 

 that Dr. Staudinger informs me that he is himself of a dif- 

 ferent opinion. He thinks that the less active habits of the 

 females and the earlier emergence of the males will account 

 for his collectors securing a larger number of males than of 

 females, and consequently for the lower prices of the former. 

 With respect to specimens reared from the caterpillar state, 

 Dr. Staudinger believes, as previously stated, that a greater 

 number of females than of males die while confined in the 

 cocoons. He adds that with certain species one sex seems 

 to preponderate over the other during certain years. 



Of direct observations on the sexes of Lepidoptera, reared 

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

 following cases: 



The Rev. J. Hellins,^ of Exeter, reared, during 1868, imagos, 



of 73 species, whicli consisted of 



Mr. Albert Jones, of Eltham, reared, during 1868, imagos of 9 



species, wliich consisted of 



During 1869 he reared imagos from 4 species, consisting of 

 Mr. Buckler, of Bmsworth, Hants, during 1869, reared imagos 



from 74 species, consisting of 



Dr. Wallace, of Colchester, reared from one brood of Bombyx 



Cynthia 



Dr. Wallace raised, from cocoons of Bombyx Pernyi sent from 



China, during 1869 



Dr. Wallace raised, during 1868 and 1869, from two lots of 



cocoons of Bombyx yamamai 



Totals 



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

 were produced in excess. Taken together, the proportion 

 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 most species 



** This naturalist has been so kind as to send me some results from former 

 years, in which the females seemed to preponderate ; but so many of the figures 

 were estimates, that I found it impossible to tabulate them. 



