122 



THE UNIVERSE. 



a false appearance, deposit upon the plant their offspring, 

 which must infallil)ly die of hunger. 



But where does a sense so delicate reside"? Analogy 

 made De Blainville think it ought to be placed in the an- 

 tennte, little mobile horns set on the front of the head, where 

 they present the greatest diversity of form, sometimes 

 lengthened like articulated threads, some lamellated, or 

 bulged out in the form of clubs or bladders. Indeed, the 

 antennae, like the nostrils of animals, receive the first pair 

 of nerves which issue from the brain. Some experiments 

 conducted by Duges tend to show that they really re- 

 2)resent the organ of smell. After cutting them in some 

 butterflies and flies, this ^physiologist observed that they 

 could no longer roam in search of their food and the female 

 insect. 



But the extreme acuteness of smell manifested by some 

 insects is only obtained by means of organs of marvellous 



Diversiform Antenna'. — CS. Pentapln/arthru.-i 2Jaussoide.i. CO. Platiirhojxdus. 

 dcntkoniis. 70. Luhludcrus Gunii. 



delicacy, and so complicated as to surpass at times all our 

 preconceived ideas. Man and the larger animals have 

 never more than two olfactory cavities; in fishes these are 

 reduced to a pair of little sacks scarcely to be seen. In 

 the may -bug odours are perceived by means of microscopic 



