MEETINGS. 171 



In the course of the pleasant and animated discussion 

 which followed many views were expressed as to the function 

 of the antennae, and instances were given tending to show 

 that they could not be the organs of any sense known to us. 



Monthly Meeting held April 6th, 1892, Mr. J. Whitehead, 

 President, in the chair. 



The minutes of the last meeting having been read and 

 approved, Miss D. Fox and Mr. Theo. Le Pelley were unani- 

 mously elected members of the Society. 



Mr. W. A. Luff exhibited several specimens of the larvae 

 of the Guernsey Tiger Moth (Gallimorpha hera) bred by 

 Mrs. Boley, and also some small beetles bred from lentils 

 purchased in this town. 



A paper was read by Mr. F. Rose, entitled " The Structure 

 and Functions of the Antennae of Insects," explaining that he 

 intended it to be a sequel to the paper read at the last meet- 

 ing, when this subject was touched upon. The lecturer 

 described minutely the exceedingly delicate and elaborate 

 structure of the antennae, and by numerous quotations as well 

 as from his own personal observations he showed the very 

 important part which these appendages play in regard to 

 sensation and perception ; some of the phenomena exhibited 

 by insects cannot be explained satisfactorily or accounted for 

 by any of the senses known to us, as for example, what is 

 known to collectors of Lepidoptera as "sembling," where a 

 female moth enclosed in a box immediately on her emergence 

 from the chrysalis would attract the male moths even though 

 the box were shut up in the cupboard of a closed room. S[r 

 Rose illustrated his remarks by sketches on the blackboard. 



Mr. Marquand said he believed that in addition to the 

 ordinary senses of hearing, seeing, smelling, touching, &c, as 

 we understand them, insects are also endowed with another 

 and as yet undefined sense, which not only exceeds in range 

 and intensity, but is also different in kind from anything 

 that man or the larger animals possess. 



Mr. Collenette could not in any way accept this theory of 

 a distinct and undiscovered sense. He saw no need for it at 

 all. He believed that the quickening and intensifying of the 

 ordinary senses with which we are familiar was quite sufficient 

 to account for and explain all the phenomena of insect life 

 that had yet been observed. 



Many other members engaged in the discussion of this 

 interesting subject, among them being a visitor, Mr. A. 0. 



