LEPIDOPTEROUS INSECTS. 81 
seemed to have quite lost the pugnacious disposition 
which they were affirmed to display when they meet 
with their congeners on the wing. At the pond, on 
the contrary, all was harmony among these light 
winged belligerents, no one disturbing its neighbour, 
though they stood side by side, and almost touching 
one another. They were, indeed, too intent on 
quenching their thirst to think of attack or defence. 
We remarked, in the autumn of 1829, a similar 
congregation of the same species of butterfly on the 
watered roads in the vicinity of London. They do 
not seem to be more choice in the quality of their 
water than bees, who, most naturalists tell us, pre- 
fer that which is stagnant and putrescent.” * 
It is remarkable that some insects feed upon 
substances which are poisonous to other animals ; 
for example, the caterpillar of the Papilio cupido 
feeds on the leaves of tobacco, which proves a deadly 
poison to most of the mammiferous animals, and 
is even destructive to many of the insect tribes. 
OF SMELL. 
TuerE can be little doubt that the sense of smell 
is enjoyed by most insects in a high degree of per- 
fection. Mr Rennie remarked, that, in a narrow 
garden, enclosed with stone walls, about fifteen 
feet high, at Havre de Grace, every butterfly which 
+ Reavmur, vy. p. 697. 
