19 
capturing some males, which were quite freshly out, I noticed the 
perfume very distinctly. Presently, while watching two males oscilla¬ 
ting in their peculiar manner in a little space enclosed by two or three 
bracken fronds, I saw a female flying along, when she entered the 
space, she flew against one of the males, buzzed about a little, and 
then settled on one of the bracken fronds, where she hung with 
quivering wings. Instantly the male began to search for her, not, 
apparently, assisted by vision, but buzzing blindly up and down and 
around the spot until he came in contact with her quivering,wings. 
This proceeding was so surprising that I watched further, and presently 
another female went through a similar performance, and then a third, 
the males in each case being within a very small space regularly 
oscillating until discovered and interrupted. Yet the males were not 
plentiful at all, and bracken was, of course, very abundant, and the 
female, coming from a distance, had, apparently, no reason for flying 
into the little space occupied by the males, unless, as seemed evident, 
drawn into that direction by the scent. I certainly did not see any 
female fly past one of these oscillating specimens. A somewhat similar 
habit has been recorded in the case of Hepialus humuli , where also the 
female flew actually against the oscillating male; and I feel no doubt 
that this curious reversal of the usual order of things takes place in 
each species in which the males, instead of flying in search of their 
partners, oscillate over a limited space” (E.M.M., vol. xxiii., p. ito). 
Since then I have frequently seen this species pair, and the female has 
a curious manner on these occasions. Mr. Barrett describes it as 
“ buzzing about.” I have spoken of it elsewhere as a “ tumbling, 
shuffling sort of flight.” But this is only assumed when she comes 
within the range of the diffused odour. Previously, and also when 
dropping her ova among the bracken, she flies steadily enough. But 
though the oscillating flight of the males is now explained in this 
satisfactory way, there are some other points that are still puzzling. 
When they are at all plentiful, the males may occasionally be found 
on tree trunks, I never felt satisfied that this was selected as a place 
of rest; perhaps they merely climb up when emerging from the pupa, 
though they are generally rather too high up for that. Besides, I have 
occasionally found sylvinus on palings, and that is a species as given to 
concealment as hectus . I have also been unable to satisfy myself as to 
the meteorological or other causes which affect the flight of this insect. 
One night, as Mr. Barrett mentions, they will fly in daylight; I have 
seen them with the evening sun shining on them as they flew, the 
females appearing at the same time; another night, they will swung 
away for half-an-hour, and their sweethearts will never appear; a third 
night they will fly quite late; and on a fourth they never put in an 
appearance at all. Sometimes, when they fly, they seem to come out 
all at once as though they came out at a signal. One night, I re¬ 
member being in the w'ood ; there was not an insect to be seen, then 
a single hectus appeared, and before I had boxed it, the place w r as alive 
with them. I could net five or six at a single stroke, and got over fifty 
in the twenty or twenty-five minutes they continued on the wing, about 
a quarter of them being females. Then they disappeared as suddenly 
as they had appeared. I w r as anxious to obtain specimens showing 
silver marks on the hind wings, and w r ent again the next evening at 
the same hour. I could see no difference in anything. The weather 
