Social Life in the Insect World Part 26

Pea, ancestry of the, 258-9

Pea-Weevil, _see_ Weevil

Peac.o.c.k Moth, the Great, 179-201, 234-7 Appearance of, 179 Experiments as to sense of smell in males, 184-97 Invasion of house by males, 180-1 Swarming of males, 181-3

Peac.o.c.k Moth, the Lesser, 197-201

Phalangist, the, 225

_Philanthus aviporus_, 150-178 Coc.o.o.n of, 168 Diet of, 150-1 Larvae of, 168 Methods of killing and robbing bees, 151-160 Motives of robbery, 163-78 Nest of, 167

_Philanthus coronatus_, 178

_Philanthus raptor_, 178

Pine-chafer, the, 317-23 Appearance of, 320 Cry of, 322-3 Habits of, 321 Medical qualities of, supposed, 318-19 Name, origin of Latin, 317-18

Pliny, on the Pine-chafer, 318-19

S

Saprinidae, victims of arum, 233

Sapromyzon, the, 222

Scarabaeus, _see_ Golden Scarabaeus

Scent in Insects, _see_ Peac.o.c.k Moth, Oak Eggar, Bolboceras Gallicus, arum, putrid

Scolia, 171

Sisyphus, legend of, 139

Sisyphus Beetle, the, 136-49 Burrow of, 143 Larva of, 147-9 Mating of, 142-3 Paternal instinct of 142-6 Pellet of, 142-9

T

Tachytus, 172

_Tigno_, nest of Mantis, 99-101

Truffle-Beetle, 222

Truffle-Dog, 218-20

W

Weevil, Acorn, _see_ Elephant-Beetle

Weevil, the Lentil, 291

Weevil, the Haricot, 282-94 Habits of, 291-6 Invasion of, 284 Larvae, 297-9

Weevil, the Pea, 258-81, 295 Description of, 261 Enemy, its chief, 280-1 Habits, 261-5 (Deductions to be drawn from), 273-4 Larvae of, 268-71, 275-6

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 1: Whether the Cigale is absolutely deaf or not, it is certain that one Cigale would be able to perceive another's cry. The vibrations of the male Cigale's cry would cause a resonance, a vibration, in the body cavities of other male Cigales, and to a lesser extent in the smaller cavities in the bodies of the females. Other sounds would cause a slight shock, if loud enough, but not a perceptible vibration May not this vibration--felt as in a cathedral we feel the vibrations of the organ-pipes in the bones of the chest and head or on the covers of the hymn-book in our hands--serve to keep the insects together, and enable the females to keep within sight of the males? The sight of an insect is in one sense poor--it consists of a kind of mosaic picture, and for one insect to distinguish another clearly the distance between them must not be very great. Certain gregarious birds and fish whose colouring is protective have a habit of showing their white bellies as they swerve on changing their direction. These signals help to keep the flock together.

The white scut of the rabbit and of certain deer is a signal for other deer or rabbits to follow a frightened flock. It is obviously to the advantage of the Cigale to follow a gregarious habit, if only for purposes of propagation, for this would be facilitated by the s.e.xes keeping together, and, deaf or otherwise, the vibrations of its cry would enable it to do so. It would be easy to show _a priori_ that the perception of such vibrations must cause the insect pleasure, as they stimulate a nervous structure attuned to the perception or capable of the production of certain complex vibrations. The discord of the cry is caused by the fact that it consists of a number of vibrations of different pitch. Some would set the contents of the male resonating cavities in vibration; others would affect the less regular cavities in the thorax of the female. We might compare the Cigale's cry to a sheep-bell. That it is felt and not heard explains its loudness and its grating quality. A Cigale with the resonating cavities destroyed would possibly be lost. The experiment is worth trying.--[TRANS.]]

[Footnote 2: It is not easy to understand why the Mantis should paralyse the cricket with terror while the latter will immediately escape when threatened by other enemies. As many species of Mantis exactly mimic sticks and leaves when motionless for purposes of defence, is it not possible that they mimic their surroundings for purposes of offence as well? It is easy and natural to say that the Mantis presents a terrifying aspect. It does to us, by a.s.sociation; but how can we say that it represents anything of the sort to the probably hypnotic or automatic consciousness of the cricket? What does it really represent, as seen from below? A twig, terminating in a bud, with two branching twigs growing from it, and a harmless nondescript fly or b.u.t.terfly perched on the back of it. The combination of a familiar sight and a threatening sound would very plausibly result in cautious immobility. As for its instantaneous a.s.sumption of the pose, to move instantaneously is the next best thing to not moving at all. It is less likely to startle than a slow movement. Twigs which have been bent get suddenly released in the natural course of events; they do not move slowly. The instantaneous appearance of a twig where no twig was before may possibly give the victim pause; it may halt out of caution, not out of terror.--[TRANS.]]

[Footnote 3: The word "b.u.t.terfly" is here used, as is the French _papillon_, as a general term for all Lepidoptera; the insect in question is of course a moth.]

[Footnote 4: Now cla.s.sified as _Lasiocampa quercus_.--[TRANS.]]

[Footnote 5: _Raba.s.so_ is the Provencal name for the truffle; hence a truffle-hunter is known as a _raba.s.sier_.]

[Footnote 6: Since these lines were written I have found it consuming one of the true tuberaceae, the _Tuber Requienii_, Tul., of the size of a cherry.]

[Footnote 7: The difficulty in conceiving this theory lies in the fact that the waves travel in straight lines. On the other hand, matter in a state of degradation may expel particles highly energised and of enormous velocity. Most antennae are covered with hairs of inconceivable fineness; others may contain cavities of almost infinite minuteness. Is it not thinkable that they are able to detect, in the gaseous atmosphere, floating particles that are not gaseous? This would not prevent the specialisation of antennae as mere feelers in some insects and crustaceans. The difficulty of such a supposition lies in the fact of discrimination; but if we did not possess a sense of taste or smell discrimination would seem inconceivable in their case also.--[TRANS.]]

[Footnote 8: This cla.s.sification is now superseded; the Pea and Bean Weevils--_Bruchus pisi_ and _Bruchus lenti_--are cla.s.sed as Bruchidae, in the series of Phytophaga. Most of the other weevils are cla.s.sed as Curculionidae, series Rhyncophora.--[TRANS.]]

[Footnote 9: The Christmas number (_Noel_) of the _Annales politiques et litteraires: Les Enfants juges par leurs peres_, 1901.]

[Footnote 10: The American usage is to call acridians gra.s.shoppers and Locustidae locusts. The English usage is to call Locustidae gra.s.shoppers and acridians locusts. The Biblical locust is an acridian.]

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This biography is based upon long acquaintance and access to family letters, and is a striking record of a wonderful life.

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