Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-10-21
INSECTS AND THEIR SENSES
BY Frederic J. Hsskin

some moths, for instance, attract
mates from miles away.
: DR. Mcfndoo carried $50 PrOmethsa
cocoons from Massachusetts to small
islands Of tho Florida Keys. Tho moths
we're then sufficiently far from their
regional home. tho doctor figured, 80
that no ether specimens would inter-
fere with his observations. The female
moths were kept IN glass jars, some
turned upside down on the sand, and
some with netting over tho top.
The males were released at various
DISTANCES They quickly found their
way to the females in the Jars covered
with netting, but none carne 10 tns
jars with mouths buried in the sand
Az the females IN all the jara were
| equally visible. Dr Mcfndoo FOUND
| It reasonable 70 believe that sight Rad
| little or nothing 20 do with tho at-
/ traction Of The male moth 70 the fe-
! male. lie believes that euanatfous
paesed away from the jars who~~
mouths we're covered with netting ard
/ that these ernanations we're senaed
/ IN some way by the male moths. AZ
/ delicate odors could not escape
through the jars With mouths IN the
sand, the signals from these iars wore
! dlsregarded.
YariOus Ant Od0rs.
To support his theory that tho OIL
factory sense dominates n insect lfs.
Dr. McIndoo brings tho evidence u
other ecientists. Wheeler. he says.
found that different species of ants
have dineren, Odors that ran be Dis
4.
of a human being The Odor Of ons
apecies Is described 40 being pungsnt
and ethereal: two Others are znolcy:
others are ike rotten cocoa nuts: and
still another species ~ ant has n
smell rerniniscent Of lemon Keraniurn.
Another scientist. Miss Fielde. thinks
that tho mother ant transmits n fsrui-
Is odor 20 al og her Offspring. and sh y
says that ants can differeu-iate no
innate odora peculiar 70 tho species.
sex. caste. and individual. ard nlso the
acquired odor of the nest and environ
d. ment.
Each ant. she claims. has three
| odors. % scent depoaeed ~, her
feet, forming an individual trasl where
eby she traces her own steTa; C2) an
Inherent and inherited odor. mani
Tested over her whole body. Identical
b in quality for queens and workers II
the sano lineage. and means for
the recognition Of blood relations: and
} (3) nest odor. ccneisting OF the COM
=, mingled odors og al the members *
r the colony and used 70 Distinguish
] their nest from those NJ aliens
. Besides all this. Miss FIelde put@
= forth the theory that ants can even
I detect progressive odors due 20 change
Of psychological condition with che age
{ OF the individual ant.
e. a human being can dImIy under.
!. stand this specialized Use of the sens
. Of smell. with his dull olfactory or.
70 gane he can. z has been pointed out
make the crude distinction between .
4 horse and a COW. or a cat and a dog
d by finer work. a scientist discover
- that drones, workers and queens 81
r a hive vi nave peculiar odors taa.
:. human nose can learn TO distinguish
{ and that lighter odora about whtcl
o man can only speculate must guild
Q the actions Of insects at aEeouudsni
s. distances.
n IN fact. DR.. McIndoo believes the
q the world OF such insects az the an
70 and bee Is not only a world ot odor
le but that the Olfactory sense is 70 I'm
n portant 10 them that they canno
exist II Il Is destrc yed. Yet man think
n his sense OF smell Is acute when he ca
of distinguish blindfolded between a
8. onion and a violet.