ASTONISNING DISCOVERIES.

Golden Bay Argus, Volume XIII, Issue 52, 26 May 1910, Page 3

ASTONISNING DISCOVERIES.

Concerning Flies' Conversations. If one had asked not long ago whether insects couM talk, science would have answered the question in in the emphatic negative. So much new knowledge has been obtained upon the subject recently that the opinion of those who know most about it is that insects not only do possess means whereby they are able to communicate ideas to one another, bat that many of them have actual voices, with which they express various emotions, such as love, fear, anger and joy—-and that in still other cases, it is possible that whole chains of ideas may be so expressed.

Most astonishing are some of these newest discoveries. For instance, it has just been proven that the house fly possesses a voice. Everyone, of course, is familiar with the buzz of this insect, but none probably has noticed that on occasions it utters a peculiar squeak or sequel, which is evidently a manifestation

of excitement or alarm. If you pursue a fly on the window pane and try to catch him, he is likely to emit this squealing* sound—which, however, is audible to only the keenest human cars.

This, then, is a voice—something quite different from the fly's buzz, which is made by the rapid flapping of its wings. It comes from two little throats, one under each wing. Science made this amazing discovery about the fly while certain savants were taking records of the wing beats. The prepared plate showed not only the vibrations caused by the wings, but also a record of tiny dots and waved lines that could have been pf oduced by various vibrations. Minute investigation revealed the source.

It also showed that flies receive these tonal vibrations through their whisLers. These are a mass of plumes at the end of their antennae. They are the ears of a fly, and act in much the same way as the aerials of , wireless telegraphy—they catch the sound waves, and the brain, being tuned in unison to what may be called the fly code, understands.

Another discovery was that the drum of the cicada, incorrectly called the locust, is the exact counterpart-, of the Madi Indians', one of the most primitive of tribes, and that the insect has a real language which it communicates through this internal mechanism. The rhythm of the beats, the intervals between and the timbre, form an actual code by which it expresses itself to its kind. And here is an astonishing parallel with the so-called " drum language" of certain South American and African tribes, by which they talk to each other over great stretches of territory,, and which is as well developed as is the Morse code.

But if you will catch a fly and hold him flrraly and gently so that he cannot struggle, and examine him carefully, you will see beneath each of his v ngs a hole of considerable si c—Lig enough, that is to say, to be seen with the naked eye. It is through these two holes, one on each side of its chest, that the voice of the fly is uttered. The insect has no lungs, but all through the structare of its thorax—the part of the body just behind the head, made up chiefly of the powerful muscles used for working the wings —air passages ramify. These passages supply oxygen to the muscles in question, and these muscles, when violently contracted, force the air out through the two holes. There is a circular arrangement of other muscles about the '"throats" which regulates the size and so the sound —quite on the principle o r . whistling. These two combination produce the "voice." The consequence is that the fly has a onu octave below the lowest ccnt:aVt« and one and a half above thu hip.hest soprano to express its emotions.

f erfect sound records of this voice ha"e been obtained by holding the insect close to a sensitised revol*iu,' cylinder. This showed the vibrations by a rapid series of little dots on the paper, even though the "s jtieal" was not audible to the ear. What is the use of this voice ? Is it for purposes of communication with other flies ? Nobody can answer that question with certainty, but the presumption is that it is so. Unquestionably other flies are able to hear the "squeal." If you will examine a fly under a strong magnifying glass, you will find that each of its two antennae —just beneath its huge eyes—is ornamented with a sort of plume. One might suppose this to be merely an ornament, but such is by no means the case. It is a hearing apparatus, and responds by its vibrations to musical notes sounded on the violin or tuning fork. In other words it is the equivalent of an ear. The notes of the little * throats" are caught by it, and their meaning translated to the brain. '% The songs of insects may properly be considered as corresponding .to those of birds, though the method of their production is different. Among grasshoppers, as with feahered creatures, the very species may be distinguished by the call.

Not only that, but grasshoppers ka'»e different voices for sunshine and uhade, for day and night. A grasshopper will climb aloft on a stem of stout grass. and fiddle away by the hour, using the thigh of each h'nd lee alternately as a bow, and the ridged surface of , the wing ce ers for a violin. It has been fiund be has an excellent code. < ric-ets, of all insects, utter the high.st musical notes, which are produced by rubbing the base of one wjntf-co.er upon the other. The

delicate in structure —a mere "diaphonous embodiment of sound"— maVes a noise of piercing shrillness and loudness. It does this by elevating its wings and vibrating them so rapidly that they appear motionless. A single specimen in a window curtain will banish sleep, and it is almost impossible to find him.

The only member of the tribe of butterflies and moths that emits a sound is the remarkable " death'shead" moth. It is a large insect, with a skull and crossbones clearly marked on its back. When seized it" litters a shriek of fright or pain, which, taken together with its ghastly markings, gives ground for the superstitious dread which everywhere it is regarded by the 'ignorant.

Even the caterpillar of this species can cry. But the means by which the sounds are produced are unknown.

Some spiders make a drumming noise ; others produce a purring sound. A number of species of beetles squeak when captured, or occasionally even when undisturbed. The tapping of the "death watch" beetle is said to be produced by butting its head against the wood, though why it should pursue such a strange habit nobody knows.

There is no question of the fact that insects in general have all the senses that man possesses. Their hearing is probably very superior to his, though the apparatus used for the purpose is different and curiously varied in character. For example, the ears of a grasshopper are located one on each side of the first joint of the abdomen. To insects, in fact, all nature is full of sounds which we cannot hear. And not only have all the senses we possess ; but, in addition, they appear to have a sixth sense, by which they are able to communicate ideas or information over great distances. Some have also a special sense of direction, similar to that of carrier pigeons.—" Popular Science Sittings."