The Descent of Man

Lepidoptera, as well as with other insects. So
that, as M. Personnat remarks, the males of the
domesticated Bombyx Yamamai, are useless at
the beginning of the season, and the females at
the end, from the want of mates. (80. Quoted by
Dr. Wallace in 'Proceedings, Entomological
Society,' 3rd series, vol. v. 1867, p. 487.) I cannot,
however, persuade myself that these causes
suffice to explain the great excess of males,
in the above cases of certain butterflies which
are extremely common in their native countries.
Mr. Stainton, who has paid very close
attention during many years to the smaller
moths, informs me that when he collected them
in the imago state, he thought that the males
were ten times as numerous as the females, but
that since he has reared them on a large scale
from the caterpillar state, he is convinced that
the females are the more numerous. Several
entomologists concur in this view. Mr. Doubleday,
however, and some others, take an opposite
view, and are convinced that they have rea-