This volume is based on a Symposium entitled "Insect Flight: Dispersal and Migration" held at the XVllth International Congress of Entomology in Hamburg, Germany in August, 1984. An earlier similar Symposium was held at the XVthInternational Congressof Entomologyin 1976 in Washington DC, USA ("Evolution ofInsect Migration and Diapause" edited by Hugh Dingle, Springer-Verlag, 1978). It is, therefore, appropriate that the present Sym- posium was held 8 years later in view ofthe intensified interest and develop- ments in this field, particularly in the areas ofevolution, genetics, endocrine/ neuroendocrine influences,orientation, navigation and nocturnal flight activ- ity. It was intended that the Symposium should have a fairly representative, albeit non-complete, coverage of the various aspects of its topic, and the Congress facilitated the gathering of many specialists in the field, enabling the presentation and discussion of 18 papers. Fifteen of these are presented in this volume, mostly as modified and expanded versions.
Also included is a contribution by Roger Farrow who presented his paper at another section of the Congress, and one by Wolfgang Stein who could not attend the Con- gress; an additional paper, by myself and Stuart Dashper, is included with the intention ofsupportingmypresentationat the Congress. One of the most interesting contributions was that by Rudiger Wehner on "The role of polar- ized skylight in insect navigation". Muchofwhat he said has been published elsewhere under the title "Astronavigation in Insects"(AnnualReviewof Entomology 29:277-298,1984).