320 THE NATURALIST IX NICARAGUA. [Cli. XVII. 



vorous mammals and birds, have peculiar forms, or 

 strongly contrasted, conspicuous colours, and often make 

 odd movements that attract attention to them. There 

 is no attempt at concealment, but, on the contrary, they 

 appear to endeavour to make their presence known. 

 The long narrow wings of the Heliconii butterflies, 

 banded with black, yellow, and red, distinguish them 

 from all others, excepting the mimetic species. The 

 banded bodies of many wasps, or the rich metallic 

 colours of others, and their constant jerky motions, 

 make them very conspicuous. Bees announce their 

 presence by a noisy humming. The beetles of the 

 genus Calopteron have their wing cases curiously dis- 

 tended, and move them up and down, so as to attract 

 attention ; and other species of Lampyridae are phos- 

 phorescent, holding out danger signals that they are not 

 eatable. The reason in all these cases appears to be the 

 same, as Mr. Wallace has shown to hold good with 

 banded and brightly coloured caterpillars. These are dis- 

 tasteful to birds, and, in consequence of their conspicuous 

 colours, are easily known and avoided. If they were 

 like other caterpillars, they might be seized and injured 

 before it was known they were not fit for food. 



Amongst the mammals, I think the skunk is an 

 example of the same kind. Its white tail, laid back on 

 its black body, makes it very conspicuous in the dusk 

 when it roams about, so that it is not likely to be 

 pounced upon by any of the carnivora mistaking it for 

 other night-roaming animals. In reptiles, the beauti- 

 fully banded coral snake (Elaps], whose bite is deadly, is 

 marked as conspicuously as any noxious caterpillar with 

 bright bands of black, yellow, and red. I only met with 



