60 THE STUDY OF ANIMAL LIFE CHAP. 



ters involves rather complex ideas. Belt's description 

 of the skunk, for instance, recalls a more familiar sight 

 a cat showing fight to a dog in regard to which 

 Mantegazza gravely tells us that the cat " bristles up her 

 fur, and inflates herself to appear larger, and to frighten 

 the dog who threatens her " ! In our desire to be fail- 

 to the subtlety of animals, it is indeed difficult to avoid 

 being credulous. The reflex reaction and the preparation 

 for eventualities which we see in the cat surprised by a 

 dog may justify itself in ways of which the cat has not 

 any idea. 



Perhaps the best illustration which Belt gives is that 

 of a certain gaily-coloured frog : 



" In the woods around Santo Domingo there are many frogs. 

 Some are green or brown, and imitate green or dead leaves, and 

 live amongst foliage. Others are dull earth-coloured, and hide in 

 holes and under logs. All these come out only at night to feed, and 

 they are all preyed upon by snakes and birds. In contrast to these 

 obscurely- col cured species, another little frog hops about in the 

 daytime dressed in a bright livery of red and blue. He cannot be 

 mistaken for any other, and his naming vest and blue stockings 

 show that he does not court concealment. He is very abundant 

 in the damp wood, and I was convinced that he was uneatable 

 so soon as I had made his acquaintance, and saw the happy sense 

 of security with which he hopped about. I took a few specimens 

 home with me, and tried my fowls and ducks with them, but none 

 of them would touch them. At last, by throwing down pieces of 

 meat, for which there was a great competition amongst them, I 

 managed to entice a young duck into snatching up one of the 

 little frogs. Instead of swallowing it, however, it instantly threw 

 it out of its mouth, and went about jerking its head, as if trying to 

 throw off some unpleasant taste." 



Admirable, also, are the illustrations given by Prof. 

 Poulton in regard to many caterpillars, such as the larva 

 of the currant or magpie moth (Abraxas grossulariata), 

 which is conspicuous with orange and black markings on 

 a cream ground, and is refused altogether, or rejected 

 with disgust, by the hungry enemies of other caterpillars. 

 It has also been observed that some brightly coloured 



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marine animals, e.g. certain Nudibranehs, are left by 

 some fishes severely alone, and where unpalatability can 



