212 ANIMAL COLORATION. 



delicate in their taste than lizards, came the necessity for 

 warning coloration and its concomitant mimicry. If we believe 

 that mimicry is a comparatively new phenomenon, it is reasonable 

 also to believe that it is still developing under our eyes. 



A closer resemblance still is shown between the Common 

 Blues (Lt/ccena aryus and L. ayextis in the case of the former 

 species the female only) and the type of coloration shown by 

 some of the " Ringlets" (//. cassiope, for instance). 



The " Merveil du Jour" (Ayriopis aprilina) closely re- 

 sembles the " Scarce Merveil du Jour " (Diphthera orioit). It 

 is no doubt a matter of opinion, but I should be inclined to 

 regard this likeness as being quite as close as that between a 

 species of Papilio, and a species of Danais figured by Mr. 

 Ponlton.* The very names of these two moths imply a 

 likeness, and yet they appear in different months ! 



This particular case might be, doubtless, explained by sup- 

 posing that the two insects have been coloured after one 

 pattern, the model being afforded by a green lichen ; their 

 resemblances to each other would be thus due to their re- 

 semblance to a common object. Certain recognised cases of 

 mimicry may possibly be explicable in an analogous way. 



Difficulty of distinguishing between Mimicry and Warning 



Coloration. 



It has been pointed out that the Danaidre, themselves an 

 uneatable race of butterflies and models for mimicrv, resemble 



f / 



in South America the uneatable Heliconidas ; some of the 

 Dan aid re of that country are spoken of as Helicoiioid Danaidae 

 on that account. This, it is believed, is not a case of true 

 mimicry ; it would not fulfil any of the conditions (p. 206) of 

 true mimicry. The resemblance is supposed rather to be like 

 * " The Colours of Animals/' Plate I. 



