PROTECTIVE COLORATION. 113 



and placed in a box, where, after the lapse of some days 

 they became bleached. One of them was placed upon a red 

 Dahlia, another upon a yellow Antirrhinum, the third upon a 

 white convolvulus. They were all marked with an ink spot to 

 ensure recognition ; but a storm of rain washed out the marks, 

 .so it is possible that the individuals found upon the flowers 

 .and coloured like them were not really those originally placed 

 there. 



The distinguished British Arachnologist, the llev. 0. P. 

 Cambridge, has already referred to the same spider as imitating 

 the colours of flowers.* He found it pink when upon heather 

 blossom, and quotes the Rev. C. W. Penny to the effect that it is 

 yellow when upon yellow blossoms. Mr. Cambridge is, however, 

 inclined to doubt this, since he found more mature examples, 

 which are generally devoid of colouring, also upon the pink 

 heather blossoms ; the yellow colour, therefore, is not adaptive, 

 but simply due to age. The two series of observations must 

 be set against each other. 



Do Animals select Resting-places which are in Harmony with their 



Colour ? 



It is not generally believed that insects and other animals 

 that are protectively coloured deliberately select for a temporary 

 resting-place a situation whether it be a trunk or a leaf, 

 that harmonises with their own colour. The theory is that their 

 colours have been modified in accordance with their usual 

 environment ; those that habitually settle among trees being 

 green, and so forth. It has, however, been stated that a small 

 black moth (PJu/cis carbonariella) is constantly met with in 

 patches of underwood that have been burnt ; its dusky hues 

 approximate to the colour of charred wood. The Snowy Owl, 



f " Spiders of Dorset." 



8 



