236 



ANIMAL COLORATION. 



which are supposed to be duped or warned by these colour 

 phenomena. 



The only case of mimicry among the Mammalia advanced 

 by Mr. Wallace is that of the insectivore Cladobates, which 

 has a bushy tail like a squirrel. This instance of mimicry is 

 believed to be for aggressive rather than protective purposes. 

 The view taken by Wallace is that the squirrels, being veget- 



Fig. 26. Cladobates. 



able feeders, do not disturb the insects among which they live, 

 and that, in consequence of its resemblance to a squirrel, 

 the insectivore can steal upon its prey without causing any 

 alarm. 



The validity of this example is disputed by Semper, who 

 maintains, in the first place, that at any rate the European 

 squirrel is omnivorous, like many other rodents notably the 

 rat ; in the second place it is pointed out that the shaking of 

 the branches, caused by the squirrel las he leaps from bough 

 to bough, would be probably in itself somewhat alarming to 



