1912.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 315 



Poulton's remarks is, "Although so many insectivorous animals in 

 confinement disregarded the special defence of Formica rufa, there 

 can be little doubt that such defence is very effective in the wild 

 state. It is impossible on any other hypothesis to account for the 

 conditions under which the species exists, swarming in vast numbers 

 in restricted areas and an easy prey to any enemy that would dare 

 to attack" (p. 868). Here we have a case where experimental 

 results are not in accord with the theory, and it is evident that it is 

 so much the worse for the experiments. Where the evidence is of 

 a supporting nature, experiments are extolled to the skies. Pocock, 

 who tries to stick consistently to the experimental results which for 

 Formica rufa were an indefinite number of acceptances and no 

 rejections by a monkey, A 13 R by birds, and two refusals by 

 lizards, says: '"The unavoidable conclusion that these insects are 

 palatable is rather surprising in view of the frequency with which 

 ants are mimicked in the tropics" (p. 849). In deeming it impossible 

 for the ants to live as at present unless specially defended, Poulton 

 takes the struggle for existence too seriously. In fact, he seems to 

 think all gregarious insects must be specially protected, thus over- 

 looking periodical cicadas, migratory locusts, canker-worms, army- 

 worms, etc., which usually occur in large numbers and are eagerly 

 attacked by a great variety of insectivorous foes. 



Poulton further remarks: "It was also apparent in many of the 

 experiments that the unpalatability of conspicuous Lepidoptera 

 was .... far more obvious to the birds than the mammals. In 

 view of the part which birds are believed to play in the production 

 of mimetic resemblances, it is obvious that this inference may be 

 highly significant" (p. 868). The writer has tabulated the accept- 

 ances and rejections for mammals and birds, including only those 

 Lepidoptera which were refused by some species, and the result is 

 mammals A 19 R 10, or about 34 per cent, refused, and birds A 112 

 R 80, or about 41 per cent, refused. Hardly enough difference to 

 warrant the comment quoted. 



A very interesting series of experiments with frogs, lizards, birds, 

 and mammals upon a good variety of insects and other inverte- 

 brates as subjects were performed by Beddard and Finn at the 

 London Zoological Gardens and recorded by the former in his volume 

 entitled Animal Coloration (1892, pp. 149-166). Mr. Beddard's 

 principal conclusions are as follows: "It is quite clear from these 

 experiments that insects which exhibit warning colors are by no 

 means always exempt from attack. The opinions of insect-eating 



