330 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [June r 



"Palatable" group. 



Atella phalanta 16 6 22.7 



Elymnias undularis «* r 25 8 24.2 



Hypoli?nnas misippus 13 1 7.1 



Nepheronia hippia 12 1 7.6 



Papilio demoleus 69 24 25.8 



" polites.. 55 12 17.9 



3. That the mimics of these are at any rate relatively palatable 

 and that the mimicry is commonly effectual under natural condi- 

 tions" (p. 667). 



According to the figures obtained by me, the mimics, Hypolimnas- 

 misippus and Nepheronia hippia were each rejected once in thirteen and 

 twelve trials, respectively, an average of about 7 per cent., or much 

 under the average for the ''palatable" group as a whole, while about 

 18 per cent, of the Papilio polites and 24 per cent, of the Elymnias 

 undularis were refused, fully as large a proportion as in the case of 

 several members of the "nauseous" group. 



There is no more evidence for the latter half of this conclusion 

 than that any other features of the experiments are analogous to 

 natural conditions. 



As noted above, the experiments and conclusions of Finn are often 

 quoted in support of the selectionist theories, and Finn himself in 

 summing up this earlier work says: "On the whole, the theory of 

 Wallace and Bates is supported by the facts detailed in this and 

 former papers, so far as they deal with birds. (and the one mammal 

 used)" (pp. 667, 668). 



It is of great interest, therefore, to note that the builder of these 

 oft-sought bulwarks of the selectionists later came to the opinion 

 that neither they, nor any other of the defenses brought forward, 

 would save the day for the selection theories. In collaboration with 

 Douglass Dewar, in a book entitled The Making of Species (1909). 

 he says: "Many naturalists, especially Dr. Wallace and Prof. 

 Poulton, have pushed the various theories of animal coloration to 



absurd lengths (p. 171) We have examined these mighty 



images of gold, and silver, and brass, and iron, and found that there 

 is much clay in the feet " (p. 172) .... What we "know of the 

 struggle for existence offers but poor support to the Neo-Darwinian 

 explanation of the cases of the so-called mimicry in nature" 

 (p. 240). 



As a result of his experience with captive birds, Finn recommends 

 that future experimenters use birds in a state of freedom, and at 



