MIMICRY, WITH EXAMPLES 127 



The Bumblebee's Mimic 



|0W unexpectedly nature in- 

 troduces some of her guests 

 to those whose minds and 

 eyes are on the alert to re- 

 ceive them! One day in June I came suddenly upon a large 

 robber-fly at the edge of the woods. He was flying low to 

 the ground, foraging among the herbage. Before I could 

 scarcely realize what had happened he had pounced like a tiger 

 upon a rose-bug and in the next moment had settled with his 

 prey upon a leaf of sassafras. 



In the first photographic plate he is pictured with his proboscis 

 buried in the rose-bug's body, sucking out its juices. I have 

 also pictured on the same plate the aesthetic columbine plant 

 that grew beside the young shoot of sassafras upon which he 

 was resting. To all appearance the robber-fly was the very 

 embodiment of a bumblebee. Here was the velvety covering 

 of light golden hairs on the thorax, the j^ellow and black cover- 

 ing on the abdomen, and even going so far in the mimicry as 

 the unconscious pose of a bumblebee. This same species of 

 robber-fly, DasyUis sacrata, was seen quite often during the 

 early summer. His boldness often amounted to such familiarity 

 that he would alight on my clothes. On such occasions he 

 invariably caused consternation among the uninitiated members 

 of our party, as he was always taken for a bumblebee. 



If I were to select a perfect example of mimicry in our tem- 

 perate latitude, this insect might be chosen as the highest 

 type, for he presents a striking likeness to Bombus consimilis. 



When seen preying upon insects his identity may be recog- 



