1904.] PACKARD— ORIGIN OF MARKINGS OF ORGANISMS. 425 



III Other words, the repetition in so many insects of such different 

 orders, often in different parts of the world, of certain colors in cer- 

 tain designs or patterns can scarcely be explained by attributing their 

 appearance to the action of natural selection. Upon looking at the 

 colored plates of Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Diptera, 

 etc., in Marshall and Poulton's memoir, or examining similar series 

 in a collection, where the colors are chiefly black or brown and 

 yellow or yellow-brown, one is struck by what after all is the slight 

 range of colors, and by the repetition of the same style of markings 

 and of similar patterns or designs. These, being especially frequent 

 and characteristicof day-flying, light-seeking Lepidoptera, Hymenop- 

 tera and Diptera, as well as Hemiptera, dragon flies, etc., appear to 

 be due to the stimulus of light and shade, to high temperature, com- 

 bined as a rule with moisture. These modifications and adaptations 

 also have evidently affected multitudes of individuals in a given 

 area ; i.e., all those exposed to a similar physical environment. 



The claim that the ncarkings of the Coleoptera represented on PI. 

 XVn, entitled *' Warning patterns and mimicry of Mutillidae in 

 Carabidae and Cicindelidse, etc.," are the result of natural selection, 

 seems rather far-fetched. The Cicindelae in northern countries, 

 however it may be in South Africa, are much more abundant than 

 the species of Mutilla, and therefore less liable to be exterminated 

 or eliminated than these rather scarce Hymenoptera ; moreover, 

 nearly all tiger beetles are day-flyers and are more or less bright 

 ■colored, spotted, or adorned with metallic tints. The spotted 

 Carabidae are exceptional ; we have spotted species in North America, 

 and their supposed models, Mutilla, are as infrequent. We should 

 prefer to look upon the species of Anthia figured (^A. 6-guitata from 

 India, A. ninirod z.Vl<\ A. omoplata from West Africa) as simply due 

 to convergence ; the spots in the beetles and in the Mutillae arising 

 from the same exposure to the sun's rays in a warm country, in 

 this case we should waive any further causal connection. 



That the coloration of the Mutillee and of the carabids cited is 

 protective is quite evident, but we would doubt whether Miillerian 

 mimicry is suggested or proved by the similarity of the markings of 

 these insects. Mr. Marshall states : *' The Mutillidte of course are 

 armed with a powerful sting, which however they are slow to use, 

 and besides they are very hard ; the red prothorax is by no means 

 conspicuous when they are running on the ground, the abdomen 

 being the part that catches the eye, and when hard pressed this is 



