Mimicry in Birds 



considerable initial resemblance. Thus, the small 

 kite-like eagle mentioned early in this article is 

 distinguished at any rate by the house-crows 

 and grey babblers (Argya malcolmi) of India. 

 This bird would possibly succeed as an imitation 

 of the kite if it had the forked tail of that bird, 

 and then might expect to deceive some species, 

 though crows and babblers would probably, from 

 their social and raptor-hating instincts, give warn- 

 ing against the unusually vicious kite they would 

 deem themselves to have discovered. 



But all birds are not equally intelligent, as I 

 found when experimenting with their tastes in 

 regard to " warningly-coloured " butterflies and 

 their mimics, and no doubt many a species, both 

 in birds and insects, has had its fraudulent career 

 as a mimic nipped in the bud by having to do 

 with enemies or prey which were too observant to 

 be long taken in by anything except an absolutely 

 perfect imitation. 



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