CHAPTER IX 



THE ENEMIES OF BUTTERFLIES 



The theory of mimicry demands that butterflies 

 should have enemies, and fiurther that those enemies 

 should exercise a certain discrimination in their attacks. 

 They must be sufficiently observant to notice the 

 difference between the mimetic and the non-mimetic 

 form ; they must be sufficiently unobservant to confuse 

 the mimetic form with the unpalatable model. And, 

 of course, they must have enough sense of taste to 

 dislike the unpalatable and to appreciate the palatable 

 varieties. What these enemies are and whether they 

 can be supposed to play the part required of them we 

 may now go on to consider. 



Butterflies are destroyed in the imago state princi- 

 pally by three groups of enemies — predaceous insects, 

 lizards, and birds. It is known that monl^eys also 

 devour butterflies to some extent, but such damage 

 as they inflict is almost certainly small in comparison 

 with that brought about by the three grouj)s already 

 mentioned. In view of the very different nature of 

 these groups it will be convenient to consider them 

 separately. 



