PROTECTIVE RESEMBLANCE. 299 



wing marking only, as in the case mentioned by Dr. Cockayne (l-^nt. 

 Recovil, p. 219) of Arjii/nnis )iiiihfi wsiv. jacanensis SLud Daiiais (■liri/.sip/)iis, 

 the former generally accepted to be a mimic of the lattei', yet they 

 prefer a different kind of locality and fly at different altitudes, and in 

 Japan only the fritillary exists. If they had been flying together it 

 would have been cited as an instance of mimicry. I note that Dr. 

 Cocl:ayne considers this as one of those cases of accidental resemblance, 

 " of which many other wonderful examples could be collected," and 

 his remark that " these accidental resemblances must occur, owing to 

 the strictly limited range of size of Lepidoptera and of possible colours 

 and patterns," is very much to the point, but I fail too see why these 

 circumstances should not operate when insects are flying in the same 

 locality as when they are miles apart. 



With regard to certain species of butterflies that have two or three 

 forms of the female that are supposed to " mimic " separate species of 

 butterflies, I have in my mind an almost parallel case in the eggs of 

 the Tree Pipit. They are among the most variable of birds' eggs, and 

 are to be found in various shades of grey, brown, red, pink, green, etc., 

 blotched, spotted ot finely speckled. One clutch could be easily 

 mistaken for a variety of the House Sparrow's, another a Chaffinch's, 

 another a Eeed Bunting's, another a Reed Warbler's, etc., and they can 

 often be found in close proximity. It is certainly, however, not a case 

 of "mimicry." The Cuckoo is another bird that lays most variable 

 eggs, and as far as observations go, each female always lays the same 

 type. The egg is laid on the ground and the female carries it in her 

 bill and deposits it in the nest of the foster parent. Now it is often 

 stated that the bird carries the egg about till it finds a nest with eggs 

 that match it pretty closely. I have made careful observations on a 

 number of nests, in various localities that I know are haunted by 

 Cuckoos, for some years, and found it quite the exception for a 

 Cuckoo's egg to match those oi; the foster parent, although had it been 

 so disposed, the female could easily have accomplished it. I have 

 found Skylark types of Cuckoos' eggs in Hedge Sparrows', Robins' and 

 Pied Wagtails' nests, a Pied Wagtail type in a Hedge Sparrow's nest, 

 a greyish type in a red Tree Pipit's clutch, and a pink type in a grey 

 Tree Pipit's clutch, and so on. In only one case did 1 find a type that 

 nearly matched a Robin's clutch. Other observers have confirmed my 

 experience. One fact is pretty well proved and that is that each 

 individual Cuckoo, as far as is possible, places its eggs in the nests of 

 the same species, and that, probably, the species that reared it. I 

 mention the above to show that although there may be striking 

 resemblances in nature, the human deductions from the observed facts 

 are not always correct. 



Mr. Curtis says " it is open to them (the opponents of the theories) 

 to supply, and in fact necessary that they should supply a rational 

 explanation of the extraordinary likeness between organism and 

 organism, etc." At a recent meeting of the South London Natural 

 History Society, Professor Poulton previous to his lecture, exhibited 

 lantern slides showing a foreign species of Wasp, the male of which 

 had horns on the head similar to those of the Stag-beetle. From the 

 observation of the gentleman who sent them over, it appeared that 

 these horns were used in fighting for the possession of the females, 

 which seems a very rational explanation of their use. Why then 



