INTRODUCTION 33 



bark of maple trees are likely to be found upon the trunks 

 of these. Obviously, were this not true the protective 

 coloring would avail but little and it is evident that these 

 moths are able to select a background which is of advant- 

 age in helping to conceal them. 



There is much evidence to show that in a similar way the 

 butterflies are able by means of a well-developed color 

 sense to select the places where they alight. One of the 

 most notable examples is that of a South American species, 

 Peridromia feronia. This is a silvery gray butterfly which 

 alights head downward upon the bark of certain palm trees 

 that have silvery gray stems and remains there 'with its 

 wings fully expanded so that it utilizes the background in 

 much the same way that the Underwing moths do. 

 "When disturbed they will return to the same tree again 

 and again." 



One who will observe the habits of our Angle- wings and 

 other butterflies which have obliterative coloring of the 

 under wing surface can easily learn that these insects 

 select rather carefully the places where they alight. It 

 will be found that as a rule each species utilizes a back- 

 ground that blends with its own coloring. It is probable 

 that this habit is much more common in other groups of but- 

 terflies than has been realized. Much evidence of this sort 

 has been collected regarding the butterflies of Europe and 

 other countries, as well as near our own borders in America. 



Warning Coloration and Mimicry 



The colors of a great many animals, including a con- 

 siderable percentage of American butterflies and their 

 larvae, have been commonly explained by the theory of 



