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that male being chosen which surpassed in beauty. 

 This is the view hekl by Darwin ; but recent 

 discoveries in physiology and histology make it 

 tolerably clear that butterflies have themselves no 

 power of clear vision. They may see masses of 

 color, but not definite pattern or form, and as, 

 apparently, the disposition far more even than 

 the brilliancy of color goes to make up the beauty 

 of butterflies, this can in no sense be looked upon 

 as a true cause. 



That butterflies have some perception of color 

 in mass is unquestionable. It has often been 

 remarked that wliite butterflies alight by prefer- 

 ence upon white flowers, yellow butterflies upon 

 yellow flowers. Direct observations have shown 

 that this vague opinion is founded clearly upon 

 fact, and several instances which show this and at 

 the same time show the lack of power of percep- 

 tion of form have been published. Thus Christy 

 observed in Manitoba one of the swallow-tails 

 '•• fluttering over the bushes, evidently in search 

 of flowers. As I watched it," he says, " it settled, 

 momentarily and exactly as if it had mistaken it 

 for a yellow flower, on a twig of Betula glandu- 

 losa bearing withered leaves of a light yellow 

 color." Albert Miiller records seeing the blue 



