INTRODUCTION 29 



The chief beauty of these Catocalas, as they are seen 

 spread out in the museum cabinet, Hes in the fact that the 

 hind wings, which, when the moth is at rest in hfe, are con- 

 cealed by the front ones, are brightly colored in contrasting 

 hues of black, red, and white in various brilliant combina- 

 tions. These colors, in connection with the soft and 

 blended tones of the front wings, make a very handsome 

 insect. 



It is easy to see that w^hen one of these Underwing 

 Moths is driven to flight by a woodpecker or other bark- 

 searching bird it would show diu'ing its rapid, irregular 

 flight the bright colors of the under wings which would be 

 instantly hidden upon alighting and the very different 

 coloring of the upper wings blending with the bark would 

 be substituted. Consequently, the bird would be very 

 likely to be baffled in its pursuit. 



Coloration of Locusts 



On the rocky hills and sandy plains of New England 

 there are several species of grasshoppers or locusts that 

 also illustrate these principles. If you walk along a strip 

 of sandy land in summer, you start to flight certain locusts 

 which soon alight, and when searched for will be found 

 closely to assimilate in color the sand upon which they 

 rest. On a neighboring granite-ribbed hill you will find 

 few if any of this species of locust, but instead there occur 

 two or three quite different species, which when at rest 

 closely" resemble the lichen-covered rocks. This resem- 

 blance is very striking, and is f oimd in all stages of the in- 

 sect's existence. If now you go to a lowland meadow, still 

 another color phase will be found to prevail — the green 

 grass is swarming with the so-called "long-horned" grass- 



