152 



THE COLOUES OF ANIMALS 



entirely excluded the larvae became greenish-brown, 

 brownish-green, or sometimes of a decided green 

 colour, and thus harmonised well with the leaves and 

 young green twigs of the hawthorn. In the presence 

 of dark twigs they became dark brown like so many 

 other larvae.^ 



Experiments upon the larvae of the Peppered Moth 



The second instance is even more remarkable, and 

 has only been observed during the present year (1889). 



I obtained some 

 hundreds of eggs 

 from a single wild 

 female of the Pep- 

 pered Moth {Am- 

 phidasis betularia), 

 and the caterpillars 

 which hatched were 

 treated as in the 

 other experiments. 

 The larvae reared 

 among green leaves 

 and shoots became 

 bright green (see 

 fig, 40) without ex- 

 ception, while the others in nearly all cases assumed 

 the colour of the dark-brown twigs, which were mixed 



Fig. 40.— The larva of Peppered Moth (A. hetularia) 

 surrounded by green twigs and leaves ; full-fed ; 

 half natural size. 



Fig. 41.— The larva of Peppered Moth surrounded by 

 abundant dark twigs as well as leaves. 



' Report of the British Association, 1887, p. 756 

 vol. 36, p. 594. 



also Nature, 



