WARNING COLOURS 173 



{Lasiocampa riihi),Oak Eggar {L. qiiercus), a>nd Drinker 

 (pdonestis potatoria), have this effect on the skin of 

 the hands if they are held for a long time, and they 

 would certainly act rapidly upon the delicate skin of 

 the mouth. All three caterpillars are fairly con- 

 spicuous, and there is experimental evidence that the 

 two latter are disliked. 



It will be shown that the hairs are sometimes 

 arranged in tempting tufts, which invite an enemy to 

 seize the caterpillar at a point which does not injure 

 the latter, while it causes the former the greatest dis- 

 comfort. 



The hairs of nearly all caterpillars are probably 

 more or less unpleasant in the mouth. Delicate and 

 sensitive animals, such as the marmoset, although ex- 

 cessively fond of insects, cannot be induced to touch 

 any hairy larva. Birds appear to eat them more 

 readily than other animals, but they have peculiar 

 advantages in their power of rubbing off the hairs. 



The association of hairs with a conspicuous appearance 



Sir John Lubbock ^ has tabulated the appearance 

 of the larvae of all British butterflies and the larger 

 moths, and he thus shows in a most convincing 

 manner the general association of hairs or spines with 

 conspicuous warning colours. His conclusion is as 

 follows ; * Thus summing up the caterpillars, both of 



> Trans. Ent. Soc. 1878, pp. 239, et seq. 



