216 THE COLOUKS OF ANIMALS 



CHAPTEB Xn 



PBOTECTIVE MIMICBY 



We now approach one of the most interesting aspects 

 of our subject, and one that has played an important 

 part in the history of evolution and of natural 

 selection. 



History of the subject 



The fact that certain butterflies belonging to 

 widely separate groups, but inhabiting the same 

 localities, possess the most remarkable superficial 

 resemblance, has been known for a very long time. 

 An interesting quotation from Boisduval's * Species 

 General des Lepidopteres ' (pp. 372, 373) is given by 

 Mr. Roland Trimen at the head of his paper on 

 Mimicry among African butterflies.^ Boisduval's sen- 

 tence, written in 1836, refers to an African Swallow- 

 tailed Butterfly, which still remains the most remark- 

 able , instance of Mimicry known in the world : 

 * C'est une chose bien remarquable que de voir la nature 

 creer a cote les uns des autres 1' Euploea Niavius, le 



» Linn. Soc. Trans, xxvi. p. 497. 



