PROTECTIVE AND AGGKESSIVE MIMICRY 263 



Similar mimetic resemblance in tropical larvae 



Lord Walsingham has shown me some beautiful 

 specimens of an Indian caterpillar in which the terrify- 

 ing ' eyes ' are placed further back than in the Elephant 

 Hawks ; in fact, so far back that the appearance of a 

 head cannot be produced by telescoping the front part 

 into that which bears the marks. The larva, however, 

 achieves the same end by doubling the front part of its 

 body beneath the rest, the bend being made at the spot 

 where the eye-Hke marks are placed, so that the 



Fig. 57.— Indian larva (Ophideres) in the terrifying attitude ; full-fed ; natural size. 



latter are brought into an appropriate position at the 

 anterior end, while the real head is of course concealed 

 under the body (see fig. 57). The effect is not 

 equal to that produced by Chcerocampay but it must be 

 very striking w^hen the larva is partially concealed 

 among the leaves of its food-plant. 



The larva of the European Tau Emperor (Aglia 



^ 



