( -^Iv ) 



fact that certain inedible moths have no mimics materially 

 affect the question. 



There is fairly conclusive evidence that inedible species of 

 butterflies adopt for the most part a slow, negligent form of 

 flight. This habit, which has probably arisen through im- 

 munity from pursuit, also serves to display those colours 

 which are supposed to be of a warning nature. It is a re- 

 markable fact that mimetic species, though belonging to 

 genera which ordinarily fly quickly, also exhibit the same 

 carelessness of pursuit. This latter fact is referred to in 

 Professor Packard's paper, and it is even suggested that 

 climatic or local causes may be suflicient to account for a 

 change in the mode of flight. I cannot but think that such a 

 suggestion is carrying the climatic theory to a somewhat un- 

 warrantable length. We are next reminded of Eisig's sug- 

 gestion that " those bright colours of animals which have 

 hitherto been regarded as of warning significance, are merely 

 the substance or secretions which confer the unpleasant taste, 

 and that therefoi-e Wallace's older interpretation is unneces- 

 sary and, in fact, erroneous." Now we have already been 

 told that the existence of very inconspicuous animals of a 

 highly distasteful nature is an argument against the theory of 

 warning colours, and yet in the next breath a theory is quoted 

 which to be adequately supported would require that these 

 highly distasteful insects should also be highly coloured. 



At the end of the next section the author discusses the case 

 of the brightly coloured Nicaraguan frog which I mentioned in 

 the earlier portion of my remarks. Whilst allowing that the 

 frog is inedible and that its gay colours have taught the birds 

 to avoid it, it is maintained that the cause of the bright colours 

 has been exposure to the bi'ight sunlight and consequent 

 excessive pigmentation. On this supposition the bright colours 

 would have been developed just the same had the creature been 

 of an edible species, except that such colours would have soon 

 resulted in the animal's entire extinction. It is therefore 

 merely accident that the bright colours and inedible qualities 

 co-exist. I am prepared to submit that in one or two isolated 

 cases s ch an accident might be possible ; for the sake of argu- 

 ment I would even go so far as to allow that in the case of 



