Mimicry in Nature. 339 



when heavily laden with eggs, it would soon become exterminated 

 if not protected by Nature in some way or other. This female 

 invariably mimics the commonest of all the Daiudna, i.e., D. 

 chrysippus, which is common all over India, Burmali, Ceylon, the 

 Malay Archipelago, Madagascar, Aden, and, in Africa, in the 

 west, south, and south-eastern coasts; and in every one of these 

 localities H. myRippus also exists, the female being of the Danais 

 colour and pattern ; and where the Danais does not exist, H. 

 viysippus is not to be found. In Africa, D. chrysippus is of a dull 

 bronzy red, and not nearly so brightly coloured as it is in Asia ; 

 and similarly the females of H. mysippus in Africa are of a dull 

 bronzy hue, whereas in India the females are brighter coloured, 

 like the hue of the Indian Danais. In Africa and at Aden there 

 are two or three forms of D. chrysippus, some without the black 

 patch to the fore wings, some with it, but with white hind wings, 

 and some without it, also with white hind wings, and in their places 

 are occasionally to be found females of H. mijsippiis similarly 

 marked and coloured. In India the mimetic form of the Danais 

 without the black patch is also occasionally to be found, and so 

 also is the Danais, but the mimicker is commoner than the 

 mimicked. I am inclined to believe that this is the more ancient 

 form, but is dying out and is gradually being replaced by the 

 black-tipped form, and that the mimetic form has actually out- 

 lasted the form it has mimicked. There is proof of this in the 

 species H. bolina, examples of which I will give later on. It will 

 be seen from the exhibits that there are examples of H. niysippus 

 mimicking D. chrysippus, D. alcippus and D. dorippits. 



Next we come to the species H. bolina. In Asia the female 

 only is mimetic, the male in all localities being of the normal 

 form. The female universally mimics Euplaa of the core pattern, 

 where these exist ; and wherever core is the common form, the 

 mimic is invariably of the true core pattern. The exhibit shows 

 H. bolina and E. core. But E. core does not go very far south ; 

 one or two have been taken in Mergui, but there is no record of 

 its more southern existence. In Amboina it mimics E. climena. 

 In one of the Solomon Islands you get the normal male just as 

 we have it in India, and the female in the form of the commonest 

 Euplaa of the place. In another island called Meleita, quite 

 close by, both male and female imitate the common Euplo'.a of 

 the district, and this is one of the most beautiful mimetic forms 

 you can find. The male mimics the male, and the female the 

 female, imitating the common noxious and most plentiful 

 butterfly of the district in which it lives. Yet a little farther, 

 go to Ke Island, and here we find H. bolina mimicking E. hoppeiii. 

 In Sumatra it imitates E. singapura. In fact, you may follow 

 it wherever you will, and wherever it is found it is always in the 

 garb of the commonest butterfly of the district. Then we come 



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