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movements among the rustling dry grass, betray its whereabouts^ 

 to a cat, gain much by mimicing some creature ignored or 

 dreaded by all felines. 



The third reason why protective mimicry is comparatively 

 rare among mammals, is because warning colourations arfr 

 distinctly rare among the higher animals ; and we have seen that 

 most cases of protective mimicry are founded upon definite 

 warning colouration. It is true, there exist one or two marked 

 cases of animals which exhibit warning colours. The skunk, as 

 pointed out by Wallace, and also by Belt, the brilliant author of 

 the Naturalist in Nicaragua, is a very conspicuous object when 

 among his natural surroundings, and usually makes no effort 

 whatever to get out of the way. But as an example of mimicry, 

 the skunk is as one crying in the wilderness, "born to blush 

 unseen, and waste his sweetness on the desert air." A few other 

 animals, such as the gorilla and certain squirrels, seem also to 

 display warning colouration, but I am not aware that in a single 

 case has the hint been taken by any feeble creature. 



Are we, then, to confess that mimicry is practically unknown 

 among: mammals r and must I sum up my paper in a manner 

 similar to the Irish naturalist historian, who devoted a separate 

 chapter to snakes, consisting merely of the words, " There are 

 no snakes in Ireland " ? 



Personally, I do not think so ; and I am about to submit to 

 you several cases which, I think, cannot otherwise be reirarded 

 than as instances of protective mimicry. The books which deal 

 with protective mimicry not only confine their attention almost 

 exclusively to insects, amphibia, and reptiles, but seem to deal as 

 exclusively with resemblances calculated to deceive the eye. 

 Most of the cases which I shall submit to your notice appear to 

 be attempts to deceive other senses. 



You are all aware of what takes place when a dog thrusts his 

 nose among a nest of young kittens. Although the tiny creatures 

 can scarcely see, and have had no experience whatever to guide 

 them, they hiss and spin at tlieir hereditary enemy the instant 

 their sense of smell reveals his presence. 



Moreover, you will observe that the dog almost always seems 

 startled and taken aback by this curious demonstration of 

 hostility. Now, Nnture does nothings in vain, and whenever the 

 habit is found to be constant in all members of the species you may 

 be pretty sure that it is not there by chance, and that at some 

 time it was of considerable value in saving the race from 

 extinction. 



