Protected Frogs 24.5 
Amongst the mammals, I think the skunk is an example 
of the same kind. Its white tail, laid back on its black body, 
makes it very conspicuous in the dusk when it roams about, so 
that it is not likely to be pounced upon by any of the carnivora 
mistaking it for other night-roaming animals. In reptiles, 
the beautifully banded coral snake (Elaps), whose bite is 
deadly, is marked as conspicuously as any noxious caterpillar 
with bright bands of black, yellow, and red. I only met 
with one other example amongst the vertebrata, and it was 
HORNET AND MIMETIC BUG 
also a reptile. In the woods around Santo Domingo there 
are many frogs. Some are green or brown, and imitate 
green or dead leaves, and live amongst foliage. Others are 
dull earth-coloured, and hide in holes and under logs. All 
these come out only at night to feed, and they are all preyed 
upon by snakes and birds. In contrast with these obscurely 
coloured species, another little frog hops about in the daytime 
dressed in a bright livery of red and blue. He cannot be 
mistaken for any other, and his flaming vest and blue stock- 
ings show that he does not court concealment. He is very 
abundant in the damp woods, and I was convinced he was 
