326 Difficulties of Darwinism. [July, 
bears, in colour and design, a manifest resemblance to the 
fur of the Felide. There are the same blacks and deep 
browns, on grey, buff, or stone-coloured grounds; there is 
the same general tendency to bars and spots. Now whilst 
admitting that patterns of this nature may aid in the con- 
cealment of cats lurking in a forest, they can have no such 
beneficial effect in hawks soaring in the open air, and seen 
in relief against the sky; nor can much stress be laid on the 
fact that this spotted plumage may withdraw female birds of 
prey from observation whilst sitting on their eggs. The 
nest is generally placed in situations not easily accessible to 
any creature except birds; and few of these, indeed, will 
care to disturb a hawk or eagle in the act of incubation. 
Passing over the reptiles, amphibians, and fishes, let us 
next look at the distribution of colour among insects. Here 
we are met by puzzles not a few. Natural Selection, Sexual 
Selection, and Mimetism have indeed thrown a welcome— 
and often a startling—light upon many difficulties, but they 
have left at least as many unsolved. In butterflies, design 
may be said to have reached its summit. But to what end? 
It is impossible to conceive that all these exquisite and 
elaborate patterns—the admiration and envy of human 
artists—can serve in any way to promote the safety of the 
inse@t, or to secure its well-being; nor can we think that 
they are needed for the mutual attraCion of the sexes. If it 
were really necessary for either purpose we might ask again, 
Why have butterflies—or at least ‘Lepidoptera in general— 
the monopoly of this kind of beauty? For it is singular 
that, though colours even more brilliant occur among beetles 
and certain Heteroptera, and though there is in a lesser 
extent brilliance of hue among the remaining inse¢t orders, 
down to the very Diptera,—the pariahs of annulose life,— 
yet in design the Lepidoptera stand in all Nature alone and 
unapproachable. 
The colouration of beetles has also its difficulties. Among 
them we find metallic and iridescent shades in abundance, 
and in a perfection certainly rivalling, if not surpassing, 
those of the most splendid birds and butterflies. But the 
following tones are rare, if not altogether wanting :—Pinks, 
roses, lilacs, peaches, pale blues, pale greens, lavenders. 
On the other hand, deep reds, purples, violets, golden and 
coppery greens, deep blues (verging both to the violet and 
the green), yellows, and oranges abound. Elaborate pat- 
terns are rare, the nearest approach to the beauty of the 
butterflies in this direction being found among the Cicin- 
delide, the Longicornes, and the Curculionide. But the 
