472 Mr. H. Eltringham on some Experiments on 



Avell protected by its colour and habits, proved to be dis- 

 tasteful to the lizards which were being used for the 

 purpose of the experiments. The importance of this result 

 is fully discussed by the author,* who points out that we 

 have here an instance in which the distasteful qualities 

 are present as an accidental and useless character, but 

 providing an excellent example of how the distasteful 

 properties of many forms may have existed prior to the 

 development of warning colours, conditions being thus 

 favourable to the development of the latter in the event 

 of any change being brought about in the larval habits. 



It was in the hope of perhaps discovering another case 

 of a similar character, that I decided to carry out some 

 experiments with the only insectivorous creatures which 

 were available, viz. lizards, and with such larvae as I was 

 able to obtain. 



Two green lizards (probably Zaccr^a mridis) were installed 

 in a fairly large vivarium, and their number was subse- 

 quently increased by the addition of three more of the 

 same small variety, and two fine examples of the larger 

 Channel Islands form. There were also two orange and 

 black salamanders, but tliese proved to have such poor 

 appetites that they provided very little information. 



The general results of feeding the lizards with various 

 insects confirmed those already obtained by other observers, 

 though there were some unimportant exceptions. The 

 larva of Picris brassicae is recorded by Prof. Weismann 

 as having been refused by his lizards. I found that on 

 some occasions it was eaten, though with considerable 

 hesitation and usually when the animal was hungry. One 

 of the salamanders refused it after examining it carefully 

 for some time. Earthworms were eaten with avidity, 

 and " blue-bottles " {Calliphora vomitoria) were always 

 taken with evident relish. The larva oi Spilosoma lubrici- 

 peda was generally refused, though the lizards took con- 

 siderable interest in it. One lizard followed the larva 

 round the cage for some time, feeling it with its tongue, 

 but the hairs always put it off, and it was finally abandoned. 

 A young larva not so hairy was eaten on one occasion after 

 some trouble with the hairs, a fact which seems to suggest 

 that the protection is mechanical and not due to actual 

 distastefulness. A "devil's coach-horse" {Ocypus olens) 

 was eaten, though the operation took a considerable time, 

 * L. c, p. 241 , et seq. 



