( xliii ) 



it, seeing that most insectivorous birds are throughout that 

 stage under the direct tuition of their parents — a tuition 

 that I have seen exercised even towards a bird that 

 must have been nearly a year old (dissuasion from eating 

 a Danaida). The new factor entails a new formula : for 

 Miiller's virtual " Whatever its population the same number 

 of experimental attacks for each homoeochrome," we must 

 substitute " The greater the homoeochromatic population the 

 fewer mistaken attacks " (other things being equal) ; it being 

 a matter of memory and practice. It gives us an excellent 

 contributory basis for mimicry, and the basis, too, for an 

 altered conception of synaposematism. I am holding over, 

 for inclusion in another paper, my statement as to the exact 

 bearing of my results on the actual questions of mimicry 

 and synaposematism, as these do not fall within the scope of 

 the present discussion. 



Meantime, if it is accurate to say that a theory may be 

 regarded as reasonably true if it fits in with the results of 

 observation and experiment, I cannot help feeling that the 

 general theory of mimicry now nearly meets the requirement. 

 The main thing still lacking as I write, is the confirmation 

 from stomach investigation of the otherwise well-indicated 

 fact (though similar evidence by other observers and from 

 other localities is highly desirable) that birds are not reluctant 

 to eat butterflies. 



The Eev. G. Wheeler said that although he was not in 

 agreement with Col. Manders on the subject of mimicry, yet, 

 as the paper had been put into his hands, he felt that he 

 ought to point out that what Col. Manders had specially 

 objected to, was treating any test that had yet been applied 

 as " crucial." He said that most Fellows were probably 

 aware that Dr. Carpenter had a very enthusiastic way of 

 expressing himself, and had probably said more than he meant, 

 in which case he added that he could entirely sympathize 

 with him. 



Prof. PouLTON remarked that of course the expression " a 

 crucial test " should not be taken too literally. 



Mr. Neave said that much of Col. Manders' argument 

 depended on his assumption that what was true of the 



