( Ixiv ) 



they could not be seen. The same phenomena were found 

 independently in the Eumenidw and the Crabronidae. 

 Dr. Perkins,[with whom tliese observations had been discussed, 

 entirely agreed that, as evidence, they were very important 

 indeed. He also stated that the yellow bands of the Kauai 

 Group II are clearly visible in flight. 



(2) Species belonging to the same Structure-group, and 

 therefore closely related, were distributed among different 

 Colour-groups. In like manner the Kauai Crabros resembled 

 its dominant, banded Eumenids, and the Hawaii Crabros its 

 black Eumenids. 



These facts fell into line with those which had been 

 observed in the mimetic associations of the same and other 

 groups of insects in other countries ; and this was equally true 

 of the fact that the Hawaiian Colour-groups were especially 

 characteristic of the forests. The difference between the 

 development of mimetic patterns in Lepidoptera of the open 

 country and those of the forest areas of Africa was extremely 

 striking, and Professor Poulton had already been driven to 

 the only hypothesis which Dr. Perkins could suggest as a 

 possible explanation of the facts, viz. differences between the 

 insect enemies in the two types of country (see pp. 1-liii). 



The only point in which his experience differed from that of 

 Dr. Perkins was in the relative pievalence of variability and 

 of mimicry in the two sexes of insects. 



Dr. Perkins was by no means convinced of the validity of 

 the Mullerian interpretation, and felt many difficulties, but, at 

 any rate, ho stated that he was unable to suggest any other 

 explanation, and he had definitely abandoned the climatic 

 solution, which many have found so alluring. 



Prof. Poulton said, in conclusion, that he wished to make 

 one remark on the bearing of the wliole body of facts recorded 

 in Di\ Perkins's memoir. He was aware that it was dangerous 

 to limit the possibilities of future discovery, and to argue 

 from the unknown to the non-existent. He realised that 

 nearly every great discovery in Biology revealed something 

 that lay close at hand although it was unseen. But, allowing 

 for all this, he ventured to atfirni that, if, in these little 

 islands — closely examined as they had been for so long a 



