104 Dr. G. D. HH. Carpenter’s Hapervments on 
It is claimed ihat these observations, numbering close 
on a thousand, upon insects taken at random as they were 
met with in the field, do yield practical, experimental 
support to the interpretation of the coloration of insects 
according to the Darwinian hypothesis of Natural Selec- 
tion; that is, conspicuous species are distasteful and make 
the most of their conspicuousness to advertise the fact; 
while highly edible species endeavour to elude their enemies 
by hiding themselves. The fact must never be forgotten, 
however, that edibility and distastefulness are not absolute, 
but entirely relative, qualities, and a hungry monkey will 
eat, though unwillingly, an insect that he would pass over 
disdainfully when not very hungry. 
Great care was therefore taken throughout the experi- 
ments, after the first few, to record the state of hunger of 
the animal, and to gauge the distastefulness of an insect 
by the amount of food taken before and after a specimen 
was refused. A perusal of the records of the experiments 
will show how frequently the words staple food (grass- 
hoppers or weevils) occur. 
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