45 



•such a problem in South American entomology, one naturally asks 

 the question if there is any evidence that the group, speaking 

 generally, is a distasteful one. First there is Bates' testimony, 

 followed b}^ many other observers, that the Ithmuiind are nearly 

 • always exceedingly numerous and occur where insectivorous birds 

 abound. There is the evidence of Dr. Lcngstaff" that certain 

 Ithomiines that he has examined hn,ve a strong scent. He does not 

 always call the scent unpleasant to his own sense, and, as I shall 

 show later, it is highly probable that the unpleasantness is very 

 varying, as there is ample evidence that some Ithomiines mimic 

 other Ithomiines. Then, there is no doubt that notches taken out 

 of the wings by birds are rare compared with similar cases among 

 the Ni/niphalidfr or Satj/ridtr, and this notwithstanding the much 

 greater ease of attack when one considers the slow, feeble flight of 

 the ItJtowiina-, whether large or small. I do not know if there is 

 any evidence from the dead specimens, if mites refuse to attack the 

 ItJto)iiiiiiir. It is well known that the true Danaids are a great deal 

 less liable to attack by mites, if not altogether immune. Again, the 

 Jthuiiiiiuir are very tenacious of life, I a characteristic that is always 

 found associated with unpalatability, and they are coloured above 

 and belotv alike, a still further character that has been proved to 

 belong to distasteful species. Direct visual evidence that birds 

 dislike the Itliowihur has not as yet been obtained, such as has been 

 done by Mr. G. A. K. Marshall, in South Africa, with other groups, 

 and by Mr. Frank Finn in India. But the sum total of proof 

 by inference is very large, and we are pretty safe in assuming that 

 the Itlioiiiiinir are a protected group. At the same time, it is pretty 

 •certain that the degree of distastefulness must be very varying in 

 ■different genera. 



Various species of Mdinaa, Mechanitis, Ceratinia and Scada often 

 occur in vast numbers, whilst species of Athijrtis, Nopeoi/enes, Sais, 

 Afn-otopos and Afria are for the most part rare, and occur but singly. 

 The species of all these genera are usually coloured and belong to 

 the large mimetic assemblages with which are found species of 

 Lj/mrca, Disniorpliia, Kresia, Protouunt's, and even Papilio. The 

 same difference in abundance is also to be found in the smaller 

 genera of the Ithomiintr, but not to such a marked extent. The 

 genera J^eiirot/ii/ris, Pteronymia and Diirenna contain large numbers 

 of species, many of which are exceedingly abundant, while Hijpolena, 

 Telaiin/stct and Heti'rosais contain far fewer, and usually far less, 

 common species. 



The scaling of the Iflioiiiiuin is special and peculiar, and has been 

 discussed by Prof. Poulton in " Jour. Linn. Soc," 1898, pp. 558- 

 612, PI. 40-43, and by myself in " Ent. Rec," Vol. xvii., Nos. 4, 5, 

 PI. III. 



* Vide " Trans. Ent. Soc," 1908, p. 610. 



+ Vide Longstatf, " Trans. Ent. Soc," 1908, p. G24, also Poulton, "Essays 

 on Evolution," 1908, pp. '279 and 816. 



