THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST. 171 



simply to families in other animals — thus showing that he lias not a 

 due appreciation of the true affinities of insects. 



It, must not be forgotten that Natural Selection is not the only 

 power at work producing this mimicry. This we do not claim. There 

 is an inherent tendency in all things to vary — a fact universally ad- 

 mitted. We may not be able to fully comprehend the causes producing 

 this first, variation, for they are complicated, and depend on numerous 

 external conditions, and physical and mental influences. But our 

 ignorance in this respect does not affect the theory, because "spon- 

 taneous" change is the material out of which Natural Selection has 

 fixed and perfected the mimicry and adaptation; and it is not neces- 

 sary to know how the "spontaneous" change is produced to learn the 

 origin of the mimicry. Whatever be the causes of variation, and 

 whether or not they continue to act after the first change takes place,. 

 Natural Selection is still potent, for the change would be perfectly in- 

 operative in producing specific character without it. 



There may be a hundred different influences that have ]ed.Disip- 

 pus to mimic Ar&hippus. The resemblance being purely colora- 

 tional, there may have been a tendency from the first in the color 

 of the former to approach that of the latter, and this is ren- 

 dered very probable from the fact that the red-brown color oc- 

 curs more or less in all the N. A. species of the genus.* 



The very smell which protects ArcMppus may have had, and 

 may still have, attractions for its mimicker, for Mr. Henry Edwards 

 found that a Oalifornian species of the same genus (Limenitis Bre- 

 dowii) was greatly attracted by any offensive odor.f Again, when 

 we reflect that we owe so many of our flowers and fruits to what are 

 called "sports," which are simply instances of great and sudden va- 

 riation; it is not difficult to imagine that the mimicry of Disijrpus 

 may be due in a measure to some such sudden original variation — an 

 idea that is greatly strengthened by the fact that instances of such 

 great variation are common with butterflies and moths, and that one 

 is known to occur in the very genus Limenitis-X 



We may give due weight to the somewhat Lamarckian theory- 

 advanced by Mr. Bennett; we may attach the greatest importance to 

 the influence of physical conditions — and we know that similar habi- 

 tat sometimes produces modification of allied forms in a similar direc- 



3 In the seven described N. A. species of Limenitis, namely, L. disippus, Godt., Ursula, Fabr.* 

 Proserpina., Edw., Weidemeyerii, Edw., Arthemis, Drury, horqmni, Boisd. and BredowU, Hubiv 

 the red color obtains more or less in all of them, especially on the underside, and this is more par- 

 ticularly the case in the last two. I also possess specimens of Urmia in which a very distinct 

 shade of red blends with the blue-black and spreads over the upper surface of the primaries, and 

 is in two individuals quite marked towards the apices. That the blue and black is closely connec- 

 ted with, and shows a tendency to affiliate with the brick- red and black, or vice verm, we may also- 

 reasonably infer from the wonderful contrast existing between the tf and £ Argynnis Diana, Grain.* 

 the former colors obtaining in the £ and the latter in the $. 



f Butterflies of North America, by Win. II. Edwards. It is impossible to make any explicit 

 reference to this beautiful work as it is not paged : this, to my mind, is a deplorable oversight. 



J Limenitis Siby:ia figured in "Newman's English Butterflies," and referred to by S. N. Car- 

 salho, Jr-.i iu Nature, Vol. Ill, p. 66. 



