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widely distributed, why were they not universally imitated 

 by unprotected insects ? He did not think that sufficient 

 proof had been given of the existence of protection. 



Sir Georgk Hampson, Bart. : In his personal experience 

 in S. India he had found that it was quite an exceptional 

 thing to see birds catch, or even attempt to catch, butterflies, 

 whilst it was a matter of daily occurrence to see them taking 

 other insects, especially moths, etc., started from a position 

 of rest. In the cases he had witnessed the Euplace and 

 Danaidae were caught as often as any others, but usually 

 escaped eventually from the beak of the bird and flew away 

 none the worse owing to the toughness of the integuments. 



The only bird he had observed frequently to pursue butter- 

 flies was the common Indian Bee-eater, which he had seen 

 hawking Pieridae, and among them Teracolus, which Col. 

 Swinhoe had expressly referred to as a protected genus. 



He thought the cause demanded by these theories was 

 inadequate to produce the results assigned to it. 



The Hon. Walter Eothschild : It had struck him that it 

 was much more conceivable that certain climatic influences, 

 etc., had played a part in bringing about these resemblances, 

 and he thought that these groups assumed the same appear- 

 ance because one given influence was at work on them. 

 Such a case as that of Papilio merope, and its various 

 representative forms inhabiting Africa (except the Palfearctio 

 North part) and Madagascar were inexphcable by mimicry 

 alone. This Papilio was monomorphic in Madagascar, the 

 female being similar to the male both in colour and form of 

 wings, while the representative found in Abyssinia had the 

 hindwing tailed like the male, but possessed a decidedly 

 " mimetic " pattern. In this respect it resembled the female 

 forms of S. and W. Africa, which were, however, tailless. 

 He contended that these geographical forms of Papilio werope 

 had probably sprung up under the direct influence of the 

 extsrnal conditions of the respective areas rather than in 

 consequence of the direct selection of specimens with a more 

 " mimetic" pattern. 



Canon Fowler : There was too much assumption about 

 the current theories. 



b 



