﻿Mr. 
  S. 
  B. 
  J. 
  Skertchly 
  on 
  Butterflies' 
  Enemies. 
  479 
  

  

  trodden 
  upon 
  or 
  knocked, 
  for 
  high-flying 
  species 
  are 
  just 
  as 
  

   shy. 
  

  

  Again, 
  many 
  butterflies 
  can 
  " 
  dodge 
  " 
  a 
  moving 
  danger. 
  

   I 
  do 
  not 
  mean 
  simply 
  get 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  way 
  — 
  anything 
  can 
  do 
  

   that 
  — 
  but 
  really 
  dodge, 
  with 
  a 
  sudden 
  upward, 
  downward, 
  or 
  

   sideway 
  motion. 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  know 
  any 
  English 
  species 
  clever 
  

   in 
  this 
  direction 
  ; 
  but 
  here 
  in 
  Borneo 
  many 
  species 
  of 
  Papilio, 
  

   Catopsilia 
  } 
  Appias, 
  Udaiana, 
  &c. 
  will 
  dodge 
  a 
  net-stroke 
  with 
  

   exasperating 
  facility. 
  

  

  Similar 
  dodging-powers 
  pertain 
  to 
  many 
  Erycinidas 
  while 
  

   at 
  rest. 
  It 
  is 
  almost 
  impossible 
  to 
  catch 
  an 
  Abisara, 
  for 
  

   instance, 
  while 
  at 
  rest 
  : 
  strike 
  downwards, 
  and 
  they 
  drop 
  ; 
  

   strike 
  upwards, 
  and 
  they 
  bolt; 
  sideways, 
  and 
  away 
  they 
  go. 
  

  

  It 
  has 
  been 
  urged 
  that 
  butterflies 
  are 
  very 
  near-sighted, 
  for 
  

   they 
  have 
  been 
  seen 
  bumping 
  up 
  a 
  wall, 
  as 
  if 
  they 
  could 
  not 
  

   see 
  the 
  top 
  and 
  did 
  not 
  know 
  how 
  high 
  to 
  fly 
  to 
  get 
  over. 
  

   But 
  no 
  one 
  can 
  watch 
  great 
  Hestias 
  and 
  Ornithopteras 
  sailing 
  

   among 
  the 
  trees 
  unscathed, 
  or 
  fragile 
  many-tailed 
  Biduandas 
  

   flitting 
  unharmed 
  through 
  the 
  undergrowth, 
  without 
  being- 
  

   sure 
  they 
  can 
  at 
  least 
  avoid 
  obstacles. 
  

  

  Another 
  argument 
  can 
  be 
  based 
  upon 
  protective 
  resem- 
  

   blance. 
  It 
  is 
  far 
  more 
  common 
  than 
  mimicry, 
  and 
  it 
  would 
  

   be 
  hardly 
  too 
  much 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  nearly 
  universal 
  among 
  

   butterflies, 
  and 
  would 
  be 
  more 
  readily 
  noticed 
  if 
  we 
  were 
  more 
  

   in 
  the 
  habit 
  of 
  watching 
  insects 
  than 
  catching 
  them. 
  Even 
  

   the 
  most 
  vividly 
  coloured 
  insects 
  are 
  often 
  perfectly 
  protected 
  

   when 
  at 
  rest. 
  I 
  have 
  watched, 
  for 
  instance, 
  the 
  silver- 
  

   splashed 
  Argynnis 
  lathonia 
  near 
  Florence 
  pitch 
  with 
  folded 
  

   wings 
  among 
  the 
  stones, 
  and 
  not 
  a 
  trace 
  of 
  glittering 
  be- 
  

   trayed 
  it. 
  

  

  This 
  protection 
  is 
  nearly 
  always 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  under 
  

   surface, 
  and 
  generally 
  to 
  the 
  hind 
  wing 
  and 
  tip 
  of 
  the 
  fore 
  

   wing 
  — 
  a 
  fact 
  the 
  significance 
  of 
  which 
  will 
  shortly 
  appear. 
  A 
  

   butterfly 
  at 
  rest 
  with 
  folded 
  wings 
  only 
  exposes 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  the 
  

   fore 
  wing, 
  and 
  if 
  the 
  under 
  surface 
  is 
  too 
  glaringly 
  coloured, 
  

   as 
  in 
  our 
  English 
  Orange-tip 
  {A. 
  cardamines), 
  its 
  brilliancy 
  is 
  

   subdued 
  by 
  a 
  dark 
  tip. 
  It 
  is 
  singular 
  how 
  obscure 
  metallic 
  

   colours 
  appear 
  when 
  a 
  butterfly 
  is 
  at 
  rest. 
  Thus 
  the 
  Bornean 
  

   Abisaras 
  have 
  vivid 
  metallic 
  blue 
  streaks 
  on 
  the 
  under 
  sur- 
  

   face 
  of 
  the 
  hind 
  wing; 
  yet 
  they 
  are 
  very 
  difficult 
  to 
  see 
  

   when 
  pitched. 
  

  

  Another 
  well-known 
  means 
  of 
  protection 
  exists 
  in 
  those 
  

   insects 
  whose 
  bodies 
  are 
  replete 
  with 
  a 
  strong-smelling, 
  

   nauseous, 
  generally 
  oily, 
  yellow 
  secretion. 
  This 
  is 
  generally, 
  

   if 
  not 
  always, 
  accompanied 
  by 
  great 
  vitality. 
  The 
  wings 
  are 
  

   generally 
  long 
  and 
  pointed 
  and 
  the 
  bodies 
  of 
  a 
  peculiar 
  shape. 
  

  

  