﻿Mr. 
  S. 
  B. 
  J. 
  Skertchly 
  on 
  Butterflies' 
  Enemies. 
  483 
  

  

  competition 
  is 
  very 
  severe. 
  All 
  sorts 
  of 
  insects 
  — 
  beetles, 
  

   bees, 
  flies, 
  and 
  what 
  not 
  — 
  are 
  being 
  perpetually 
  thinned 
  out 
  by 
  

   insectivorous 
  mammals, 
  birds, 
  lizards, 
  frogs, 
  wasps, 
  and 
  ants. 
  

   One 
  often 
  wonders 
  how 
  any 
  escape, 
  and 
  few 
  would 
  unless 
  all 
  

   sorts 
  of 
  protective 
  schemes 
  had 
  been 
  adopted 
  to 
  cope 
  with 
  the 
  

   destroying 
  hosts. 
  Hence 
  the 
  leaf- 
  and 
  stick-insects, 
  hence 
  

   the 
  universal 
  protection 
  of 
  tropical 
  larva?. 
  The 
  struggle 
  for 
  

   existence 
  is 
  no 
  theoretical 
  explanation 
  in 
  Borneo, 
  but 
  a 
  patent 
  

   cruel 
  fact. 
  Turn 
  the 
  ants 
  loose 
  over 
  England 
  and 
  the 
  British 
  

   insect-fauna 
  would 
  be 
  destroyed 
  in 
  a 
  year. 
  

  

  Yet 
  I 
  never 
  saw 
  ants 
  touch 
  a 
  living 
  butterfly. 
  Dead 
  ones, 
  

   as 
  every 
  collector 
  knows 
  but 
  too 
  well, 
  fall 
  a 
  prey 
  to 
  the 
  pests 
  

   in 
  an 
  incredibly 
  short 
  time, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  doubt 
  living 
  ones 
  

   are 
  equally 
  palatable 
  if 
  they 
  could 
  be 
  obtained. 
  Protective 
  

   resemblance 
  I 
  believe 
  alone 
  saves 
  butterflies 
  from 
  extermina- 
  

   tion 
  by 
  ants 
  — 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  recognize 
  their 
  food 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  at 
  

   rest. 
  Butterflies 
  when 
  reposing 
  hide 
  very 
  carefully 
  ; 
  but 
  one 
  

   cannot 
  believe 
  they 
  can 
  select 
  places 
  inaccessible 
  to 
  ants. 
  

   Yet 
  it 
  is 
  certain 
  but 
  few 
  fall 
  a 
  prey 
  to 
  ants, 
  or 
  the 
  wings 
  of 
  

   the 
  victims 
  would 
  be 
  much 
  more 
  plentifully 
  found. 
  Some 
  of 
  

   the 
  small 
  Blues 
  occasionally 
  hide 
  under 
  stones, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  

   now 
  and 
  then 
  found 
  the 
  wings, 
  which 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  

   remains 
  of 
  ants' 
  depredations. 
  I 
  confess 
  that 
  though 
  this 
  

   seems 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  fact, 
  its 
  explanation 
  is 
  difficult. 
  The 
  resem- 
  

   blance 
  of 
  a 
  butterfly 
  to 
  a 
  leaf 
  or 
  stone 
  may 
  well 
  be 
  a 
  protec- 
  

   tion 
  in 
  the 
  daytime, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  long 
  dark 
  equatorial 
  nights 
  it 
  

   would 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  matter 
  much 
  whether 
  the 
  butterfly 
  were 
  

   so 
  protected 
  or 
  not, 
  especially 
  as 
  we 
  know 
  that 
  ants 
  have 
  a 
  

   keen 
  sense 
  of 
  smell. 
  One 
  would 
  have 
  thought 
  the 
  night- 
  

   marauders 
  would 
  have 
  hunted 
  by 
  scent 
  and 
  not 
  by 
  sight 
  ; 
  but 
  

   they 
  do 
  not 
  — 
  at 
  least 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  succeed 
  with 
  butterflies 
  to 
  

   any 
  great 
  extent. 
  I 
  have 
  watched 
  ants 
  both 
  day 
  and 
  night, 
  

   and 
  our 
  Borneo 
  species 
  seem 
  always 
  to 
  prefer 
  dead 
  or 
  dying 
  

   prey 
  — 
  centipedes, 
  millipedes, 
  scorpions, 
  defunct 
  or 
  moribund, 
  

   may 
  be 
  seen 
  carried 
  off 
  in 
  triumph, 
  but 
  a 
  butterfly 
  or 
  moth, 
  

   or 
  any 
  really 
  alive 
  and 
  kicking 
  creature, 
  never. 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  no 
  foraging 
  Ecitons 
  here, 
  nor 
  anything 
  like 
  them 
  ; 
  

   but 
  Belt, 
  though 
  lie 
  enumerates 
  all 
  kinds 
  of 
  other 
  creatures 
  

   turned 
  out 
  and 
  slain 
  by 
  the 
  ant 
  armies 
  in 
  America, 
  does 
  not 
  

   mention 
  butterflies, 
  but 
  he 
  does 
  record 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  a 
  leaf-locust 
  

   that 
  stood 
  stock 
  still 
  amidst 
  the 
  foragers, 
  who 
  utterly 
  failed 
  to 
  

   recognize 
  him 
  as 
  meat. 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  good 
  case 
  in 
  point, 
  for 
  

   Ecitons 
  have 
  poorly 
  developed 
  eyes 
  and 
  might 
  be 
  expected 
  to 
  

   hunt 
  by 
  scent, 
  whereas 
  we 
  have 
  a 
  clear 
  case 
  of 
  them 
  failing 
  

   to 
  recognize 
  a 
  protected 
  insect. 
  

  

  My 
  attention 
  was 
  directed 
  by 
  my 
  son, 
  E. 
  F. 
  Skertchly, 
  to 
  

  

  