Mr. E. B. Poulton on distasteful Insects. 359 



All these suppositions would be evroneous, (1) Tlic 

 important hypothesis that conspicuous and gaudy colours in 

 larvai are attended by qualities rendering their possessors 

 inedible is entirely due to A. R. Wallace (Proc. Ent. Soc. 

 1867, p. Ixxx). (2) This suggestion received confirmation 

 on March 1st, 1869, Avhen papers were read by J. Jenucr 

 Weir and A. G. Butler (Proc. Ent. Soc. 1869, p. vi) ; but 

 the former paper was by far the more important and attracted 

 more attention in the discussion Avhich ensued. Both papers 

 subsequently a[)peared in the ' Transactions.' Mr. Butler's 

 paper, which he regards as the almost exclusive authority on 

 the subject, records experiments with three species of con- 

 spicuous larvse, and contrasts the behaviour of insect-eating 

 animals towards them with their behaviour towards less con- 

 spicuous species. 



Since that date Mr. Jenner Weir contributed another 

 important paper (Trans. Ent. Soc. 1870), Professor Weis- 

 niann published many interesting observations (' Studies in 

 the Theory of Descent,' part ii. pp. 336-340, English trans- 

 lation by Prof. Meldola), and in 1887 (Proc. Zool. Soc. 

 pp. 191-274) I brought together all that had been done, with 

 many new observations of my own and Mr. J. Jenner Weir. 

 A few new notes by Mr. Butler were also included. Experi- 

 ments upon considerably over one hundred species or stages 

 of insects and other Arthropoda are described, observations 

 made by Mr. Butler being recorded in sixteen of these. The 

 attention which this small proportion of the total work has 

 received is simply due to the fairness of biological writers in 

 giving credit to one of the first two experimenters in this 

 direction, and not because either the importance of the results 

 or the care with which the work was conducted call for any 

 special mention. 



Finding that the comparison of all experiments had pro- 

 duced many interesting results (recorded in the paper men- 

 tioned above), I determined to renew the work in the following- 

 years, and I was glad to avail myself of Mr. Butler's help. 

 1 have continued experimenting up to the present time (I 

 even made an experiment yesterday) and have a large body 

 of notes. Most of my experiments and all those contained in 

 Mr. Butler^s notes were made in 1887, and although they 

 have not been published in full, an account of the most inter- 

 esting results was read before the British Association at 

 Manchester, and is published in abstract in the Report of that 

 meeting (pp. 763-765), where Mr. Butler will find his assist- 

 ance fully acknowledged. 



If 1 had no more notes than those supplied by Mr. Butler 



