316 LESSONS FEOM NATURE. [CHAP. X. 



the existence of some unknown innate and internal law 

 Mr. Darwin which determines at the same time both coloration 



an d its transmission to either or to both sexes. 

 3S18&amp;lt; At the same time these authors plainly show the 

 harmony of natural laws and processes one with another, and 

 their mutual interaction and aid. 



Thus it is reasonable to suppose that whatever cause has 

 produced brilliant colour in either fishes or caterpillars may 

 have produced them in both. But so far from brilliancy pro 

 ducing concealment in coral-reef frequenting fishes, as Mr. 

 Wallace believes, Mr. Darwin says, &quot; According to my recol 

 lection they were thus rendered highly conspicuous.&quot; As to 

 their so giving evidence of being unpalatable, he adds, &quot; It 

 is not, I believe, known that any fish, at least any freshwater- 

 fish, is rejected from being distasteful to fish-devouring ani 

 mals &quot; (vol. ii. p. 18). This, of course, does not prevent the 

 brilliancy of caterpillars being due to its warning-off power, 

 but it tends to show that it can exist without any such cause ; 

 while mere brilliancy is by no means all that has to be 

 accounted for, but a variety of stripes, spots, and definite pat 

 terns, the evolution of which, as they are not protective or 

 selected, must be referred to some internal law. 



As to the dulness of female birds being due to protective 

 &quot; natural selection,&quot; Mr. Darwin objects (vol. ii. p. 21) that 

 fish which sit and hatch their young are brilliant enough. 

 Quoting from Agassiz, he says : &quot; It ought to be observed 

 that these sitters are among the brightest species of their 

 respective families ; for instance, Hygrogonus is bright green, 

 with large black ocelli, encircled with the most brilliant 

 red.&quot; Again of the pipe-fishes: &quot;The genus Solenosioma 

 offers a very curious exceptional case, for the female is much 

 more vividly coloured and spotted than the male, and she 

 alone has a marsupial sack and Latches the eggs.&quot; Again, 

 in some lizards we meet with the same phenomena as in so 

 many birds, namely, a greater soberness of colour in the 

 females. As Mr. Darwin most justly remarks : &quot; The less 

 conspicuous colours of the females in comparison with those 



