in PROTECTIVE RESEMBLANCES AMONG ANIMALS 43 



the same time drawing in their legs and antennae, which fit so 

 perfectly into cavities for their reception that the insect 

 becomes a mere oval brownish lump, which it is hopeless to 

 look for among the similarly coloured little stones and earth 

 pellets among which it lies motionless. 



The distribution of colour in butterflies and moths re- 

 spectively is very instructive from this point of view. The 

 former have all their brilliant colouring on the upper surface 

 of all four wings, while the under surface is almost always 

 soberly coloured, and often very dark and obscure. The 

 moths on the contrary have generally their chief colour on 

 the hind wings only, the upper wings being of dull, sombre, 

 and often imitative tints, and these generally conceal the 

 hind wings when the insects are in repose. This arrange- 

 ment of the colours is therefore eminently protective, because 

 the butterfly always rests with his wings raised so as to con- 

 ceal the dangerous brilliancy of his upper surface. It is 

 probable that if we watched their habits sufficiently we should 

 find the under surface of the wings of butterflies very fre- 

 quently imitative and protective. Mr. T. W. Wood has 

 pointed out that the little orange-tip butterfly often rests in 

 the evening on the green and white flower heads of an 

 umbelliferous plant, the wild chervil, 1 and that when observed 

 in this position the beautiful green and white mottling of the 

 under surface completely assimilates with the flower heads 

 and renders the creature very difficult to be seen. It is 

 probable that the rich dark colouring of the under side of our 

 peacock, tortoiseshell, and red-admiral butterflies answers a 

 similar purpose. 



Two curious South American butterflies that always settle 

 on the trunks of trees (Gynecia dirce and Callizona acesta) 

 have the under surface curiously striped and mottled, and 

 when viewed obliquely must closely assimilate with the appear- 

 ance of the furrowed bark of many kinds of trees. But the most 

 wonderful and undoubted case of protective resemblance in a 

 butterfly which I have ever seen, is that of the common Indian 

 Kallima inachis, and its Malayan ally, Kallima paralekta. 

 The upper surface of these insects is very striking and showy, 

 as they are of a large size, and are adorned with a broad band 

 1 Antlmscus sylvestris. 



