TROPICAL NATURE 



whole insect is then green or brown, and almost invisible 

 among the twigs or foliage. To increase the resemblance to 

 vegetation, some of these Phasmas have small green processes 

 in various parts of their bodies looking exactly like moss. 

 These inhabit damp forests both in the Malay islands and in 

 America, and they are so marvellously like moss-grown twigs 

 that the closest examination is needed to satisfy oneself that 

 it is really a living insect we are looking at. 



Many of the locusts are equally well-disguised, some re- 

 sembling green leaves, others those that are brown and dead ; 

 and the latter often have small transparent spots on the wings, 

 looking like holes eaten through them. That these disguises 

 deceive their natural enemies is certain, for otherwise the 

 Phasmidae would soon be exterminated. They are large and 

 sluggish, and very soft and succulent ; they have no means of 

 defence or of flight, and they are eagerly devoured by numbers 

 of birds, especially by the numerous cuckoo tribe, whose 

 stomachs are often full of th'em ; yet numbers of them escape 

 destruction, and this can only be due to their vegetable 

 disguises. Mr. Belt records a curious instance of the actual 

 operation of this kind of defence in a leaf -like locust, which 

 remained perfectly quiescent in the midst of a host of insecti- 

 vorous ants, which ran over it without finding out that it was an 

 insect and not a leaf ! It might have flown away from them, 

 but it would then instantly have fallen a prey to the numerous 

 birds which always accompany these roaming hordes of ants 

 to feed upon the insects that endeavour to escape. Far more 

 conspicuous than any of these imitative species are the large 

 locusts, with rich crimson or blue -and -black spotted wings. 

 Some of these are nearly a foot in expanse of wings ; they 

 fly by day, and their strong spiny legs probably serve as a 

 protection against all the smaller birds. They cannot be 

 said to be common ; but when met with they fully satisfy our 

 notions as to the large size and gorgeous colours of tropical 

 insects. 1 



Beetles 



Considering the enormous numbers and endless variety 

 of the beetle tribe that are known to inhabit the tropics, they 



1 It has now been ascertained that these conspicuously coloured locusts are 

 protected by inedibility. See Darwinism, p. 267. 



