The Nest-building Odynerus 



ance than they deserve to pretty inventions 

 of this kind. Is it really certain that the 

 pungent Butterflies escaped destruction be- 

 cause of their taste? Might there not be, 

 among the birds, a few passionate lovers 

 of bitters, to whom the defensive flavour 

 was, on the contrary, an added lure? My 

 two acres of pebbles tell me nothing of 

 things Brazilian; nevertheless I learn within 

 their four walls that a grub of detest- 

 able flavour, of the most repulsive aroma, 

 has, like the others, its appointed consumers 

 and very zealous consumers at that. If the 

 struggle for life made it acquire its scent- 

 bottles, then the struggle for life is a fool: 

 it should have left the creature without 

 them. In this way the enemy most to be 

 feared, the Odynerus, who is attracted by 

 the smell, would have been avoided. 



The non-pungent Butterflies teach us 

 something more. In order to protect 

 themselves from the birds, they have imi- 

 tated the pungent ones' costume. Pray, 

 then, let some one tell us why, among so 

 many naked larvae on which the little birds 

 feast, not one has thought of assuming the 

 Oirysomela's black-buttoned overall. Un- 

 able to provide themselves with stinking re- 

 torts, they should at least possess a colour-. 

 195 



