PROTECTIVE PIGMENTS AND APPEARANCES 357 



404. Mimicry. Growing out of our 

 knowledge concerning the relations of 

 the characters of animals to their safety 

 and danger, a very interesting idea was 

 developed by some naturalists during 

 the last century. This is the idea of 



FIG. 174. The mimicry of the African swallowtail butterfly (Papilio 

 dardanus cenea) 



i, the male. The female, a, occurs in three distinct forms. Each of these forms pre- 

 sents striking resemblances to butterflies of other genera. Thus, the form cenea, 2 a, 

 resembles Amauris echcria, 2 b, which in turn resembles Pseudacraea tarquinia, 2 c. 

 The form lippocoon, j a, resembles Amauris niaiins, 3 b, which in turn resembles Euralia 

 watbergi, 3 c. The form trophonius, 4 a, resembles Danats chrysippus, 4 b, which in turn 

 resembles Diadema misippiis, 4 c. The argument that these resemblances bring about 

 advantages may be sound, but too little is as yet known as to what brings about the 

 patterns of the insects supposed to represent the original model 



protective mimicry. A common example of this near home 

 is the resemblance between the milkweed butterfly and the 

 viceroy (see Fig. 173). 



