138 A BOOK OF INSECTS 



insects commonly settle upon surfaces with which their 

 colours harmonise. 



Perhaps the most curious case of protective resem- 

 blance coupled with an appropriate habit is that vouched 

 for by Professor Gregory, and described in his work 

 The Great Rift Valley. The insect in question is a 

 species of Flata — a genus comprised in the family 

 Fulgoridce. It is found in British East Africa, and is 

 dimorphic, a certain number of individuals being bright 

 pink in colour, while others are bright green. The 

 insects frequent the stems of plants, from which they 

 suck the sap; and the order of their grouping is very 

 remarkable. The pink ones sit upon the lower part 

 of the stem, while the green ones take up positions 

 above, towards the extremity. Moreover, the developing 

 larvae — which secrete long waxy filaments, and are quaint, 

 fluffy objects quite unlike their parents — sit beneath 

 the pink individuals at the lowest part of the stem. In 

 this way the exact appearance of a spiked inflorescence, 

 such as that of the foxglove, is produced. The fluffy 

 larvae look like seeds ; the pink individuals resemble 

 drooping flowers ; while the green ones, higher up the 

 stem, play the part of so many unopened buds. Professor 

 Gregory was completely deceived by the first cluster 

 which he saw, and attempted to gather it, when the mock 

 flowers and buds jumped off in all directions. Subse- 

 quently he laid a trap for his botanist companion, Mr. 

 Watson. " There were several similar clusters close by" 

 (he writes), " and when Mr. Watson came up I pointed 

 one out to him, and asked him if he had determined 

 to what genus it belonged. He said he had not done so, 

 but that he had seen it before growing in these woods. 

 He attempted to pick it, and was as surprised as I had 

 been at the result." 



