The Making of Species 



preyed upon by birds, but have to fear chiefly 

 the comparatively dull-eyed lizards and mammals, 

 of which the latter hunt mainly by scent. As 

 a matter of fact, the most striking cases of 

 resemblance to inanimate objects are seen among 

 butterflies, which seem to stand least in need of 

 them. 



We have already cited the case of the butterfly 

 Precis artexia. Even more marked does the 

 unnecessary elaboration of the likeness seem to 

 be in the Kallima butterflies. 



THE THEORY OF WARNING COLOURATION 

 All biologists admit that there exist some 

 organisms which are not coloured so as to be 

 inconspicuous. Indeed, the colouring of certain 

 species is such as to render them particularly 

 conspicuous. Such species are said to be warn- 

 ingly coloured. They are supposed to be 

 inedible, or to have powerful stings or other 

 weapons of defence, or to resemble in appear- 

 ance organisms which are thus protected. In 

 the first two cases they are said to be warningly 

 coloured, and in the last they are cited as 

 examples of protective mimicry. With the 

 theory of mimicry we shall deal shortly. We 

 must first discuss the hypothesis of warning 

 colouration. 



When animals are unpalatable, or when they 

 possess a sting or poison-fangs, it is, to use the 



212 



