Masterpieces of Science 



resembling the various kinds of minute fungi 

 that grow on dead leaves that is it impossible 

 to avoid thinking at first sight that the butter- 

 flies themselves have been attacked by real 

 fungi. 



But this resemblance, close as it is, would be 

 little use if the habits of the insect did not 

 accord with it. If the butterfly sat upon leaves 

 or upon flowers, or opened its wings so as to 

 expose the upper surface, or exposed and moved 

 its head and antennae as many other butter- 

 flies do, its disguise would be of little avail. 

 We might be sure, however, from the analogy 

 of many other cases, that the habits of the 

 insect are such as still further to aid its de- 

 ceptive garb; but we are not obliged to make 

 any such supposition, since I myself had the 

 good fortune to observe scores of Kallima para- 

 lekta, in Sumatra, and to capture many of 

 them, and can vouch for the accuracy of the 

 following details: These butterflies frequent 

 dry forests and fly very swiftly. They were 

 never seen to settle on a flower or a green leaf, 

 but were many times lost sight of in a bush or 

 tree of dead leaves. On such occasions they 

 were generally searched for in vain, for while 

 gazing intently at the very spot where one 

 had disappeared, it would often suddenly dart 

 out and again vanish twenty or fifty yards 

 further on. On one or two occasions the insect 

 was detected reposing, and it could then be seen 

 how completely it assimilates itself to the sur^ 

 86 



