MIMICRY 215 



the utmost gusto Danaine butterflies, Lycid beetles, 

 and even Pentatomid bugs endowed with a most 

 nauseating odour. Are we to conclude from this that 

 none of these insects are unpalatable in a general 

 sense ? I prefer to believe that the facts prove very 

 little, except that Macaques have strong stomachs and 

 poor palates. I am equally disinclined to attach a 

 very great deal of importance to the fact that a 

 Japanese Salamander has manifested signs of disgust 

 when fed with caterpillars of the European Gooseberry 

 Moth, Abraxas grossulariata. The foes with which 

 these caterpillars have to contend certainly do not 

 include the Japanese Salamander. We have really no 

 grounds for saying that because the Salamander finds 

 the caterpillars unpalatable, therefore they are nauseous 

 to European lizards and amphibians. This is as 

 indefensible as Professor Plateau's view, that because 

 he himself found Abraxas grossulariata larvae quite 

 pleasant to the taste, therefore all animals must enjoy 

 them. When, however, a large number of experiments 

 show that these particular larvae are distasteful to a 

 great many animals birds, beasts, and reptiles then 

 certainly we have grounds for supposing that the 

 larva is not good to eat. If the animals experimented 

 on can reasonably be regarded as natural enemies of 

 the larvae the value of the experiments is accentuated. 

 I have already drawn attention to the fact that Trogons 

 feed very largely on Phasmidce, and apparently exclu- 

 sively on Orthoptera, and there is good reason to 

 suppose that the diet of most animals is more or less 

 restricted. Consequently to offer as food to animals 

 insects which never form any part of their diet cannot 

 lead to very definite conclusions. 



