MIMICRY 231 



even by a drawing, the very startling resemblance of 

 this caterpillar to an ant, yet the resemblance will not 

 really bear a close examination, for the caterpillar is 

 much longer than the ant, and moreover the anterior 

 part of the body plays no part in the likeness. It is 

 more of the nature of an impressionist sketch, and 

 like many impressionist sketches is startling in its 

 likeness to the model, though not bearing close 

 scrutiny. A little spider, Amycicea lineatipes * also 

 mimics the Keringa Ant : the body-form and colour 

 correspond pretty closely, but curiously enough the 

 head part of the ant is mimicked by the abdomen of 

 the spider, which near its apex bears two black spots 

 like the eyes of the ant. The spider preys on the ant, 

 and I have taken one with an ant in its jaws. I do 

 not, however, regard this as a case of aggressive 

 mimicry ; it is more likely that the spider escapes the 

 attacks of its enemies by resembling the ants, and 

 has acquired the habit of preying on them by 

 always living in association with them. 



Lepidoptera have always been studied so much 

 more closely than any other order of insects, and 

 they exhibit so very plainly the phenomena of 

 mimicry on their large and brightly coloured wings, 



1 This spider always lives in the ant's nest or very close to it. It 

 makes no web, but spins a little silk on the leaf on which it rests. 

 As its abdomen with the last pair of legs resembles the head of the 

 Keringa it moves in a backward manner, practically running tail 

 first. When it seizes an ant it lowers itself from a leaf by a thread 

 to devour it, practically out of sight and certainly out of the reach of 

 the others. Living with the ants it is practically defended from all 

 enemies, for no enemy would plunge into a Keringa's nest after it. 

 I found the only way of detecting it among the ants was to present 

 my finger ; the ants would rush to attack it, the spider retreated. 

 H. N. R. 



