162 THE STORY OF REPTILE LIFE. 



described. These snakes live in the same regions 

 as the obnoxious forms, and thus it is easy to 

 see that, disguised as dangerous, they participate 

 in whatever advantages the obnoxious forms have 

 acquired, and in consequence, live in peace, in- 

 stead of perpetual molestation and persecution. 

 This assumption of the coloration of alien and 

 obnoxious forms is known as "Mimicry." Thus, 

 the deadly snakes of the genus Elaps, have 

 many imitators. The poisonous Elaps fulvius 

 of Guatemala is imitated by the harmless 

 Pliocerus equalis : Maps corallinus of Mexico by 

 the harmless Homalocranium semicindum-, whilst in 

 other parts of South America similar cases occur. 

 The poisonous water-snakes are likewise mimicked 

 by harmless forms. 



Another interesting form of mimicry is that 

 wherein not so much the colours, as the actions 

 of the mimicked form are copied. A case in 

 point is that of the harmless and toothless Egg- 

 eating Snake (Dasypeltis\ which mimics the 

 poisonous Bug Adder (Clothos atropos). Both 

 are protectively coloured, but the harmless form 

 when alarmed, renders itself practically indis- 

 tinguishable from the poisonous, by flattening 

 out its head and darting forward with a hiss 

 as if to strike. It may well happen, of course, 

 that this disguise may cost the mimic its life, 

 and so completely defeat the object of the 

 mimicry. But this would only occur when the 

 subject to be terrified chanced to be a man, 

 who naturally kills at sight all venomous 

 reptiles he may come across, and it must be 

 remembered that the disguise of this snake is 



