

u Life- History o/'Drepana arcuata " tfcc. 149 



true that gaudily-coloured caterpillars are frequently avoided 

 or very cautiously approached by insect-enemies ; but it is 

 assuming too much to declare that fear based upon reasoning 

 is the explanation of the respect shown to such colouring ; it 

 appears to me to result rather from want of familiarity with 

 or dislike to meddle with startlingly coloured larva?, and can 

 as little be attributed to reason as the dislike shown by most 

 birds for white clothing or straw hats. 



P. 497 : "As hairy caterpillars are not usually devoured 

 by birds, these hairs and spines have originated through 

 natural selection and are danger-signals, indicating to birds 

 that the wearers of such hirsute and bristling armature are 

 inedible." This statement is far too broad ; for, although 

 non- insectivorous birds naturally do not touch hairy larvae, 

 they are known to be eaten by the Cuckoo, and I have proved 

 repeatedly that the Missel-Thrush, Song-Thrush, Blackbird, 

 and Chaffinch do not hesitate to kill and eat them. I have 

 never known any bird to show apparent fear of them. 



" Every one knows how efficacious any hairs or bristles are 

 in deterring ichneumons and Tachince from ovipositing on 

 caterpillars, and it is well known that naked or slightly pili- 

 ferous larvae are more subject to their attacks than those which 

 are densely hairy or spinose." 



I think if Prof. Packard were to collect full-grown larva? 

 of Euprepia caja in England he would find (as I have done 

 repeatedly) that these densely hairy larva? are more subject to 

 the attacks of ichneumons than almost any caterpillar except- 

 ing that of Ganoris brassicw. I should say that at least one in 

 five perishes from this cause, and I have even known it worse 

 than that, for I remember on one occasion that I only reared 

 two out of a score of these larva?, all the rest being filled with 

 ichneumon-maggots. 



P. 509 (note) : " It may be questioned whether any wing- 

 less female Lepidoptera live on herbaceous plants. 7 ' Well, 

 the larva of Orgyia antiqua is omnivorous and the larva? of 

 Nyssia feed on trees or low plants (according to Stainton) ; 

 so that this question has already been answered. 



I have thought it fair to call attention to these little 

 blemishes in a paper the value of which I do not for a moment 

 wish to depreciate, because in the present day some of the 

 disciples of Darwin are, as it seems to me, far too eager to 

 attempt to explain facts which at present we have not suffi- 

 cient data upon which to argue. One thing is certain, and 

 that is, that so long as we assume that all living creatures 

 are endowed with the same likes and dislikes which we our- 





