170 THE COLOURS OF ANIMALS 



The caterpillar of the Buff-tip Moth (Pygaera bu- 

 cephala), fig. 44, and the Cinnabar Moth (Euchelia 

 jacobaa), fig. 45, are also extremely abundant, and 

 are good examples of the association of Warning 

 Colours with a nauseous taste. Both of them are 

 gregarious, living in large companies, so that their 

 conspicuous appearance is greatly intensified. The 

 colours of the first-named larva are black, yellow, and 

 orange. It feeds on oak, elm, lime, birch, hazel, &c., 

 and the large bare branches which attest its appetite 

 are very familiar sights in autumn. The second 

 caterpillar is coloured by alternate black and yellow 

 rings ; it feeds upon ragwort in the summer. There 

 is plenty of experimental evidence for the unpleasant 

 taste of both caterpillars. 



The conspicuous gregarious caterpillars of the 

 Large Garden White Butterfly (Pieris brassicce), which 

 are only too well known in cabbage gardens in the 

 autumn, are also protected in the same manner. 

 Many other instances will be found in the papers 

 already referred to. 



A caterpillar may be freely exposed rather than 

 conspicuous 



In some cases the warning of an unpleasant 

 quality is conveyed by the caterpillar being freely 

 exposed, while its colours, although sober, do not 

 harmonise with those of the food-plant. This may 



