WARNING COLOURS 207 



duced a Small Heath Butterfly (Coenonympha pam- 

 philus) into a lizard's cage. It was at once obvious 

 that the lizard was greatly interested in the large eye- 

 like mark on the under side of the fore wing: it 

 examined this mark intently, and several times at- 

 tempted to seize the butterfly at this spot. The 

 observation seems to point to, at any rate, one use of 

 the eye-like markings which are common on the 

 under sides of the wings of butterflies. 



A very perfect and elaborate example of the same 

 kind is witnessed in the Hair streak Butterflies (Thecla). 

 Each hind wing in these butterflies is furnished with 

 a ' tail,' which in certain species is long, thin, and 

 apparently knobbed at the end. When the butterfly 

 is resting on a flower the wings are closed and the 

 hind wings are kept in constant motion, so that the 

 ' tails ' continually pass and re-pass each other. This 

 movement, together with their appearance, causes the 

 ' tails ' to bear the strongest likeness to the antennae 

 of a butterfly ; the real antennae being held so as not 

 to attract attention. Close to the base of the supposed 

 antennae an eye-like mark, in the most appropriate 

 position, exists in many species. The effect of the 

 marking and movement is to produce the deceptive 

 appearance of a head at the wrong end of the body. 

 The body is short and does not extend as far as the 

 supposed head, so that the insect is uninjured when 

 it is seized. 



This interesting fact of the resemblance of the 



