268 THE COLOURS OF ANIMALS 



The mimicking form may prey upon some animal which 

 accompanies the species mimicked 



In certain cases the Aggressive Mimicry is of a 

 different kind : the mimicking species preys upon 

 some animal which is not afraid of the mimicked 

 species, or which even lives in company with the 

 latter. Thus E. G. Peckham thinks it possible that 

 the ant-like spider, Synageles picata (see fig. 53, page 

 256), may prey upon beetles which accompany ants. 1 

 As this does not appear to be sufficiently proved, I 

 have retained the spider as an example of Protective 

 Mimicry. Professor Meldola has suggested 2 that cer- 

 tain ant-like spiders from Africa, described by Mansel 

 Weale, are enabled to approach the flies on which they 

 prey, because the latter are not afraid of ants ; for 

 ants and flies may be seen feeding together upon the 

 sweet secretion of the same tree. ^ 



The clear distinction of both Protective and Aggres- 

 sive Mimicry into two classes I owe to E. G. Peckham. 3 



1 Loc. cit. p. 111. 



* Proc. Ent. Soc. Lond. 1878, p. xix 



Loc. cit. p. 103. 



