Color in Nature 



337 



the ground or a tree toad on bark. But yet more striking 

 examples of protective color are furnished by those ani- 

 mals which closely resemble some particular object. There 

 are certain caterpillars commonly known as " measuring 

 worms" which progress by a series of looping movements, 

 first attaching themselves by the fore feet and then drawing 

 up the hind feet, thus forming a loop of the body between. 

 Sometimes these attach themselves to a twig by the hind 

 feet, extending the body in the air, when they almost exactly 

 imitate a dead twig. In our Southern States is found the 



DEAD LEAF BUTTERFLY 



Left, with wings folded; right, expanded. Original photograph from 

 a preparation by Kny-Scheerer Company. 



"walking stick" insect, a creature with slim body and long 

 legs, which when resting upon a dead branch merges with its 

 twigs so closely as to appear like part of them. One species 

 of rnoth, resting on the . edge of a leaf, is almost indistin- 

 guishable from the dry, curled up edge of that same leaf; 

 while another resembles a bit of bird's dung so closely as 

 to deceive any but the most careful observer. 



But the most beautiful example of animal "camouflage" 

 is furnished by the "dead leaf" butterfly, Kallima, of the 

 East Indian jungle. When in flight this butterfly is a beau- 

 tiful creature with blue and orange wings; but when at 

 rest, with the wings folded together above the body, it imi- 

 tates a dead leaf so closely, even to the minute details of 



