COLOR IN ANIMALS 135 



Mimicry. 



Some of the instances of protective, alluring, and warning 

 coloration that have been described are sufficiently remark- 

 able, but the phenomena of mimicry are even more surpris- 

 ing. Many animals which are not protected by stings, or 

 disagreeable odors or flavors, and are really palatable to 

 predaceous species, are protected from the attacks of such 

 predaceous enemies by their resemblance to species which 

 are inedible. Instances of such mimicry are very numerous 

 among the insects, and are found also in other groups. Let 

 us see some examples. 



Many beetles are inedible, either because of their very 

 hard outer shell, or because of some nauseous flavor, and we 

 find many such forms to be conspicuously marked with 

 strongly contrasted colors; e.g. the lady-beetles and curculios 

 (Plate 73, A, b, d, f, h, k). There are edible beetles which 

 mimic some of these warning-colored inedible forms (Plate 73, 

 A, a, c, g). The hard and unpalatable curculios are imitated 

 also by grasshoppers (Plate 73, A, e). Certain grasshoppers 

 also imitate the evil-flavored lady-beetles (Plate 73, A, i]. 



Wasps, bees, hornets, and yellow-jackets are armed with 

 stings which make them dangerous to attack, and their dan- 

 gerous character is usually advertised by their conspicuous 

 coloration. As we would naturally expect, we find that they 

 are frequently imitated by other insects. We have longi- 

 corn beetles which mimic wasps (Plate 73, B}. Very many 

 flies mimic bees and wasps (Plate 74). One common kind of 

 fly imitates the honey-bee so closely that one would hesitate 

 to handle it even after being told that it is harmless. Other 

 flies mimic bumble-bees in appearance and in manner of 

 flight. In all of these cases, the resemblance is enhanced by 



