THE DISGUISES OF INSECTS 189 



how closely all these colours must assimilate it to the 

 handsome red-flowered Willow-herb (Epilobium), on which 

 the larva feeds, and on which the female insect, while 

 depositing her eggs, no doubt often reposes. The petals 

 of the common E'pilohmm angustifolmm, for instance, are 

 of the same pinky-red as the moth ; its stems and seed- 

 pods are green, tinted with brown-purple or yellowish, 

 while the white filaments of its stamens correspond to the 

 white lines and streaks of the insect. It is evident, there- 

 fore, that while reposing amid a clump of these plants, the 

 Elephant Hawk-moth, although so brilliantly coloured, 

 must be exceedingly difficult to detect, since every part of 

 its body is of exactly the same hue as some portion of the 

 flowers. 



We owe the discovery of one of the most beautiful 

 examples of " disguise " in a native insect to the talented 

 young artist and close observer of nature who furnished 

 the illustrations for this chapter. He tells us that one fine 

 afternoon in May, being overtaken by a shower, he sought 

 shelter under a hedge, where, among other flowers, the 

 wild parsley (Anthrisms syhestris) grew in the greatest 

 profusion. While observing the light and elegant forms 

 of these plants, he noticed what appeared l^o be a small 

 bunch of flowers projecting beyond the rest ; and a closer 

 examination led him to the interesting discovery that 

 our beautiful little " Orange-tip," one of the gayest and 

 brightest of our native butterflies, was reposing among 

 these flowers in such a manner as to gain a complete pro- 

 tection by its resemblance to them. He was now able to 

 see the use of almost every detail, both of the form and 

 colouring of this insect. The bright orange patch, so 

 beautiful when the insect is on the wing, was hidden 

 beneath the hind wings; and there is thus a very good 

 reason for the circumstance that the colour does not 

 extend so far on the under as on the upper surface of the 

 wing, and also for the tip of the upper wings being mottled 

 with green beneath, like the whole surface of the hind 

 wings ; for as they are a little longer than the hind wings, 

 the whole form one uniformly coloured surface when the 



