144 Timehri. 



Terrifying Attitudes and Appearances. — While not a camouflage 

 in the strict sense of the word we may consider these here. Most of the 

 larvae of the sphinx moths have a habit of rearing themselves up on 

 their prolegs when disturbed, often jerking the anterior parts of their 

 bodies from side to side, at the same time making a hissing sort of noise. 

 In this position, even to us, they are formidable looking, and to creatures 

 more of their own size they must be truly terrifying. 



A peculiar example of such a terrifying appearance is offered by the 

 larvae of the beautiful Sphinx moth Pholus labruscae L. (fig. 4) which feed on 

 the wild vine Vitis sicyoides. At the very first sight of one of these larvae 

 one is struck by its snake-like appearance, and really the resemblance is 

 remarkable. Apart from the coloration, which is itself very snake-like, 

 the larvae are capable of retracting the first two segments of the body, 

 and in such a position they are even more repulsive looking. Besides 

 this, at the posterior end, where the ' horn ' of most sphinx larvae is 

 situated, there is a peculiar eyedike marking — ' eye-spot ' — which the 

 larvae are capable of flickering and which no doubt also plays an 

 important part, perhaps as a directive colour, in its camouflage. This 

 larva, it has been claimed, has a strong resemblance to a Labaria snake, 

 one of the most dangerous of our local reptiles. 



To what extent these disguises succeed we can, of course, form but 

 a very imperfect idea as we do not know the animals against which they 

 are directed. A terrifying attitude may prove very successful against a 

 certain enemy, but we cannot imagine the effect it has ; we may only 

 judge from our own impression. The value of protective resemblance, on 

 the other hand, is likely to be exaggerated by overlooking the fact that 

 birds and other enemies have a faculty for detecting insects far superior 

 to man. Warning coloration, and mimicry too, no doubt serve their 

 purpose, but here again the protection does not always succeed. That 

 these disguises are successful and lead to the escape of their possessors 

 is, however, certain. It would seem, therefore, that the reason, at least 

 for a large part, of the colour-pattern of insects is ' camouflage.' 



HuLUihed by pvrmisiion of Ihc Director of Science and Agrlcillurf, Br 



