204 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPAEATIVE ZOOLOGY. 



insectivorous animals pay but little attention to the colors of their 

 prey ; for example, it is Avell known to anglers that trout and salmon 

 will snap at the most gaudily colored "flies," which may or may not 

 have any counterpart iri nature. 



The whole question of warning coloration will have to be made 

 the subject of an extensive research upon both old and young 

 insectivorous animals before we can safely arrive at any certain con- 

 clusions respecting it. 



II. Methods Pursued ix Studying the Colok-Patterns of 



THE HeLICONIDAE. 



Xo comparative study of the color-patterns displayed by the 

 Heliconidae has ever been made. In fact, very few such studies 

 have been carried out upon any Lepidoptera. The only works I 

 know of are those of Eimer ('89) and Haase ('92) upon the colora- 

 tion of the Papihos, and of Dixey ('90) upon the wing-markings of 

 certam genera of the Nyraphalidae and Pieridae. The family of the 

 Heliconidae with its numerous species and comparatively simple 

 coloration affords an excellent opportunity for such a research. 



In making this study of the Heliconidae I was permitted through 

 the kindness of Mr. Samuel Henshaw to make free use of the collec- 

 tion in the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard. I also 

 found the colored figures in the works of the following authors of 

 great service : Hewitson ('56-'76), C. und R. Felder ('64-'67), Hub- 

 ner ('06-'25), Humboldt et Bonpland ('33), Cramer (l779-'82), Stau- 

 dinger ('84-'88), Godman and Salvin ('79-'86), and Men^tries ('63) ; 

 likewise the following shorter papers pubUshed in various serials : 

 Bates ('63, '65), Butler ('65, '69, '69-'74, '77), Druce ('76), Godman 

 and Salvin ('80) , Hewitson ('54), Snellenen van Leeuwen ('87) , Smka 

 ('84, '85), Staudinger ('82), and Weymer ('75, '84). I was thus 

 enabled to examine the color-patterns of 400 (89%) of the species 

 of the Danaoid group, and of 129 (86%) of the Acraeoid group, 

 either from the insects themselves or from figures given by the 

 authors named above. The remaining species were either inaccessi- 

 ble to me, or were so vaguely described as to be unavailable. A 

 list of the species known to me is given in Table 28. 



(1) The Two Types of Coloration in the Danaoid Heliconidae. 

 It" is very remarkable that the color-patterns of all of the Heliconidae 



