1887.] 



VALUE OF COLOUR AND MARKINGS IN INSECTS. 



199 



Conspicuous Larvce. 



Experiments. 



A. Weismann, 



using 

 Lacerta viridis. 



Eefused by L. vi- 

 ridis. 



E. B. Poulton, 



using tlii-ee species 



of Lizards and 



Hyla. 



How far support given to 

 Wallace's suggestion, 

 . that brilliant and conspicu- 

 ous larviB would be 

 refused by some at least 

 of their enemies. 



Strong support. 



Strong support. 



Eaten at once by 

 L. viridis. 



Eaten freely by La- 

 certa muralis. Not 

 offered to others. 



Neither examined 

 nor touched by 

 L. viridis. 



How far support given to 



Poulton's suggestion, 



that a limit to the success of 



this method of defence 



would result from the 



hunger which the success 



itself tends to produce. 



No evidence, for other food was 

 not withheld. 



No evidence, for other food was 

 not withheld. 



Support from behaviour of 

 birds ; shows that a larva 

 may be disliked by one insect- 

 eating Vertebrate and not by 

 another. 



Strong support. 



A difficulty, especially as also 

 " sea-gulls and terns devour 

 them in numbers" {New- 

 man). 



No evidence, as above, from 

 birds; of course the sugges- 

 tion cannot apply to Lacerta 

 muralis, which eat the larva 

 freely. 



No evidence. 



The correlation of a startling 

 appearance with some unplea- 

 sant attribute must probably 

 have existed once if not now. 

 Have we a case in which hunger 

 or opportunity have caused the 

 enemies to neglect the latter, 

 and therefore to benefit by 

 the former ? 



Strong support. 



No evidence. 



