240 MR. E. B. POULTON ON THE PROTECTIVE [Mar. 1, 



to assume the existence of any great body of confirmatory evidence 

 until it has all been rigidly tested and recorded. 



It will be unnecessary to separate the larvse from the other stages, 

 because the meaning of imitative colours is equally clear whenever 

 they occur, while the warning colours of imagos might in some cases 

 be mistaken for those of other significance. I will proceed at once 

 to tabulate everything I have been able to find recorded, and will 

 afterwards consider in detail the more remarkable cases. I have 

 already implied that I believe the larvfe oi Papilio machaon should 

 be included in the Talde given below. Prof. Meldolahas since shown 

 me that Mr. T. W. Wood has also taken this view of tlie colours 

 of P. machaon (see a paper in 'The Student,' 186P, entitled 

 "Insects in Disguise"). 1 believe that the bright green colouring 

 broken up by black markings is very well adapted for concealm.ent 

 among the much-divided leaA'cs of the Umbelliferse on which the 

 larva feeds. I also consider that the imago of S./uciformis should 

 be included (see Table V., pp. 2-12-259). 



Looking back at this list we see that as a whole its results offer 

 the most decided contrast to those of the previous lists, inasmuch as 

 the vast majority of species are in this case devoured with relish. 

 But while it thus supports the converse side of Wallace's suggestion, 

 this is by no means so universally true as Jenner Weir's earlier experi- 

 ments led him to believe. Out of a total of 44 different species, or 

 stages, of Lepidoptera, we find 7 excej)tions, viz : — Imagos of S, 

 ligustri, P. bucephala, and 0. antiqua ; pupae of V. io, V. iirticcB, 

 P. bucepkala ; and the larva of DI. typica. Two of these appear 

 for the first time in Table V., while the others have appeared before 

 in other stages in the earlier tables. Deferring the consideration 

 of the latter, we will take the two species rather more in detail. 



Imago of Sphinx ligustri. — I think the evidence in this case 

 speaks for itself, and demonstrates very completely the protective 

 importance of mere size, unaccompanied by other alarming features 

 or by any means of active defence. The species is admirably 

 protected at rest and must be most carefully concealed. After 

 twenty years, during which I have looked for insects, I have only 

 once seen the moth at rest. Again, its flight is probably as rapid as 

 that of any species in the world. The behaviour oi Lacerta viridis 

 seemed to clearly show that the moth was highly palatable, as we 

 should expect from its very perfect means of evading its enemies. And 

 yet the much smaller L. muraJis would not touch the insect. If 

 the supposition be raised that the moth possessed some smell, which 

 was disliked by L. muralis, but to which L. viridis was indifferent, I 

 can only say that I have met with no other instance of any difference 

 of tastes when I experimented upon the two Lizards with the same 

 species of insect. And if this be the correct explanation why the moth 

 was untouched after spending many hours in the cage of L. muralis, I 

 cannot but think that L. viridis would have shown some reluctance 

 in devouring it, although it might have ultimately eaten it under the 

 impulse of hunger. And, again, L. muralis was more ravenous than 

 any of my Lizards ; and the above tables show clearly that I haye 



