INSECT PIGMENTS. 279 



astonished me, that I have looked at everything I ever wrote on 

 the subject* to see if anywhere there is a reference to the origin 

 of red from white, or indeed from any colour but yellow. As I 

 fail to find such reference, and do not remember ever having 

 entertained such an idea, I cannot but conclude that Mr. Coste 

 has attacked a theory which had no existence until it was set up 

 to be overthrown in Entom. p. 209 ! 



However, I did at one time suppose that white had arisen 

 from some yellow pigment, just as red had. At that time I was 

 not aware of the physical (non-pigmental) nature of at least the 

 vast majority of whites, and erred accordingly. But I indicated 

 the probable error of my first impressions, and pointed out the 

 difficulties besetting the question in Entom. 1889, p. 126, before 

 Mr. Coste began to write his papers. 



So far as Mr. Coste' s main contentions go, I have indeed 

 " long since been convinced," for they agree very well with much 

 that I had myself imagined, and duly set forth, in 1887. But of 

 course I am far from denying the value of Mr. Coste's work. 

 Anybody may speculate, as I did, on the course of evolution, but 

 such speculations are chiefly useful if they lead to detailed 

 observation and experiment, whereby the real facts are ascer- 

 tained. Even the discussion of my imaginary theory is most 

 instructive, and Mr. Coste's summary of results is full of 

 suggestions for future investigations. In the future, our know- 

 ledge of the nature of insect pigments ought to grow rapidly. 

 Some of the varieties predicted by Mr. Coste, on pp. 207, 208, 

 are already on record, — how many I cannot now say. Choero- 

 campa porcellus has a form in which pink is replaced by yellow. 

 Anthocharis cardamines, male, with the orange only on the right 

 wing, is recorded in Entom., 1879, p. 181. A yellow var. of the 

 female Tortrix viridana is known : see Dr. Chapman, Ent. Eec, 

 1890, p. 177. Vanessa urticce, pale yellow var., is recorded in 

 Ent. Eec, 1891, p. 10. Epinephele tithonus, pale or " bleached " 

 forms, are recorded in Entom. xi. 229 ; xvi. 234 ; xix. 230. For 

 a red var. of Arctia villica, see Entom., 1889, p. 2. 

 Institute of Jamaica ; Kingston, Jamaica, Sept. 20, 1891. 



* It would be useless to repeat here the statements that I have already made 

 in print; but in case anyone should care to look them up, here is the list of 

 references : — 



(1.) The relation of red to yellow. Proc. S. Lond. Ent. Soc. for 1887, p. 45, and 

 pp. 101-100 (detailed discussion) ; Entom., 1887, p. 151 ; Ent. News, 1890, p. 4. 



(2.) Orange and yellow. Entom., 1888, p. 189. 



(■■i.) White and yellow. Proc. S. Lond. Ent. Soc. for 1889, p. 1:59; Entom., 

 1888, p. 113 ; Entom., 1889, p. 126. 



(4.) Ked, yellow, and white. Proc. S. Lond. Ent. Soc. for 1888, p. 57 (see also 

 Ent. Eec, 1890, p. 57). 



(.").) Pallid and albino forms. Proc. S. Lond. Ent. Soc. for 1887, p. 100 (attributed 

 to arrest in development) ; Entom., 1889, p. 4, and as to pallid females, p. 5. 



