252 (March, 
times, as in the clear-winged Aacroglosse and the active Syrphide, it seems to us 
superfluous: again, it is present in some parasites, as the Vollucelle, whereas in 
others, a3 in the Myope, the Nomade, and the gaily coloured Chrysida, it is com- 
pletely absent. These “ negative instances” are certainly subjects for thought. 
Examples of repetition, as they may be termed, are not rare: these are only 
pseudo-mimetic; they are, however, worthy of a passing notice. They exist in 
insects widely differing from each other, or in closely allied species; as illustrations 
where the insects are clearly not related, the genera Orambus and Pleurota may be 
taken, the resemblance of such moths as Plewrota Schlegeriella and Plewrota aris- 
tella to species of the genus Orambus is certainly remarkable. It is a curious coin- 
cidence, that all the three European butterflies which haunt the oak, namely, Thecla 
quercts, Aurotis roboris,and Apatura Iris, should have the same colouring, or nearly 
so; but the strangest example of repetition that ever fell under my notice is a 
small Gelechia (from Texas, I believe), shewn to me by Mr. Stainton, which has the 
markings and colours of Noctua c-nigrum. Repetition in very closely allied spe- 
cies is perhaps not so wonderful; and yet, when thought of in all its aspects, the 
co-existence of such species as Vanessa polychloros and V. wanthomelas, Pamphila 
Thaumas and P. lineola, Harpella Geoffroyella and H. Staintonella, Dasycera Oliviella, 
intermediella, and imitatriv, is indeed more than passing strange. 
It certainly does not render the subject of mimicry more easy, when it is re- - 
membered that the same protective influence is given to antecedent states of the 
insect. 
The mimetic resemblances of larvea may be divided exactly as those of the 
imago: we have the imitation of inanimate objects shown by the simple green 
caterpillars resembling the leaves on which they feed, but far more markedly in the 
close copy which some larva present of twigs or stems: none show this better than 
the larves of Ourapteryx sambucaria and Rumia erategata. 
Of the second class, I only know one native larva,* which has ever created such 
a disgust in my mind by its soft, shiny excrementitious look, that, to my shame 
be it spoken, it has never been reared by me. It belongs to the Tenthredinide, 
and lives on hawthorn, and is not rare in antumn feeding in a slovenly 
manner on the epidermis of the leaf, living exposed on the upper surface; it is a 
grey-brown larva, with the first few segments as it were swollen, and, as before 
said, closely resembling the soft excrement of some birds. 
Of the third group, the larva of Allantus scrophularie# is a good example: the 
resemblance between its colour and that of the larva of Cucullia verbasci is most 
striking, and when found, as they often are, upon the same plant, cannot fail to im- 
press itself at once on the person who sees them; curiously enough, both larvae have 
the power of ejecting a most disagreeable yellowish-green saliva from their mouths, 
so that it is difficult to say which is the protector, and which the protected mimic. 
Repetition exists among larve as in perfect insects without mimicry ; a very 
good illustration is again given by a Tenthredinous larva found not rarely on the 
alder: it is onisciform, and I have known it more than once mistaken by naturalists 
for the larva of a I’hecla or Lycena. 
Artificial mimicry is frequent amongst larvae: in these, a case or covering is 
formed by themselves for their protection, this case resembling other objects 
around them: thus the cases of many Coleophore resemble the seeds of the plants 
* Blennocampa cethiops, Fab., according to Hartig.—Eps. 
