ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ONTARIO. 85 



the locality in Illinois, where I studied this species, only two vertebrate enemies can be 

 said to exist, one the Shunk, Mephitis, mephitica, and an occasional entomologist, neither 

 of which are at present abundant. Does it appear likely that all of this is brought about 

 by mere accident, or is it not far more probable that protection was once gained, and else- 

 where the deception may continue to give protection 1 



There are still other points in this problem that seem well worthy of careful consider" 

 ation. We hear the terms, warning colors, protective mimicry and protective coloration) 

 etc., used, as a rule, in the sense of a finality. Just as though these particular workshop 8 

 of nature had finished their mission, and were now closed indefinitely ; and while we have 

 ample supplies of the finished product, there is none at all in process of construction- 

 Have we here no transition stages 1 We are dealing with some of the forces that go to 

 make what we term evolution, a process going on, as is believed, continually and every- 

 where about us, and if this is true might we not confidently look for species and varieties 

 that are in the process of becoming protectively, or even warningly colored, or the con- 

 dition which we term protective simulation not quite obtained 1 Tf perfect protection is 

 never quite reached, does not this of itself presuppose progressiveness and, therefore, 

 instability 1 May we not, in fact, in the future come to measure the antiquity of some 

 of our species by the degree of perfection with which they are mimicked by others 1 It 

 would probably necessitate remaining together through a long period of time in order to 

 enable an unprotected, younger and therefore less stable form to gain protection from a 

 distasteful form, especially as the advance in that direction must necessarily come from 

 the weaker, unprotected and younger form. To illustrate, our Danais archippus is sup- 

 posed to be a very old species, while Limenitis disippus is supposed to be a much younger 

 species. What is true here would also obtain in the case of Podosesia and Polistes, thus 

 indicating the greater antiquity of the latter, though probably belonging to a younger 

 order than the former. Mr. Gahan has shown* that there is a remarkably close resem- 

 blance between seventeen species of Diabrotica, inhabiting Mexico and Central America, 

 and an equal number of species of the genus Lema occurring in the same section of 

 country. Among the species of Diabrotica given, but one, D. vittata, is known to occur 

 north of Mexico, and none of the species of Lema here sufficiently resemble any of the 

 species of Diabrotica to lead to the suspicion of protective mimicry. In fact, it is only 

 along the Mexican border that we have any striking resemblance between any of our 

 species and those of the latter genus. In the states bordering on Mexico, Professor 

 Wickham tells me that Andrector 6 -punctata bears a striking resemblar.ee to Diabrotica 

 12 punctata, and another species of Andrector is very much like D. tricincta. There is 

 no positive proof that these are cases of protective mimicry, and Mr. Gahan does not 

 claim this for the cases of close resemblance to which' he cslls attention, but in all of 

 these there are certainly strong grounds for suspecting that such will ultimately prove to 

 be the case. I have elsewhere t*hown that there is every probability that the ancient 

 home of the genus Diabrotica was in northern South America, many North American 

 species originating in Central America and Mexico. It would seem, then, that .Z). vittata, 

 D 1 2 punctata and D. tricincta, baviBg spread northward from Mexico, and teing the 

 oldest northern forms of the genus, might be mimicked in Mexico and the adjacent portion 

 of the United States, because of having occurred there a sufficient length of time for such 

 conditions to be brought about, while farther north they, with the rest of the genus, are 

 comparatively recent comers, and sufficient time has not elapsed to develop cases of 

 protective mimicry. 



In conclusion, I desire that nothing in this paper shall be so construed as to, in the 

 remotest degree, favor hasty or unwarranted conclusions in stcdies of warning colors, 

 protective mimicry or protective coloration, bat I do wish to urge that the same caution 

 and painstaking labor should characterize our action in rejecting, finally, possible cases 

 of these phenomena that would be exercised before accepting such, were the possibilities 



*Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond. 1891. pp. 367-374. 

 tJour. N.Y., Eat. Soc. Vol. III., pp. 158-166. 



