SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 



345 



whilst probing it with its proboscis are precisely 

 like the same actions of humming-birds. It was 

 only after many days' experience that I learned to 

 distinguish one from the other when on the wing " 

 ("The Natviralist on the River Amazon," p. 181). 

 Note that "after many days' experience" Mr. 

 Bates was able to distinguish them. May we not 

 say, then, much more would the moths' enemies 

 be able to do so ? The following is what Sir 

 S. W. Baker says of the elephant : " It is well 

 known that the colour of most animals is adapted 

 by nature to the general tint of the country 

 they inhabit. ... It may appear ridiculous to 

 say that an elej)hant is very difficult to be seen ! 

 He would be plain enough certainly on the snow, 

 or on a bright green meadow in England, where 

 the contrasted colours would make him at once a 

 striking object ; but in a dense jungle his skin 

 matches so completely with the dead sticks and 

 dry leaves, and his legs compare so well with the 

 surrounding tree-stems, that he is generally un- 

 perceived by a stranger even when pointed out to 

 him. I have actually been taking aim at ah 

 elephant within seven or eight paces when he has 

 been perfectly unseen by a friend at my elbow, 

 who was peering thi-ough the bushes in quest of 

 him. . . . The eye and ear become habituated to 

 watchfulness, and their powers are increased in 

 the same proportion as the muscles of the body 

 are by exercise. Not only is an animal imme- 

 diately observed, but anything out of the common 

 among surrounding objects instantly strikes the 

 attention " (" Bight Years in Ceylon," pp. Ill, 

 112). We may point to the same moral. The 

 individual interested will not be deceived. Again, 

 consider the case of bees and wasps. These have 

 a protective character, their sting ; while their 

 colour and form are imitated by a number of flies. 

 Now there is certainly a striking general re- 

 semblance in these bee-like and wasp-like flies to 

 real bees and wasps. It is sufficient to deceive 

 the inexperienced. I have, for example, seen a 

 person of average intelligence afraid of a swarm 

 of these harmless wasp-like flies. Probably the 

 ancient myth that a swarm of bees could be 

 generated in the carcass of an ox was due to the 

 deceptive resemblance of those brown bee-like 

 flies, whose maggots live in rotten carcasses, to 

 genuine bees. It only requires, however, a little 

 experience to quite readily be able to detect the 

 sham. I have spent some time in watching these 

 insects rather closely, and I cannot remember 

 ever being deceived by them. Let anyone who 

 doubts this spend, say, one hour a day for a month 

 watching them closely. The same conclusion must 

 be reached — viz., that the sham is readily detected. 

 Can we doubt that their enemies have had much 

 more experience, and a.re much more keenly 

 interested 1 Hence they will be much less likely 

 to be deceived. We may further ask, " Are bees 

 and wasps really protected ? " The answer is that 

 there are probably few members of the insect tribe 

 more persecuted. I need not here quote particular 

 examples. It is well known that they are greedily 

 devoured by birds, by frogs and toads, and by 

 certain mammals. Thus we see in this case also 

 that the resemblance is not sufficiently close to 

 deceive, and that the imitated species are not pro- 

 tected. On the South Downs here I have noticed a 

 rather curious case of " protection." Certain fungi 

 which grow in irregular lines in the turf have a 

 remarkable resemblance to scattered flint pebbles. 



To make them out to be vegetables requires careful 

 scrutiny. It might be suggested that this resem- 

 blance to stones enables them to escape being 

 devoured by fungus-eating animals. I cannot help 

 feeling, however, that if I were a hungry animal, 

 and fungus was my natural food, I would not pass 

 them by with a superficial glance, but examine 

 them closely, touch them, smell them, and eat 

 them. The whole theory of mimicry and protec- 

 tive characters and their evolution by natural 

 selection is founded on a large number of cases 

 more or less similar to the above, and which, like 

 them, will not bear investigation. — G. W. Bulman, 

 13 Vicarage Drive, EasthouToie. 



[We have inserted Mr. Bulman's notes for the 

 consideration of our readers without in any way 

 committing ourselves to his opinions. Our columns 

 are open to our readers for their views upon the 

 subject. — Eds, ;S'. 6r.] 



Malformed Leaves op Vetch. — Last August, 

 on a bog in South-west Ireland, I noticed a number 

 of branches of Vieia angvstifolia trailing over the 

 heather plants. They had no flowers, but near the 

 tips of the branches there were manj'' small brown 

 closed-up leaves, closely resembling minute vetch 

 pods, with constrictions, and containing round 

 white objects just like seeds. These curious- 



DiSTOETED Vetch Leaves. 



carpel-like leaflets were submitted to Professor G-. 

 Henslow, who reported that they were produced by 

 the attack of mites, some species of Phytoptus. 

 The mimicry of small leguminous pods by these 

 malformations was very striking. — E. Armitage^ 

 Dadnor, HerefordsMre, March nth, 1902. 



Notes on Surrey Plants. — In my notes upon 

 the plants of Surrey, which appeared in SciENCE- 

 GossiP for last month, the record for Mamuncvlus 

 ophioglossi/oliits Vill. should be omitted, as the 

 plant, which I found, appears to be upon critical 

 examination a broad-leaved form of Manvneulus- 

 flamnmla Linn. — S. A. Chamiers, 2 Linden Villas^ 

 Leatherhead. 



ANSWERS TO COKRESPONDENTS. 



C. E. B. (Camberwell).^It is true that the hills, 

 between Barton and Hexton are sometimes purple 

 in places with the blossoms of Anemone Pulsatilla, 

 The best station is on the east side of the Coombe^ 

 known as Barton Springs. If a walking tour is 

 proposed, take the Midland Railway train to 

 Harlington, thence to Barton and back to Luton, a 

 total distance of ten or eleven miles. Any time 

 from the middle of April to the middle of May 

 would be suitable. — J. 8. 



