42 Frank Finn — Theory of Warning Colours and Mimicry. [No. 1, 



Contributions to the Theory of Warning Colours and Mimicry, No. II. 

 Experiments with a Lizard (Calotes versicolor). — By Frank Finn, 

 B. A., F. Z. S., Deputy Superintendent of the Indian Museum. 



[Read March 1896.] 



Although I have made experiments with other species of birds 

 besides the Babbler used for the experiments detailed in my paper in the 

 J. A. 8. B., XLIV, p. 344, I prefer to record in the second place my ex- 

 periences with the common Garden Lizard of India {Calotes versicolor), 

 as being more complete. That this lizard eats butterflies there is no 

 doubt ; its semi- arboreal habits lead it to meet with them, and I have 

 had specimens of these insects whose wings exhibited semi-circular 

 notches which could only have resulted from the unsuccessful attack 

 of one of these reptiles. I have observed such injuries in the case of 

 Catopsilia and of both sexes of Elymnias cendularis. Moreover, I found 

 lepidopterous remains in the stomach of an individual captured in the 

 evening on a Lantana bush which was a great resort of butterflies. 



These lizards are not such satisfactory subjects for experiment 

 as birds, owing to their extreme deliberation in catching and eating 

 their prey. As with the Babblers, I have with Calotes been able to 

 check my experiments made on specimens in captivity, with other experi- 

 ments made on specimens at large ; but in the present case I do not know 

 that any of the animals were identical, though some of my first captives, 

 as stated below, were released in the Museum compound. 



Dr. Alcock very kindly allowed me .the use of a large cage of wire 

 gauze placed in my office in which to confine the subjects of my first 

 experiments : four specimens of Calotes, three of them fine, and the fourth 

 of fair size. For three or four days after I got these, I gave them no 

 butterflies, but threw in a plentiful supply of the maggots (those of a 

 Muscid fly) usually employed here for feeding insectivorous birds. 

 These turned in due course into flies, and when the lizards appeared 

 to be eating these, and also some cockroaches (Periplaneta americana), 

 I commenced the experiments given below, in regard to which I have 

 to acknowledge Mr. Barlow's assistance in making observations. 



v 

 Experiments with Lizards in Confinement. Series A. 



May \Mh. — Put in four Danais chrysippus, and six non-warningly- 

 coloured butterflies, mostly Junonias. After a time, I found three of 

 the latter dead, apparently from natural causes. One D. chrysippus was 

 on the floor with one wing gone, evidently mauled. Another chrysip- 

 pus was alive and minus the tip of one fore wing ; nothing else was to 

 be seen. There were flies about, and one lizard at least was eating 



