TRUE MIMICRY 101 



species of Papilio, and that these were mimicked by other species. 

 Later it was shown that these immune species live chiefly on 

 poisonous plants (in the wide sense), on various Aristolochiae ; and 

 Haase has recently grouped these together as poison- eaters 

 (Aristolochia-butterflies or Pharmacophagse). They are distin- 

 guished by a conspicuous red on the body. In some of them, as 

 in Papilio pMloxenus, a repulsive odour as of decomposing urine has 

 been detected in the living animal.' 



We see, then, that the much-persecuted and easily injured butter- 

 flies make use of a poisonous substance (in the widest sense), prepared 

 in the plant for its own protection, and, wherever their own 

 metabolism makes it possible, they use it to protect themselves. 

 We need not wonder, therefore, that so many butterflies are immune, 

 nor that among the numerous palatable species a small pro- 

 portion have endeavoured to become like the protected species, 

 as far as natural selection was able to bring such a resemblance 

 about. 



There is hardly any adaptation phenomenon so widely dis- 

 tributed and diverse in its manifestations, which has been at the 

 same time so much observed and followed out into all its details, as 

 Mimicry; and it must surely be regarded as a justification of the 

 validity of interpreting it in terms of Natural Selection that all 

 the observed phenomena tally so beautifully with the deductions 

 from the theory. ^I at least know of no facts which contradict the 

 theory, but of many which might have been predicted from it. 



For instance, it might have been predicted from the theory alone 

 that an immune species would often have several mimics, as, in point 

 of fact, is frequently the case, and it would be easy to give numerous 

 examples of this. Thus the two Danaids of South and Central 

 Africa, Amauris echeria and Amauris niavius, are mimicked, not 

 only by the two female forms of Papilio merope, as we have already 

 described in detail, but the latter is also mimicked by Nymphalid, 

 which requires protection, Diadema anthedon, and the former by two 

 diurnal butterflies of different families, Diadema nuina and Papilio 

 echerioides. 



Similarly, the black-and-red coloured Heliconius melpomene in 

 Brazil is mimicked both by the female of a White {Archonias 

 teuthamis), and by a Papilio, which has received the name of 

 P. euterpinu-s on account of this resemblance. Thus, too, the 

 immune Methona psidii, Cr. of Brazil, with its half-transparent 

 wings marked with black bands, has five mimics, belonging to five 

 different genera, and one of these is not a true diurnal butterfly at all. 



