120 MIMICRY, AND OTHER PROTECTIVE 
terflies were equally rejected ; but in both these cases 
Mr. Weir thinks it is the taste, not the hairs or spines, 
that are disagreeable, because some very young cater- 
pillars of a hairy species were rejected although no hairs 
were developed, and the smooth pupe of the above- 
named butterflies were refused as persistently as the 
spined larvee. In these cases, then, both hairs and 
spines would seem to be mere signs of uneatableness. 
His next experiments were with those smooth gaily- 
coloured caterpillars which never conceal themselves, 
but on the contrary appear to court observation. Such 
are those of the Magpie moth (Abraxas grossulariata), 
whose caterpillar is conspicuously white and black 
spotted -—the Diloba cceruleocephala, whose larve is 
pale yellow with a broad blue or green lateral band— 
the Cucullia verbasci, whose larve is greenish white 
with yellow bands and black spots, and Anthrocera 
filipendule (the six spot Burnet moth), whose cater- 
pillar is yellow with black spots. These were given 
to the birds at various times, sometimes mixed with 
other kinds of larvae which were greedily eaten, but 
they were in every case rejected apparently unnoticed, 
and were left to crawl about till they died. 
The next set of observations were on the dull- 
coloured and protected larve, and the results of nu- 
merous experiments are thus summarised by Mr. 
Weir. “ All caterpillars whose habits are nocturnal, 
which are dull coloured, with fleshy bodies and 
smooth skins, are eaten with the greatest avidity. 
Every species of green caterpillar is also much re- 
