122 MIMICRY, AND OTHER PROTECTIVE 
caterpillars were repeatedly put into the webs both of 
the geometrical and hunting spiders (Epeira diadema 
and Lycosa sp.), but in the former case they were 
cut out and allowed to drop; in the latter, after dis- 
appearing in the jaws of their captor down his dark 
silken funnel, they invariably reappeared, either from 
below or else taking long strides up the funnel again. 
Mr. Butler has observed lizards fight with and finally 
devour humble bees, and a frog sitting on a bed of 
stone-crop leap up and catch the bees which flew over 
his head, and swallow them, in utter disregard of 
their stings. It is evident, therefore, that the posses- 
sion of a disagreeable taste or odour is a more effec- 
tual protection to certain conspicuous caterpillars and 
moths, than would be even the possession of a sting. 
The observations of these two gentlemen supply 
a very remarkable confirmation of the hypothetical 
solution of the difficulty which I had given two years 
before. And as it is generally acknowledged that 
the best test of the truth and completeness of a 
theory is the power which it gives us of prevision, 
we may I think fairly claim this as a case in which 
the power of prevision has been successfully exerted, 
and therefore as furnishing a very powerful argu- 
ment in favour of the truth of the theory of Natural 
Selection. 
Summary. 
I have now completed a brief, and necessarily very 
imperfect, survey of the various ways in which the 
