1912.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 315 
Poulton’s remarks is, ‘Although so many insectivorous animals in 
confinement disregarded the special defence of Formica rufa, there 
can be little doubt that such defence is very effective in the wild 
state. It is impossible on any other hypothesis to account for the 
conditions under which the species exists, swarming in vast numbers 
in restricted areas and an easy prey to any enemy that would dare 
to attack” (p. 868). -Here we have a case where experimental 
results are not in accord with the theory, and it is evident that it is 
so much the worse for the experiments. Where the evidence is of 
a supporting nature, experiments are extolled to the skies. Pocock, 
who tries to stick consistently to the experimental results which for 
Formica rufa were an indefinite number of acceptances and no 
rejections by a monkey, A 13 R 0 by birds, and two refusals by 
lizards, says: ‘‘The unavoidable conclusion that these insects are 
palatable is rather surprising in view of the frequency with which 
ants are mimicked in the tropics” (p. 849). In deeming it impossible 
for the ants to live as at present unless specially defended, Poulton 
takes the struggle for existence too seriously. In fact, he seems to 
think all gregarious insects must be specially protected, thus over- 
looking periodical cicadas, migratory locusts, canker-worms, army- 
worms, etc., which usually occur in large numbers and are eagerly 
attacked by a great variety of insectivorous foes. 
Poulton further remarks: “It was also apparent in many of the 
experiments that the unpalatability of conspicuous Lepidoptera 
was... .. far more obvious to the birds than the mammals. In 
view of the part which birds are believed to play in the production 
of mimetic resemblances, it is obvious that this inference may be 
highly significant” (p. 868). The writer has tabulated the accept- 
ances and rejections for mammals and birds, including only those 
Lepidoptera which were refused by some species, and the result is 
mammals A 19 R 10, or about 34 per cent. refused, and birds A 112 
R 80, or about 41 per cent. refused. Hardly enough difference to 
warrant the comment quoted. 
A very interesting series of experiments with frogs, lizards, birds, 
and mammals upon a good variety of insects and other inverte- 
brates as subjects were performed by Beddard and Finn at the 
London Zoological Gardens and recorded by the former in his volume 
entitled Animal Coloration (1892, pp. 149-166). Mr. Beddard’s 
principal conclusions are as follows: “It is quite clear from these 
experiments that insects which exhibit warning colors are by no 
means always exempt from attack. The opinions of insect-eating | 
