WAENING COLORATION. 153 



others, has been tested from this point of view by Mr. 

 Poulton. These experiments show a very complete series of 

 transitions between conspicuously-coloured caterpillars that are 

 disregarded by all foes, and conspicuously-coloured caterpillars 

 that are always eaten with avidity. 



Some Experiments upon the Palatability of Various Animals. 



The following experiments were conducted during last 

 summer at the Zoological Society's Gardens by Mr. Frank 

 Finn and myself. The larva of Acronycta psi — the common 

 Dagger moth — a brightly-coloured larva, was left untouched 

 by a rose-coloured Pastor, but immediately afterwards seized 

 and struggled for by two common thrushes ; the issue of the 

 struggle was not witnessed, but it must have gone hard with 

 the caterpillar. A specimen was eaten by a green lizard. 

 A wasp-like fly (Si/rp/ms) was eaten, though with no great 

 relish, by a Bramble finch. A drone of Bombus lapidarius 

 was refused by a Golden plover, but tried at, though missed, 

 by a Troupial. A drone-fly {Eristalis tenax), which presents 

 so remarkable a likeness to a bee, was seized and dropped by 

 a thrush ; and then was tried and refused, as if unpalatable, by 

 an Australian plover ; a third was entirely disregarded by a 

 rose-coloured Pastor. An Australian crow was offered one, 

 which it took and carefully pinched with the tip of the bill 

 before eating. Marmosets seemed afraid of it ; but in some 

 cases they soon found out the deception, and ate the insect 

 greedily. A blue jaj {Cijanocitta cyanopogon) ate an Eristalis 

 without making any fuss about it ; and this bee-like fly was 

 taken without hesitation and eaten with relish by a chameleon, 

 green lizard, and sand skink. The sand skink, indeed, 

 snatched one from a specimen of Zonurus cordylus, which had 

 already commenced to eat it. Toads, of course, will eat this fly ; 



