212 ANIMAL COLORATION. 



delicate in their taste than lizards, came the uecessitv for 

 warning coloration and its concomitant mimicry. If we believe 

 thatmimicry is a comparatively new phenomenon, it is reasonable 

 also to believe that it is still developing under our eyes. 



A closer resemblance still is shown between the Common 

 Blues {Lycmna argus and L. agestis — in the case of the former 

 species the female only) — and the type of coloration shown by 

 some of the " Ringlets " (//. cassiope, for instance). 



The " Merveil du Jour " (Agriopis aprilina) closely re- 

 sembles the " Scarce Merveil du Jour " {JDiphthera orion). It 

 is no doubt a matter of oi^inion, but I should be inclined to 

 regard this likeness as being quite as close as that between a 

 species of Papilio, and a species of Dang-is figured by Mr. 

 Poulton.* The very names of these two moths imply a 

 likeness, and yet they appear in different months ! 



This particular case might be, doubtless, explained by sup- 

 posing that the two insects have been coloured after one 

 pattern, the model being afforded by a green lichen ; their 

 resemblances to each other would be thus due to their re- 

 semblance to a common object. Certain recognised cases of 

 mimicry may possibly be explicable in an analogous way. 



Difficulty of distinguishing: between Mimicry and Warning 

 Coloration. 



It has been pointed out that the Danaidse, themselves an 

 uneatable race of butterflies and models for mimicry, resemble 

 in South America the uneatable Heliconidaj ; some of the 

 Danaidte of that country are spoken of as Helicouoid Danaida3 

 on that account. This, it is believed, is not a case of true 

 mimicry ; it would not fulfil any of the conditions (p. 206) of 

 true mimicry. The resemblance is supposed rather to be like 

 * " The Colours of Animals," Plate I. 



