MIMICRY, WITH EXAMPLES 



133 



it will be seen, first, that the Syrphus flies play an important 

 role in the pollination of flowers; second, that they are among 

 the most graceful of our flower frequenters; third, that evolution 

 is thought to have wrought among their numbers perfect 

 mimickers of insects. As mimicry becomes more thoroughly 

 studied in our fauna many new examples will doubtless come 

 to Hght. There are known at present a number of forms of 

 flies, butterflies, moths, as well as other insects and spiders, 

 that mimic other forms occupying the same district or area. 

 One not infrequently finds flies mimicking bees, such as I have 

 previously pointed out in this article; spiders resembling ants, 

 and moths resembling wasps. " It is impossible," says Romanes, 

 " to imagine stronger evidence in favor of natural selection as a 

 true cause in nature, than is furnished by this culminating 

 fact in the matter of protective resemblance, whereby it is 

 shown that a species of a genus, family, or even order, will 

 accurately mimic the appearance of a species belonging to 

 another genus, family, or order, so as to deceive its natural 

 enemies into mistaking it for a creature of so totally different 

 a kind." 



The Viceroy Butterfly, showing the 



underside of the wings, which 



resemble the markings of 



the Monarch s-pedes. 



