WARNING COLORS, WITH EXAMPLES 



161 



initial illustration, its wings were nearly closed, and its beautiful 

 dark, rosaceous, and purplish colors blended with the back- 

 ground of dead lea\es which had accumulated on the forest bed 

 from i)ast years, and were of the same color as the moth. 



When I discovered this moth the first question was: Why 

 does this moth hang in the forest in a spot so wisely chosen ? 

 Is this peculiar attitude of benefit in concealing its body from 

 the eye of some animal ? These ciuestions would jierliaps be 

 the first ones asked. But let us examine a little further. At 

 rest, the moth may be mistaken for a dead leaf, Init aside from 



The Aufomeris io Moth with -spread i.i:ing-^\ cxhihit'uuj the 

 large eye-like spots on the lower irings when disiiirbecl. 



this protective resemblance there is another feature relative 

 to the coloring, which is exposed only on molesting the insect. 

 In the position above described the insect acted quite indifferent 

 to my approach; in fact appeared rather sluggish. The upper 

 wings overlapped the underwings, almost completely co\ering 

 the latter. The insect hung motionless or moved only as the 

 wind swayed it back and forth. 



But now came a revelation. A touch of my fingers was 

 sufEcient to cause its upper wings to spread slowly apart, 

 exposing a most conspicuous and beautiful pair of large eye- 

 like spots, one on each side of the underwings. These large 

 spots are ringed with black; they are blue within and each one 



