308 Mimetic Analogy. 



of broken lichen- covered twig, the end of which is simu- 

 lated by the tips of its closed wings. 



Nor is the imitation of natural objects confined to a few 

 species : it has been noticed in entire groups, and even in the 

 whole insect fauna of a country at particular seasons. In an 

 interesting note on the autumnal and winter moths of England, 

 published in the Zoologist for 1856, the Rev. Joseph Greene, 

 one of our most accurate entomological observers, writes : — 



' ' I am not aware whether any entomologist has ever been 

 struck by the singular adaptation and similarity of colouring 

 in the autumnal and winter Lepidoptera to the prevailing tints 

 of nature during these seasons. Counting from the middle of 

 September, when the leaves begin to turn, to the end of 

 February, we find among the Bombyces, Noctuse, and Geome- 

 tras, about fifty-eight species on the wing. Now in the autumn 

 the hue of nature is golden — she passes through all the inter- 

 mediate stages from pale yellow to a deep rich brown; while in 

 winter she assumes a grey or silvery garb. Taking those 

 fifty- eight species, we find in their prevailing colours a striking 

 and remarkable similarity to those which nature assumes at the 

 time of their appearance in a winged state. Three species are 

 doubtful, seven militate against my theory, the remainder are 

 decidedly in my favour/' 



The writer then proceeds to enumerate the autumnal spe- 

 cies, which are yellow or rich brown, and the winter species, 

 which are grey or silvery, and concludes : — " It certainly 

 strikes me as a very interesting fact, showing the hand of an 

 Almighty and Allwise Being to be visible in this as in all the 

 other works of the Creation." 



It must not be imagined that these imitations are confined 

 to the invertebrate animals or the lower forms of life. Among 

 the warm-blooded vertebrata the examples of mimetic analogy 

 are not wanting. Thus the grey-banded cuckoos so closely 

 resemble hawks, both in appearance and flight, that the}'" are 

 constantly mistaken for them in all parts of the world, and tins 

 not only by the natives, but by the smaller birds of the several 

 countries. 



One of the most amusing instances of this close similarity 

 of birds of very different groups is related by Mr. G. S. Taylor 

 in his account of the " Birds of Honduras," published in the 

 Ibis. Describing a large hawk, he writes: — ■ 



"I call it the ' Curassow Hawk' [IbycU r ami ricawm), from 

 its resemblance to the curassows, and to commemorate the fol- 

 lowing adventure: — While at Tauleri I was out one evening 

 with my gun, and was returning borne with a small ferogon 

 which I had shot, when I met Mr. Edwards, who pointed out 

 to me some largo birds sitting on a tree, which lie said were 



