302 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



of Amphibia in an evolutionary sense is quite sufficient to account 

 for it. This prompts two reflections : one that we ought to look 

 a long way back for the origins of these protective and mimetic 

 guises ; and the other, that we may reasonably hope to find them. 

 The present attitude of many champions of the cause, who seek 

 to find, or to invent, present factors for producing these pheno- 

 mena, seems fraught with peril for the whole theory ; and with 

 the same weariness and perseverance with which the original 

 promulgators thought out the doctrine, we must go on searching 

 for further proofs, which will necessitate our appealing to the 

 Csesar of the past — the ever-growing science of palaeontology.* 

 In this domain many similar problems still remain unsolved. In 

 the old red sandstone of Scotland are abundant remains of fishes, 

 such as Osteolepis, but the reason why these and so many other 

 ancient creatures were enveloped or armed in coats of mail, or 

 rather the antecedent factors provocative of the evolution, has 

 not yet been discovered. 



In taking leave of these protected Phasmidce we will record 

 two — and only two — testimonies to their imitative deception, one 

 old and the other modern. 



When Pigafetta visited the island of Palawan, he saw many 

 wonders, and described one as follows. There "are found certain 

 trees, the leaves of which when they fall are animated and walk. 

 They are like the leaves of the mulberry tree, but not so long ; 

 they have the leaf-stalk short and pointed, and near the leaf-stalk 

 they have on each side two feet. If they are touched they escape, 

 but if crushed they do not give out blood. I kept one for nine 

 days in a box. When I opened it, the leaf went round the 

 box."t This may be taken as a strong, and, what is more, then 

 unsolicitated, testimony to the efficacy of protective resemblance 

 among insects. Linnaeus, doubtless with the true inwardness in 

 his mind, wrote: — "Anyone who happens to see, in the Indian 



* Among the slow Lemurs or Galagos we find enemies of the Phasmidce. 

 Mr. Lydekker, though not giving his authority, writes: "Some of the 

 smaller species will readily devour Locusts, and the peculiar leaf-like 

 Mantides, or praying insects " (' Royal Nat. Hist.,' vol. i. p. 223) ; but as no 

 fossil lemuroid forms are at present known anterior to tertiary times, these 

 records do not affect our enquiry. 



f " The First Voyage round the World by Magellan " (Hakluyt Society). 



