MIMICRY. 447 



adduced. But an illustration was alone intended. In the present 

 category the records are, however, much more numerous, and 

 considerably more familiar, to all who take an interest in the 

 subject. We are now in the realm of suggestion, and among 

 naturalists who incline to theory there is often much faith. As 

 Lecky has observed, referring to another subject, " Their measure 

 of probability ultimately determines the details of their creed." * 

 Kecently a new suggestion has been made as to " Nocturnal 

 Protective Colouration in Mammalia, Birds, Fishes, Insects, &c, 

 as developed by Natural Selection." The author, Mr. A. E. 

 Verrill, truly remarks that much has been written in respect to 

 the imitative and protective colours of these groups, as seen by 

 daylight, and the bearing of these facts on natural selection is 

 well known. Very little attention has been paid to their colours, 

 as seen by twilight, moonlight, and starlight. Yet it is evident 

 that protection is more needed during the night than in the day- 

 time by a very large number of species. This is the case with 

 those that move about in search of their food at night, as is the 

 habit of numerous forms of small mammals, such as rodents 

 (Eats, Mice, Arvicolse, &c), insectivores (Moles, Shrews, &c), 

 many herbivores, various marsupials, and members of other 

 orders. Many carnivorous species, which seek their prey at 

 night, will also find advantages in such protective colours, for 

 thus they will more easily escape the notice of their prey. Hence 

 many nocturnal carnivores are black or nearly so, as the Mink, 

 Fishes, some Bears, &c. The same principles will apply to 

 birds, reptiles, fishes, and to insects, both in their larval and 

 adult states, for many members of all these groups are very 

 active at night, and hide away in holes or beneath dense herbage 

 by day. . . . Many nocturnal insects that live on the ground are 

 black or dark brown, which are colours that are protective only 



* Charles Kingsley complained: — "Weak and wayward, staggering 

 and slow, are the steps of our fallen race (rapid and triumphant enough in 

 that broad road of theories which leads to intellectual destruction)." (' Glau- 

 cus,' p. 30.) Perhaps Kingsley would have approved of an old and summary 

 method, as described by Gibbon : — " A Locrian who proposed any new law 

 stood forth in the assembly of the people with a cord round his neck, and, if 

 the law was rejected, the innovator was instantly strangled." (' Decline 

 and Fall.') Dr. A. B. Meyer has recently remarked : — " It must be admitted 

 that it is not very difficult to invent pleasing and clever hypotheses, specially 

 convincing to the laity." (' Distribution of the Negritos,' pp. 81-2.) 



