536 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



CONSCIOUS PROTECTIVE RESEMBLANCE. 



By Guy A. K. Marshall, F.Z.S. 



In the second portion of his " Biological Suggestions " (Zool. 

 (1899) pp. 289, 341, 443, 529 ; (1900) p. 116), Mr. Distant has dealt 

 at some length with the phenomena of animal colouration, generally 

 described under the terms of Protective and Aggressive Resemblance. 

 It is not altogether obvious why these phenomena should have been 

 ranked by him under the term Mimicry. I am aware that this latter 

 word, as first used by Kirby and Spence at the beginning of the 

 century, included all cases of resemblance of what kind soever ; but 

 seeing that, with our increasing knowledge of the subject, students of 

 animal colouration have found it both useful and advisable to dis- 

 criminate between resemblance in order to attract attention (Mimicry) 

 and resemblance in order to obtain concealment (Protective and 

 Aggressive Resemblance), there seems to be no sufficient reason why 

 we should revert to an earlier and less exact definition, which is only 

 apt to cause confusion. 1 {These numerals refer to some concluding notes 

 by Prof. Poulton.) In his review of the matter, Mr. Distant has 

 brought together a large number of interesting facts and observations 

 bearing on the subject of general and special resemblance (a distinc- 

 tion, however, which he overlooks), containing examples from all 

 classes of animal life. A consideration of these facts has led him to 

 offer the suggestion that " animals of their own volition, and in their 

 efforts to avoid their enemies, place themselves where possible in such 

 adaptation to their surroundings, that protective resemblance and some 

 forms of mimicry are due to animal intelligence, and not so entirely 

 to what is generally understood as the unconscious process of natural 

 selection" (I.e. 1899, p. 465). It is proposed to designate this 

 conscious action by the somewhat unsatisfactory name of " active 

 mimicry" ;* it seems doubtful whether any special name is really 

 required for this process, but, if it be so, I would suggest that " con- 

 scious resemblance " is more suitable and more in conformity with the 

 recognised terminology.! 



* The term "active" was not invented, but adopted from Kirby and 

 Spence (c/. 1899, p. 464).— Ed. 



| "Conscious mimicry" was also a term stated to have been proposed 

 by Prof. Henslow (cf. ib. p. 465). — Ed. 



