540 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



would eventual!} 7 supersede those whose instincts were not so well in 

 harmony with their colouration. On the other hand, for the suggestion 

 of " active mimicry," it is contended that the actions of these insects are 

 apparently so purposive that it is difficult to believe that they are not 

 due to "conscious volition " on their part ; and, in support of this conten- 

 tion, a large number of other similar cases are adduced, all, be it noted, 

 equally, or more fully, I consider, explicable on the theory of natural 

 selection. But when we stop to enquire why, or how, these butterflies 

 have developed this peculiar colouration, the supporters of the suggestion 

 of " active mimicry " can vouchsafe us no reply. According to this 

 suggestion, the tiger selects the bamboo-thicket, the leopard the leafy 

 forest, and the lion the open veldt, simply because they have individu- 

 ally discovered, by their own reasoning powers, that these respective 

 localities are best suited to their particular styles of colouration ;* and 

 the question why one is striped, another spotted, and the third uni- 

 colourous, reverts to an open problem. Thus all the beautiful explana- 

 tions of adaptive colouring, afforded us by Darwin's grand conception, 

 are to be thrown to the winds if "active mimicry" be logically 

 applied. 



It will be thus seen that it is only among the most generalised types 

 of resemblance that we may seek for signs of conscious adaptation, as 

 opposed to quasi-mechanical instincts. But even here the foregoing 

 objection also applies, though with less force, since the contention of 

 coincidence may be put forward in some cases, as indicated by Mr. 

 Romanes. But it must be borne in mind that this contention is 

 nothing but an argument from ignorance, and, as such, is not scientific- 

 ally permissible where any other reasonable and adequate explanation 

 can be advanced. The mere citation of a number of instances of 

 protective colouring, however purposive the actions of the animals may 

 appear, are in themselves no proof of conscious resemblance ; neither 

 do they in any way weaken the theory of natural selection in this 

 regard ; for this theory not only consistently explains the reasons for, 

 and the development of, the colouration, but also accounts for that very 

 purposiveness upon the occurrence of which the former proposition is 

 alone based. Again, in the case of special resemblances, if it be con- 

 ceded, as a result of the arguments adduced above, that both the 

 morphological and psychological characters have been contemporane- 

 ously perfected through the mechanical action of natural selection (and 

 in fact the structural peculiarities cannot well be explained on this 

 principle without the instincts), then this alone would form strong 



* This is an apparent inference to Mr. Marshall, but no statement of the 

 kind appears in the suggestions criticised. — Ed. 



