346 Mr. H. Donisthorpe on 



laborious and difficult. I have no doubt tbat many more 

 cases than those recorded in the present paper could be noted 

 and verified in our British list, if collectors would look out 

 for them ; for every worker must meet with some special 

 individual experience in the field. There are a certain 

 number of cases in this paper which I bring forward with 

 all due diffidence in the hope that experimental proof may 

 be obtained. We require many more carefully devised 

 experiments on the edibility or distastefulness of numerous 

 species. I do not consider experiments with foreign birds 

 in confinement a very satisfactory test, since first they are 

 accustomed to be fed and expect to eat everything that is 

 given to them, and secondly, they could never have seen a 

 British insect in nature, and so would be inclined to attack 

 it out of curiosity. Furthermore, being insectivorous and 

 yet not regularly supplied with insect food or with a very 

 monotonous insect diet they are likely to be less dis- 

 criminating than in the wild state. Nevertheless they 

 present certain points of special interest ; for we can 

 watch the effect of a new experience and test the efficiency 

 of memory. I have used the terms " procryptic, " " apose- 

 matic," etc., brought forward by Professor Poulton in his 

 book on the colours of animals, to classify the species 

 mentioned, and have followed, for convenience, the order 

 adopted by Dr. Sharp and Canon Fowler in their 1893 

 catalogue of the British Coleoptera. 



I wish to express my thanks to all those friends, particu- 

 larly Mr. W. Holland, of the Hope Department, Oxford 

 University Museum, who have supplied me with material 

 and helped me in this paper ; but above all to Professor 

 Poulton for his advice, help, and great kindness in assisting 

 me in any difficulty. 



Cakabim;. 



Carabus. 



I would suggest that the black colour of some of the 

 large dark-coloured species of Carabus such as G. violaceus, 

 L., C. catenulatus, Scop., etc., is aposematic. I have no 

 doubt that they are more or less distasteful as they possess 

 a strong and most unpleasant smell, and have the power 

 to discharge an acrid fluid. I remember picking up a 

 specimen of G. violaceus on the Deal sand-hills .which 

 shot this fluid into my eye, causing considerable pain. 

 Professor Poulton points out that some African Carabid/v 



