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THE AMEBIC AN NATURALIST [Vol. LI 



agree that the results of the experiments support his 

 hypothesis, whose application has meanwhile been greatly 

 extended. But the spirit in which the observed facts are 

 interpreted precludes all possibility of the main inference 

 drawn from them being seriously considered by any un- 

 prejudiced critic who examines the argument. 



If a dull-colored insect be eaten, this is held by impli- 

 cation to lend strong support to the hypothesis of warn- 

 ing coloration; for palatable insects must be inconspic- 

 uous or be destroyed. If, upon the contrary, such an insect 

 be rejected, its distastefulness may be a useless character, 

 an accident of metabolism, or vestigial, or may be related 

 to functional distastefulness in preceding stages of the 

 life history; in any ease '4t must be remembered that an 

 unplea>aiir attiilnite nmst always appear in advance of 

 the waiiiiii.i;- coloriiiu, so the result is not inconsistent 

 with WaHace's suggestion. Again, if a bright-colored 

 insect be rejected, this accords with his contention; and 

 finally, if such a one be accepted, experimenters are prone 

 to agree with J. Jenner Weir^^ who writes : 



But I am by no means inclined to attach undue importance to this 

 fact, because the birds, being in a state of confinement, might readily 

 be expected to eat insects, which in a state of nature, with a less lim- 



' to review these experiments in detail 

 and to attein])t to evaluate them, for this has already been 

 done thoroughly by McAtee,^^' who shows their utter futil- 

 itv l)y eompariuo- tyjVical observations upon caged birds 

 with the facts revealed by analysis of the stomach con- 

 tent- oi wihl spoeuneiis of the species experimented upon. 

 KcMi'ai'ding infoi-niatioTi from sueh sources as that last- 

 mentioned he wnte< : 



