288 
TROPICAL NATURE 
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whole insect is then green or brown, and almost invisible 
among the twigs or foliage. To increase the resemblance to 
vegetation, some of these Phasmas have small green processes 
in various parts of their bodies looking exactly like moss. 
These inhabit damp forests both in the Malay islands and in 
America, and they are so marvellously like moss-grown twigs 
that the closest examination is needed to satisfy oneself that 
it is really a living insect we are looking at. 
Many of the locusts are equally well-disguised, some re- 
sembling green leaves, others those that are brown and dead ; 
and the latter often have small transparent spots on the wings, 
looking like holes eaten through them. That these disguises 
deceive their natural enemies is certain, for otherwise the 
Phasmidse would soon be exterminated. They are large and 
sluggish, and very soft and succulent ; they have no means of 
defence or of flight, and they are eagerly devoured by numbers 
of birds, especially by the numerous cuckoo tribe, whose 
stomachs are often full of them ; yet numbers of them escape 
destruction, and this can only be due to their vegetable 
disguises. Mr. Belt records a curious instance of the actual 
operation of this kind of defence in a leaf -like locust, which 
remained perfectly quiescent in the midst of a host of insecti- 
vorous ants, which ran over it without finding out that it was an 
insect and not a leaf ! It might have flown away from them, 
but it would then instantly have fallen a prey to the numerous 
birds which always accompany these roaming hordes of ants 
to feed upon the insects that endeavour to escape. Far more 
conspicuous than any of these imitative species are the large 
locusts, with rich crimson or blue -and -black spotted wings. 
Some of these are nearly a foot in expanse of wings ; they 
fly by day, and their strong spiny legs probably serve as a 
protection against all the smaller birds. They cannot be 
said to be common ; but when met with they fully satisfy our 
notions as to the large size and gorgeous colours of tropical 
insects . 1 
Beetles 
Considering the enormous numbers and endless variety 
of the beetle tribe that are known to inhabit the tropics, they 
1 It lias now been ascertained that tliese conspicuously coloured locusts are 
protected by inedibility. Bee Darwinism, p. 267. 
