128 
, , „ „ l}l0 male and witt the tints of the plnmage duller, the purple gloss on the 
Adult female. Slightly smaller than the male, 
upper parts being scarcely perceptible. 
. i i. i pr i nn +he crown with narrow streaks, on the hind neck with fusi- 
Young. Upper surface blackish brow , J qllil l S and tail-feathers blackish brown, barred 
fonn and on the back with rounded ^In-brown ; on each side of the throat two 
and tipped with fulvous Wn. 1 bofl liroad shaft-lines of dusky black; under tail- 
^^^^“/with marks of the same colour in the form of an inverted V. Bill 
yellowish brown ; tarsi and toes greenish yellow. 
, • p-UcvmraKIp both in the gi’o mid- tints and in the markings 
Obs. In examples of the young birds muc i 1 1 erence is the upper surface pale rufous 
of the plumage. Some are much darker than others and have^tlm P ^ ^ ^ ^ markings ou 
instead of fulvous yellow ; m others, again, iey are y adult , although not so regular in 
the tail-feathers very obscure, while in others they are as distinct as 
form 
Note . — There * , — *— * - — ^ 
resemblance. It is developed chiefly among insects, and pai ticn ar j , , reJem ble. a dead leal ns almost 
his enchanting book on the ■ Malay Arch, pelage,' tl , t cJtly repre-.ts a slightly enrved or 
to defy detection. The varied detail, of clearing c.mbine » Mrf », ,ho„ on the wing. The flight 
shriveUed leaf a. to render the bntterfly quite safe tom “» ^ ^ pIotot itsc lf. Mr. Wallace adds that in 
of the insect, on the other hand, is so vigorous and rap, t ^ ^ rescmbUng t]le way in which minnte fungi 
many specimens there occur patches and spots, tonne n on tlic butterflies themselves ! This protective imita- 
grow on leaves that it is impossible not to ibeheve > a ^ existenoe) and may 0 f itself he sufficient to save it from extinc- 
tion must obviously favour the species m t e g , ** ingect would , on discovery, he eagerly devoured, assumes for 
tion. But there is another kind of “ mimicry, w insect notoriously distasteful to birds and reptiles, and often 
similar protective purposes a close resemblance o mi „ht be given in illustration of this singular fact, every 
belonging to a totally different family or ordmx nm e ^ ^ ^ ^ being explainable on the principle of variation 
department furnishing examples of adapt. at o ^ ^ Wallac6) w hen exploring in the Moluccas, was the first to discover 
under natural selection or the “ snrviva o ‘ ‘ q£ tective colouring bad long been known to exist m the case of 
similar instances of mimicry among birds, alt ■ .lance eo-existin- with very important structural differences, 
birds’ eggs. He gives two very curious examples of external arrang Ln t . In one of these a Honey- 
rendering it impossible to place the model and t e copy neareae They fc d ■ gome advan t ag e from 
sucker has its colours mimicked by a species of Onole and the reaso i “ ‘ ^ u> Now , the Tropidorhynchi 
the imitation, and as they are certainly weak bir s, with smal feet mid claws, they^ ^ ^ ^ ^ together in 
are very' strong and active birds, having power u grasping c ’ c ” n heard at a great distance, and serves to collect 
groups and small flocks, and they have a very loud, aw mg no , ioug) f reqlle ntly driving away crows and even 
a number together in time of danger. They are very p en i u an ° tberefore! that the smaller birds of prey 
hawks, which perch on a tree where a few of t em are assem e . V for the weaker and less courageous 
have learnt to respect these ^ Yariation and Survival of the fittest will suffice to explain 
Mimetas to he mistaken tor them. ° ’ . actioll 0 n the part of the birds themselves ; and 
, uiiTinA Pas been brought about, without supposing any voluntary action on me pa 
how the resemblance has f Q ; . of Species > will have no difficulty in comprehending the whole process. 
those who have read Mr. Darn 8^ ^ attracted notice, the English Cuckoo (Cuculus c anorus) is supposed to derive 
Among the many nn«ta q{ ^ Sparrw W (Accipiter nisus) ; hut the resemblance is far more 
protection from the Nort h-American species of Hawk (Meeker caaperi). in fully adult speermen 
striking between markings of the plumage arc very pronounced, while the peculiar form of the buffi 
of the former it will be observed that the ma B ^ . Beyond tbe general grouping of the colours there is 
itself distinguishes it very readily from all oth ^ ^ ^ protoetive r68emblance is 8U fficiently manifest from the 
nothing to remind us of our own Bush-Haw , ^ Tui wHeh is timorous enough in the presence of a Hawk, 
fact that onr Cuckoo is persecuted on every possi e o . . ’ Zoological Museum at Erankfort what appeared 
During a trip, however, on the Continent in the autumn of 18H, I found in t ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 
to be the accipitrme model, m a very striking i ents rtg ^ the arrow _ he ad bars on the femoral plumes are exactly 
Sparrow-Hawk, but the tear-shaped markings cm l beautifully banded tail and marginal wing-coverts, and likewise 
The»emU„ r ..c«„,flsUlf»a » ^ ^ to Mr . Sharpe’s fa.riptio. .f th. «,o»ng 
in the distribution of colours and mar nngs on e s . British Museum (p. 137), it will be seen how many of the terms 
male” of this species in his Catalogue of the Accipitres in the British Museum IP th 
