ANIMAL COLOURING 
225 
the ingenious speculations of Mr. Stoltzman and 
Dr. Eisig, neither of which have yet found their way 
into works of a popular character ; and he gives an 
account of numerous and careful experiments made 
at the Zoo, with insects of brilliant colouring and 
reputed evil flavour, as food for birds and reptiles. 
No care or pains was omitted to get at the truth of 
these supposed instances of warning colouring. No 
augurs, with the purest motives to guide their inter- 
pretation of the omens, ever watched the feeding of 
the sacred chickens in the Capitol with a more ardent 
desire to mark the real appetite of the prophetic fowls, 
than did Mr. Beddard and his predecessors, in ob- 
serving the practical results of “ warning coloration ” 
when making trial of the birds at the Zoo. But 
the list of experiments does not give any clear line 
of refusal or acceptance between the “ protectively 
coloured” insects and their more sober relations, and 
Mr. Beddard’s conclusion is that “the experiments 
which have been made might be taken to prove any- 
thing.” That is, so far, disappointing. But it is 
probable that with time and patience a body of 
evidence will be accumulated which will throw more 
light on the vexed question of the palatability of 
these gaudy insects or reptiles. Meantime, the dis- 
coveries of Dr. Eisig, to which Mr. Beddard intro- 
duces us, throw light on the question from a different 
point of view. If his surmises are confirmed, the 
fact will be additional evidence in favour of that 
minute and laborious specialization which so often 
Q 
