20 
ABERRATION 
destroyed, and the survivors, owing to their obliterative 
coloration, would perpetuate their kind. 
There are endless natural objects mimicked by insects in 
their various stages ; to name a few : the bark of trees, twigs, 
fallen leaves, flowers, seeds, moss, lichens, stones, fragments 
of rock and lumps of earth. Mimicry in some kinds is much 
more perfected than in others, rendering the disguise more 
or less complete. What strikes the observer most vividly is 
the sense displayed by certain species in making their selection 
of the particular object for their resting place one that they 
most closely resemble ; in many instances it is an object 
that harmonises with their own appearance to a very remark¬ 
able degree. Whatever the sense may be, there appears no 
doubt that it is equivalent to intelligence or some form of 
reasoning power. In the course of a long life spent in 
observing the ways of our butterflies and moths, I have had 
ample opportunities of watching a large number of species 
carefully selecting roosting sites for the night, and during 
dull and stormy weather. Apparently, they will not settle 
for good unless the spot exactly appeals to them as a suitable 
site. On a great number of occasions I have seen certain 
butterflies alight over and over again on certain things, but 
not until they have found precisely what they require have 
they finally settled down for their rest. Thus they clearly 
demonstrate the care taken in the selection of a particular 
site for their safety during rest. Reference is made in the 
text to many instances relating to the various species. 
Obviously, there are certain natural forces which influence 
the production of aberrations of many species, for without 
any apparent cause they suddenly appear in large numbers 
after an almost complete absence over a period of many 
successive years. From some mysterious cause (probably 
climatic) there suddenly occurred in the year 1881 a remark¬ 
able abundance of many species of aberrant colouring and 
markings; these were particularly common in the New 
Forest. After that year, the occurrence of specimens was 
normal and all aberration again scarce, and remained so until 
1896, when about three dozen aberrations of the White 
Admiral were captured in the Forest, while other species 
remained normal. Then another period of twenty-two years 
