. Nature-study; a manual for teachers and students. Nature study. INSECTS, HARMFUL, AND OTHERWISE 245 One day I found on some goldenrods what I look to be a new kind of bee. It was a beautiful, gold-banded insect, and I wanted it for my collection. So I captured several in my cyanide bottle, taking good care not to be stung. Later, on closer examination, I found that this was not a bee at all, but a harmless flv which had put on the dress of a bee, probably to make other crea- tures think that it, like the bees, carried a dangerous, concealed weapon. It was one of the Bee-flies. It is not inte
. Nature-study; a manual for teachers and students. Nature study. INSECTS, HARMFUL, AND OTHERWISE 245 One day I found on some goldenrods what I look to be a new kind of bee. It was a beautiful, gold-banded insect, and I wanted it for my collection. So I captured several in my cyanide bottle, taking good care not to be stung. Later, on closer examination, I found that this was not a bee at all, but a harmless flv which had put on the dress of a bee, probably to make other crea- tures think that it, like the bees, carried a dangerous, concealed weapon. It was one of the Bee-flies. It is not intended to in- timate here that these pro- tective colors and forms were brought about con- sciously by the insects them- selves, as if they made an eft'ort to develop along these lines. It is certainly a fact, however, that they avail themselves of these protective devices. How these advantageous characteristics arose is difhcult to say. They did arise, however, in the course of evolution in each case, and then the law of natural selection operated and, in the struggle for existence, the forms not so well adapted disappeared and the fittest survived. Those that were pro- tectively colored or shaped to resemble twigs, leaves, dan- gerous creatures, etc., were the ones most likely to Fig. Protective Coloration of a Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Holtz, Frederick Leopold, 1870-. New York, C. Scribner's Sons
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