. The animans and man; an elementary textbook of zoology and human physiology. COLORS AND MARKINGS OF ANIMALS 447 The common large red-brown monarch, or milkweed butter-fly (fig. 233), is a conspicuous object whether in flight oralighted on some flower or branch. But the birds do notattack it; and for the reason that it contains, as has beenproved, an ill-tasting fluid which makes it a very disagree-able mouthful for them. Now it is apparently so brightly. FIG. 233. The monarch butterfly, Anosia plexippus (above), distastefulto birds, and the viceroy, Basilarchia archippus (below), which mimic
. The animans and man; an elementary textbook of zoology and human physiology. COLORS AND MARKINGS OF ANIMALS 447 The common large red-brown monarch, or milkweed butter-fly (fig. 233), is a conspicuous object whether in flight oralighted on some flower or branch. But the birds do notattack it; and for the reason that it contains, as has beenproved, an ill-tasting fluid which makes it a very disagree-able mouthful for them. Now it is apparently so brightly. FIG. 233. The monarch butterfly, Anosia plexippus (above), distastefulto birds, and the viceroy, Basilarchia archippus (below), which mimicsit. (Natural size.) colored that the birds generally recognize it before actuallynipping it, and thus it often escapes with its life—for tobe nipped is death to a butterfly. Other conspicuouslymarked butterflies and insects and some other forms, inparticular a famous little blue and red frog of Nicaragua,are thought to be so marked for a similar reason. They areeasily recognized as animals having a bad taste and so are 448 THE ANIMALS AND MAN generally let alone. Accordingly naturalists believe thatconspicuous color and markings often advertise some disa-greeable quality or some special means of defense in theanimal bearing them and thus ward off its enemies.
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