Half hours with insects . attacksof birds on account of its pungent odor, which is supposedto be disagreeable to them ; hence it is vorj abundant. TiieDisippus butterfly, on the other hand, which is inodorous,is supposed to be mistaken by tlic birds for the Archippus,and thus multiplies in as great numbers as the pattern itcopies. .Such are the opinions of these distinguished writers. It will be noticed that tlie Ileliconidre are regarded byMr. Bates, and in this respect Mr. Trimen agrees with turn, 19 1 gyu HALF HOURS WITH INSECTS. [Packard. as standing at the head of the group of butterflies
Half hours with insects . attacksof birds on account of its pungent odor, which is supposedto be disagreeable to them ; hence it is vorj abundant. TiieDisippus butterfly, on the other hand, which is inodorous,is supposed to be mistaken by tlic birds for the Archippus,and thus multiplies in as great numbers as the pattern itcopies. .Such are the opinions of these distinguished writers. It will be noticed that tlie Ileliconidre are regarded byMr. Bates, and in this respect Mr. Trimen agrees with turn, 19 1 gyu HALF HOURS WITH INSECTS. [Packard. as standing at the head of the group of butterflies, the Papi-lio usually being assigned to this position. Here, then, themimickers are possibly lower in rank than the butterfliesthey mimic. This is certainly the case with the Castnia andthe moths mentioned by Mr. Bates, and bears out our ideathat the mimickers may have been produced in an age ante-rior to the origin of the Heliconidic, and that the causeswhich produced the one perhaps originated the other. The Fig. Limeiiitis Archippus. mimickers created in a former geological period may havebeen preserved by virtue of their resemblance to butterfliesoriginating at a later date. Many of the Bombycid moths are remarkable mimics ofother moths, and this group, with tlie wide gaps in it, maybe compared to the Neuroptera witli their isolated generaand families. I regard the Bombycids as an ancient familyin which time has made many inroads, and the relics whichhave come down to us may have owed their preservationlargely to the protective mimicry of tlie caterpillars anil co-coons to leaves and other objects, and of the moths to othermoths. Assuming, then, that protective mimicry has been an im-puriant lactor in the preservation of species, we will exam- 2 Packard.] INSECTS AS MIMICS. 291 ine a number of cases, some of which are not recorded sofar as the writer is aware, but which any one can see forIiimself in his rambles out of doors. The humble bees are mimicked bj the Apath
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectinsects, bookyear1881
