. The study of animal life . rom Belt.) in which a group of animals in the same habitat, character-ised by a certain type of colour and pattern, are in partspecially protected to an eminent degree (the mimicked), andin part entirely without special protection (the mimickers) ; sothat the latter live entirely upon the reputation of the fact was discovered by Bates in Tropical America(1862), then by Wallace in Tropical Asia and Malaya(1866), and by Trimen in South Africa (i 870); while Kirby,in 1815, referred to the advantage of a certain fly beinglike a bee, and of a certain spider r
. The study of animal life . rom Belt.) in which a group of animals in the same habitat, character-ised by a certain type of colour and pattern, are in partspecially protected to an eminent degree (the mimicked), andin part entirely without special protection (the mimickers) ; sothat the latter live entirely upon the reputation of the fact was discovered by Bates in Tropical America(1862), then by Wallace in Tropical Asia and Malaya(1866), and by Trimen in South Africa (i 870); while Kirby,in 1815, referred to the advantage of a certain fly beinglike a bee, and of a certain spider resembling an ant. 58 TJie Study of Animal Life PART I The constant conditions of mimicry are clearly and terselysummed up by Wallace. They are : — 1. That the imitative species occur in the same area,and occupy the very same station, as the imitated. 2. That the imitators are always the more defenceless. 3. That the imitators are always less numerous inindividuals. 4. That the imitators differ from the bulk of Fig. 10. — Humming-bird moth {^Mncroglossa titan}, and humming-bird{LoJ>honiis GoiiUiii). (From Bates.) 5. That the imitation, however minute, is external andvisible only, never extending to internal characters or tosuch as do not affect the external appearance. Many inedible butterflies are mimicked by others quitedifferent. Many longicorn beetles exactly mimic wasps,bees, or ants. The tiger-beetles are mimicked by moreharmless insects ; the common drone-fly {Eristalis) is likea bee ; spiders are sometimes ant-like. Mr. Bates relatesthat he repeatedly shot humming-bird moths in mistake forhumming-birds. Among Vertebrates genuine mimicry israre, but it is well known that some harmless snakes mimic CHAP. IV Shifts for a Living 59 poisonous species. Thus, the very poisonous coral-snakes{Elaps\ which have very characteristic markings, aremimicked in different localities by several harmless in regard to birds, Mr. Wallace notices that thep
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