File:Hardwicke's science-gossip - an illustrated medium of interchange and gossip for students and lovers of nature (1867) (14780731044).jpg

Identifier: hardwickesscienc03cook (find matches)
Title: Hardwicke's science-gossip : an illustrated medium of interchange and gossip for students and lovers of nature
Year: 1867 (1860s)
Authors: Cooke, M. C. (Mordecai Cubitt), b. 1825 Taylor, J. E. (John Ellor), 1837-1895
Subjects: Science Natural history
Publisher: London : Robert Hardwicke
Contributing Library: MBLWHOI Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MBLWHOI Library

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to represent an attached leaf. There is a littlescallop or hollow on the margin of the fore wings atthe base, which serves to conceal the head of thebutterfly, which is very small for its size, and thelong antennae are carried back and hidden betweenthe folded wings. When sitting on a twig in themanner described, the insect is to all appearance aperfect dry leaf,—yet it is evident that its chancesof escape would be much increased if it weresurrounded by real dry leaves instead of by greenones; for if, when pursued, it took shelter in agrowing bush, it could hardly fail to be still aconspicuous object. Marvelous to relate, it doespossess the habit of almost invariably entering a bushloaded with dead leaves, and is so instantly lost tosight, owing to its close resemblance to all the sur-rounding objects, that I doubt if the most vigilantfly-catcher could detect it. I have myself oftenbeen utterly puzzled. I have watched it settle, k 2 196 HARDWICKES SCIEN.CE-GO S S IP. (Sept 1, 1867.
Text Appearing After Image:
Fig. 196. Indian Butterflies at rest. apparently in a very conspicuous situation, a fewyards off, but on crawling carefully up to the spothave been quite unable to detect any living thing.Sometimes, while gazing intently, a butterfly wouldstart out from just before my eyes, and again enteranother dead bush a few yards off, again to be lostin the same manner. Once or twice only was I ableto detect it sitting, and admire the wonderful dis-guise which a most strange combination of colour,form, and habits enabled it instantaneously to assume.But there is yet another peculiarity which adds tothe concealment of this species. Scarcely two of thespecimens are alike in colour on the under side,but vary through all the shades of pale buff, yellow,brown, and deep rusty orange which dried leavesassume. Others are speckled over with little blackdots like mildewed leaves, or have clusters of spotsor irregular blotches, like the minute fungi thatattack dead leaves; so that a dozen of these insectsmi

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