File:Birds and nature (1904) (14751414462).jpg

Identifier: birdsnature161904chic (find matches)
Title: Birds and nature
Year: 1900 (1900s)
Authors:
Subjects: Birds Natural history
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : A.W. Mumford, Publisher
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Institution Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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tches offungus growths so frequently seen onleaves. When resting, the leaf-butterfliesstand upon a twig in such a manner thatthe tail of the closed wings rests upona twig and forms a stalk for the imita-tion leaf. There are many other instances ofmimicry among the Butterflies, but spacewill not permit of their consideration atthis time. Mimicry is also found in near-ly all classes of animals. It occurs amonglizards and snakes and even amongthe snails. The mimicry may not onlybe the copying of form and color mark-ings, but it may also be an imitation ofhabits as well. As a rule, the female Butterflies aremuch duller in color than are the males.Dr. Darwin has claimed that the devel-opment of the more brilliant colors ofthe male is due to sexual selection, be-cause, as he says, several males may beseen pursuing the same female. Hesuggests that the female selects the mostbrightly colored, thus ignoring plainermales which have gradually disappeared.The duller colors of the female have, 122
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1Q1 Papilio asterias. ■Lol Catopsilia philea. Papilio ajax. BUTTERFLIES.—Nearly Life-size—Second Series, copyright hoo, by a. w. mumford, ch.casGrapta comma. Papilio rutulus. . Papilio lycimenus.Papilio macrosilaus. without doubt, been acquired for the pur-pose of greater protection. This protec-tion is needed because they are usuallyof slower flight than the males and be-cause several days are frequently re-quired for the deposition of the eggs.The usefulness of the life of the malepasses away just as soon as the eggs areimpregnated. While Butterflies are distributed allover the globe, they are much more nu-merous and, by far, more brilliantly col-ored in tropical regions. Within onehours walk of Para in Brazil, Batesfound no fewer than 700 species. But-terflies are frequently quite gregariousand fly in very large flocks. At one placein South America, Bates says that he ob-served about eighty species in one flock,consisting of an enormous number of in-dividuals flying in the su

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