The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-08

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noted butterfly here that was not
only remarkable mimic, but when
followed, it initiated the peculiar
fight of poisonous butterfly that
was obnoxious to the birds.
In almost every group of insects
we find this protective resemblance,
and those among the walking sticks
and walking leaves are the most won
derful. In the latter we have an ex-
ample of an insect SO exactly resemb-
ling green leaf that it would bear
close examination without discovery
The insect looks as though it might
have been made up from several
pieces of leaves. They are of vivid
green with delicate leaves, exactly as
one finds in leaf.
While the Phyllium resembles a
leaf, the Phasmida is mimic of a
twig or branch. The long straight
body is a perfect stick, the legs re-
sembling twigs branching from it,
and when walking they move in so
deliberate manner that even then
the illusion is not destroyed. A
South American walking stick is
veritable giant, almost a foot in
length. These are green, resembling
young shoots, and are found among
green verdure; but one observed by
Bolt, the English naturalist, was a
perfect mimic of a dead twig, and
had upon its sides and legs curious
excrescences that mimicked fungous
growths, 80 that the bird who had
seen it moving would consider it
it nothing but dried twig.
The curious insects known as the
mantis are remarkable for their pow
ers of mimicry. Their movements
are slow; their DO lies and legs re-
semble twigs, and they are by this
disguise enabled to creep upon their
prey. One species has been known
to seize and eat small birds, who
thinking it bit of the branch so fall
into its clutches. Perhaps the most
remarkable mimic among these in
sects is pink mantis of India, that
is almost exact in its resemblance to
an orchid. The object here is evil
IDENTIFY to capture insects that alight
on it by mistake.
Many insects protect their eggs or
young by unconscious mimicry. This
is true of the egg cases of many in
sects. Those of the mantis resemble
in tint the immediate objects; while
a South American moth, in the cat
erpillar form, makes a lattice work
cocoon that resembles a seed.
Many of the spiders are mimics. In
my garden | had yellow spiders that
lived in the flowers of yellow nastur-
tiums; green ones that offered little
contrast to the rosebush upon which
they lay in wait for the helpless aph
id9.
The most extraordinary attempt at
defence it was ever my good fortune
to observe on the part of spider.
was one in which the insect not only
disguised, but rendered itself com
pletely invisible. I was wandering
through the bog cedar bush of one of
the Florida Keys, sixty miles from
Cuba, when came upon huge web
that completely barred the way; the
long cables extended as braces in
every direction, while in the center
poised big yellow spider. The mo-
ment it caught sight of me it began
to swing the web, first slowly, then
more rapidly, until in short time the
spider had disappeared from view,
although not foot from my eyes; it
was simply vibrating in its web, but
SO rapidly that my eyes could not
follow it. In a few moments the
motion gradually ceased, and as
l remained perfectly quiet, the spi
der assumed its normal position,
beginning the swinging when |
touched the web. Such device
would completely deceive bird.
may not inaptly refer to the
mimicry of the crabs, which with the
insects constitute great branch of
the animal kingdom, and are, popu
larly speaking, the insects of the sea.
1t is equally as essential that they
should be protected from the various
predatory fishes, and ia almost every
instance they resemble to some ex
tent their surroundings, and in sew
eral instances deliberately disguise
themselves. On the coral keys of the
tropics | have seen crabs come out of
their dens of sand and eye me as l
lay there watching them; but these
spectral fellows were almost invisible
even few feet away, 80 white were