Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1895-03-01
MIMICRY OF INSECTS.
ODD DISCUSSES SOME OF THEM ADOPT
FOR SELF DEFENSE.
butterflies That Look Like Leaves. Moths
That Mimic Wood and stone and Insccts
That Can Appear Like Dead Twigs-Ths
FAkir In India.


Fakir In India.
In wandering through one Of the pictur-
esaue canyons OF the Sierra Madrs noun
sains one day / noticed coming down
through the air with peculiar motion a
green leaf II zigzaggcd from side To
side and finally landed In bush near nc
hand Wondering merely why such leaf
would fall from spruce tree, l would
have passed on had not my dog, with more
presciencc, stopped and nosed tho leaf,
telling mo, after his fashion, 10 look. This
| did and found this green object that had
come scurrying down was not a leaf ut
all, but "a great green katydid, with gau2e-
like wings, protected by covers that We're
80 exact in their imitation OF other leaves
In general that any one would have been
deceived.
The insect was natural mimic and
even its flight downward from tho troe
was protective one, calculated 10 deceive
any feathercd enemy that might have
been in :ho vicinity. This phase OF animal
life, the feature Of protective rcscmblancos,
Is one well calculated To attract our atten-
ton and cause unccasing wondermeDt.
Nature has wisely endowed certain de-
fensclcss animals with certain protect
i've rosemblanco-mado them mimics OF
their surroundings, So that they may avoid
their encmics-and the extent 20 which
this is carried among certain animals,
especially insects makes the study ono OF
absorbing interest.
In all lifu there Is n certain adaptation
70 its peculiar surroundings. Gsily tinted
birds arc not, as "a rule, found on white,
sandy wastes, but in forests where there Ia
deep coloring and the contrast is not great.
The tawny lion, the giraffe, the ostrich,
arc forms which assnilatc their surround
ings. In California the horned toad is al
most rs invisible as the sand in which 10
lives \ little canyon toad mimics the
rocks upon which II rests In color, while
the frogs If the east are hardly distin-
guishable from the green reeds among
which they hide.
This peculiar method Of defense Is psrtio-
ularly marked among insects. Some years
ago a.traveling fakir stopped at n bunga-
low in India and offered for small sum
20 show the guests of the sahib. who were
new in India, "a miracle Told TO go ahoad
he produced n small tree with leaves about
inches long, which he thrust into the
ground, then took from large box car.
ried by an attendant dozen butterflies OF
great beauty. After The guests had ex-
amined them and assured themselves that
the insects were alive, the fakir tossed
them one by one into the air. Each aliRht-
ed on the tree and became invisible. When
all had disappeared the fakir asked the
sahib To look for them. The Englishman
examined the tree carefully, but failed 10
find the dozen butterflies each OF which
was four inches across They had all heard
of tho Indian hypnotism, and thought
that this possibly was an instance In hand
but the laughing fakir caught up tho tree
and, giving IL a shake, the insects floatcd
In the air for a moment, and then gath
cred about the tree, again to mystcriously
disappear.
The fakir then pointed ont tho illusion
The butterflies were not foot from their
eyes ana 81 mimicked the leaves when
their wings were folded that the deception
was perfect, both in color and shape
There wero even the delicate mold spots
the central or midrih Of the leaf and the
delicate lateral branches from It. while the
stem Of the leaf was closely initiated by
the lower portion Of tho wings, which
were pressed against the stem. This min
iC, known to science AS kallina, ~ followed
by "a bird simply alights on bush or tree
and becomes invisible, and the fahir had
simply taken advantage Of the natural
protection of the butterfly.
The same protection Is seen In many Of
our common butterflies that mimic flOwors
or tavcs. Remarkable rescmhlancos are
noticed among the moths, some miInick
ing bits Of wood or stone, so that when
they alight they become ~ once invisible
and thus escape from every possib" pur-
euer.
Some interesting instances of miniicry
are found in India A naturalist noted .
butterfly here that was not only n remark
able mimic, but when followed Ii initial
cd the peculiar flight Of "a poisonous but
tcrfly 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
tho most wonderful. In tho latter we have
an example OF an insect 80 exactly resen-
bling green leaf that 10 would bear close
examination without discovery. The In
sect looks a. though il might have been
made up from several pieces Of leaves. 1t
is of vivid green, with delicate lesves
exactly rs one finds in a leaf
While the phyllium resembles "A leaf
the phasnidc Is mimic of a twig or
brhnch. lho long straight BODY Ia per
feet stick, the legs resembling twips
branching from it, and when walking
they move In ST. deliberate n manner that
even then the illusion is not destroyed. A
south American walking stick H. "a verita-
bile giant, almost u foot I'm length. These
arc green, resembling young shoots, and
are found among green vordure. But one
observed by Bolt, the English naturalist,
was a perfect mimic If dead twig and
had upon It's sides and legs curious excres-
cenccs that mlinickcd fungous growths,
SO that the bird who had seen IL moving
would consider IL nothing but dried twig
The curious insects known as the mantis
are remarkable for their powers of min
icry. Their movements arc slow, theiY
bodies and legs resemble twigs, and they
nrc by this disguise enabled to creep upon
their prey. One species has been known
10 seize and eat small birds, who, think.
ing IL n bit Of the branch, 10 fall into Ito
clutches. Perhaps tho most remarkable
mimic among these insects IL u pink man.
It's OF India that Is almost exact in Its re-
scmblancc to IN orchid. The object here 10
evidently 10 capture insects that aligbt on
IL by mistake. Washington Star.