The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-10-07

that it is best to leave bright-colored
birds and insects alone.pi They don't taste
good. 1t would seem Incredible that in
Esects should take. advantage of this facta
lust as the small man twists his mous
tache. and glares just as fiercely as
most unpleasant man of six foot three,
when he thinks that his person is threat
ened.
Nevertheless, it is well known that
butterflies who know that they are nice
TO eat, initiate the personal appearance
of butterflies who, though attractive in
appearance, are not exactly Strawberries
and cream to the first crow that comes
along.
A peculiar example Of this is the fe-
male papilio merope, an African butter
hy. who is entirely different from her
husband. both in shape and color. Doubt
less with the object of securing this but
terfiv from the attacks of birds during
the period of egg deposting, nature has
given her the same coloring and shape
as a very common African butterfly
Mr. Amauris NiaYius-who is as bad to
the taste as he is good to the eve. In
this disguise Mrs. Merope is regarded
with the utmost distaste by every bird.
and is left severely alone. although she
is really the sweetest Of butterflies. Her
husband. however, has very lively time
in avoiding the birds. who want to make
his acquaintance, and she is often left
a widow.
Another clever actor is very big fly,
called the volucella hombylans. He i'm
personates the humble bee, and is the
biggest fraud of the insect world.
Quite recently I met him at a Sunday
school picnic.
He tumbled into a pot of jam, strug-
gled out again, and tried to perch on the
Sunday-school superintendent's head. whilst
the lady teachers screamed and said that
he would sting He did not sting. hut
flew away, and my good friend. the super
intendent, reproached very idle boy of
his class who had tried to bash the fly
ing insect with his cap, pointing it out
as a shining example OF industry and
perseverance
When the boy and the so-called lee had
departed, l took my friend aside and
enlightened him as to the deceptive char
acter of the unworthy insect upon which
he had preached his little sermon.
There are two sorts of this fly. and
they each make their living by initiating
one or more families of that most respect
able clan, the humble bee.
It is we'll known that humble bees can
sting, but the volucella bombylans has
no more bite than a timed lobster.
the vices of the humblc bee this deprav-
cd fly deceives the honest lees them
selves, invading their nests and laying
its eggs amongst those of the bees. so
that its young, as soon rs they ere born.
MAY end plenty Of food in the shape of
ycung bees.
Perhaps the most i,npudent of insect
frauds, however. are the owl butterflies,
who mostly hail from South America
The under side of the wings bears a
curious resemblance to the face of an
owl the large spots representing the
eyes, whilst the folds of the wings are
formed so as to represent the beak.
Last but not least of our election from
the ranks of insect actors, is a, grass
hopper. which. unable to acquire the pro-
tecting unsavoriness of the lady-birti,
has assumed it's external appearance
with wonderful reality, so to the eye, it
has ceased to exist as 4 srassho1per at
all. and is passed over by the birds as
unfit to eat, although it is really GS9aty
Init