The Banner-Democrat., 1901-09-14
OUR ANIMAL IMPoSTORS.
pRoTEAN INSECTS THAT INITIATE
THEIR ENVIRONMENT

pRorEAN INSECTS THAT INITIATE
THEIR ENVIRONMENT.
Among hum fankind There 70 No"'
Finished Ia Hypocrisy as Na.u'a",
Find ia Every Tropical Forest 10
vs,oumsnt Of Natural oisguisss'
william Morton Wheeler. professor OF
znoloov in the University OF lexas' mas
a., illustrated article in the Century, Oh
the subject of "Impostors Among A
mails" -, oi the |
The shakespearian conception OF inc
buuan world as a stage may be expahu-
"A IN include the animal world as wen
tike ourselves, animals enter e, 'ns
struggle for existence with a inoaicnin
of Equipment In figure, complexion, Voiee
a,d demeanor, and with the assignment
OF a definite role to play IN Inc Ihe.o
drama of life. Hence we are not SUI
nris.d to find that many OF our ioui'
s;x. and eight footed competitors naVei
Sguratiyeiy speaking, attained to some
n1o6ciency In the art of imposition while
endeavoring to gain foothold IN the
world i.e, the opportunity OF feeding
| mating, and leaving offspring to repeat
! the same performance continuously.
It must have been some such refec-
t;on as this that Carlyle in his black
est visions of 'shams and humbugs
among humankind never saw anything
so finished in hypocrisy as the naturalist
now finds In every tropical forest mere
ate to be seen creatures, not singly, Dut
IN tens of thousands, whose every ap-
| oearance. down to the minutest spot and
wrinkle is an affront to truth, whose
| every attitude is pose for purpose
and whose whole life is sustained he
Before these masterpieces of deception
the most ingenious of human impositlons
are vulgar and transparent. Fraud IS
not only the great rule of life in tropi-
cal forest, but the one condition OF 1t.
Drummond's statements are perhaps
little misleading without SOME quaiiil-
cation. for animals are not impostors IN
the ordinary sense of the term, since
they are of course, perfectly unaware OF
!. appearing under a deceptive disguise
, Moreover. what is true of animal life IN
, the tropics is also, in great measure, trut
: of animal life in other regions of th'
globe. :.
In the development of deceptive dis
/ guises-disguises which affect the torn
/ attitude and color, but largely the color
I of anirnals-nature appears to have pro
1 ceeded along two different paths, one o
e which is direct and relatively easy, tn
y other circuitous and much more difhcul'
The easy path, which may be considere
;, first, is that of protective resembianc
e pure and simple, j. e., an approach in tn
I animals form, color and attitude to som
h object in the surroundings. Such a
approximation can hardly fail to be
> the greatest advantage, since the anifn'
If thereby merges so completely with Il
IS environment as to pass unobserved
-e its enemies or by its prey. The alte
e. native has led in two directions, to
I defensive and an aggressive form OF r.
le semblance.
r. Every sportsman has been deceived
the close resemblance of birds and 9th
lie animals to the soil and vegetation.
would be easy, moreover, to show III
many reptiles, frogs, and fishes, and We
many of the lower animals, exhibit sif
IS. liar adaotations. 1t is also well know
o. that some of these creatures, IKE
re. chameleons many tree-frogs, cuttie-f1sh
and shrimps, can actually change th'
he colors to make them harmonic with I
ne exact tints of the vegetation or soil
ire which they are living. But no amin
to- can compare with the insects and spidf
in the detailed perfection OF their Pl
the tective disguises, or in the frequency
hit, adopting this method of eluding enem
rts or of stealthily approaching prey. l
is true Notwithstanding the fact that
tive color-changes like those OF the cl
meieon are scarcely known to oc'
res among insects.
or MANY of the most striking examp
ass of protective resemblances among
Gus sects are the result of the very intim
ex- association of these animals with
UGH flora of our planet. Especially IS
,ed. true of insects which live exposed on
of vegetation. There is really no port
e al of the plant excepting its roots and tr'
lav- which is not copied by some insect, OF
:ase with the most astonishing faithfulr
e of details. Hosts Of moths copy
or rough lichen-mottled bark OF trees;
h a walking sticks and looping-caterpil
hen copy the twigs; the green leaves are
ines tated by the katydids and the marvel
ex- ieaf-insects (Phyllinm) of the East
utter dies, while the dead leaves are portrs
1923 by many moths and butterflies, +
this of resemblance eliminating in the
with NOUS Kallima butterflies OF Souti
He Asia. Striking resemblances to tn
and and knots are to be found among
eem ders and leaf-hoppers (Membraci1
after while even the flowers may be col
gov as in the case of the pink orchid
5000 mantis (Hymenopns) of India, and
stop eral other species. The roots OF pl
oh a are not copied because they are not
,par- posed to view, and an attempt to
hose sen,ble the exposed seed or fruit W
have be only an invitation to birds to de-
lived any species that might be SO bold
Cas- vary in this direction.
IL H.