Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-13
MIMICRY OF INSECTS.
Ways They Have to Protect Them
selves Against Enemies.

From Bookovers Magazine.
In the eyes of the naturalist the world
is a vast arena and every creature a glad
iator engaged in a fierce combat with
myriad of enemies.
Darwin called this incessant warfare
natural selection" or the struggle for
existence''-terms that have taken their
place in the vocabulary of everyday life.
In the insect world the most striking con-
firmaton of the Darwinian theory is to be
found, because the hunter and the hunted
have unconsciousy contrived incredibly
subtle artIfices for outwitting each other
Mir. Kaempffert demonstrates the motives
for which these tactics are employed. one
method whereby the weak may escape the
strong is in protective stimulation of their
surroundings. so exact is the protective
resemblance that even the professional
collector is deceived. When once the Cato
Gala moth rests on a tree trunk II delleS
discovery, so accurately has nature painted
and spotted the forewings to initiate The
effect of rough bark. Additional examples
of the fidelity with which insects have
adapted themselves are without number,
including the walking sticks, familiar TO
every country lad.
Every meadow summer day
swarms with a winged host blatantly her
aiding its existence by colors that must
seem inviting to enemies. After much
fruitless speculation il was ascertained
that many of these gaily tinted denizens of
the afr are horribly distasteful to insect
eating epicureans" Hence they advertise
themselves III faring colors. The immunity
thus acquired has led other delicious-tast-
ing insects to garb themselves in similarly
brilliant colors, mimicking the markings.
form of wings and flight of the immunes.
1t should not be supposed That self-de-
Tense is always the primary object of this
masquerade. There are insects of prey as
well as birds of prey, and these cunningly
adopt mimicry as a strategic weapon. Ger
tain tropical spiders that subsist on ants
are like their prey as the proverbial
two peas.
Many a defenseless insect resorts to the
expedient of terrifying its enemies by its
likeness to dangerous animal or by sud
denly assuming a horrible aspect.
The most successful terror inspiring
masker is probably the 'hickory-horned
DEVIL" perfectly harmless caterpillar or
the royal persimmon moth of our southern
states but SO fieroely threatening in APP
pearance that it enjoys an enviahle repu-
tation for deadliness. Its green body, often
half a foot in length. is capped by vivid
orange crown, which on the approach or an
enemy Is ominously shaken in way that
makes rattlesnake seem lamb-like In COM
parison These wonderful species of In
sects, II has been stated, are all of them
products of the struggle for existence J..
all insects were permitted TO live the world
would be devastated by them. 1t happens,
however, that their enemies likewise mui-
tiply in geometrical ratio, so that proper
balance is maintained. So numerous are
these enemies, and so powerful, that
but successful The food of one beetle Is
consumed by another; rain and wind, cold
and heat. kill many butterflies; In a word,
premature death falls upon creature In a
Thousand and one ways. Although the on
spring always outnumber their parents, yet
the number of living insects, thanks to
birds and beasts of prey, remains fairly
constant.