The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1905-04-20
INSECT M,M,cRY.

D0ttee0aee That Asss0e the Co1oB
aaA shape ~ Tree Leaves.
A phase of animal life which at
tracts our attention and calls forth un-
ceasing wonderment ia that OF protec-
tive resemblance. Nature has wisely
endowed certain defenseiess animals
with this peculiar faculty. which makes
them mimic their surroundings SO that
they may avoid their enemies. This 10
especially true Of some insects. The
katydid, with its gauzy green wings.
will fall zigzagging from tree to the
ground in such way that any feath-
cred enemy seeing 1t would think 1t a
leaf. The same method Of protection
u seen In our common BUTTERFLIES and
moths that mimic flowers and leaves.
The moths mimic bits of wood and
stone, SO that when they alight on the
ground they are at once invisible to
their pursuers.
Travelling fakirs in India have way
Of making use of their knowledge Of
this faculty in insects and by means
Of it perform what they call miracle.
The fakir thrusts into the ground a
small tree with leaves about three
inches long. He then takes from a box
q dozen or more butterflies Of rare
beauty. When the onlookers have ex-
amined these to make sure that they
are real he throws them one by one
into the air, and they alight on the tree
and Immediately become invisible. The
first supposition is that the onlookers
have been hypnotized; but, the fakir
catching the little tree and giving it q
shake, the butterflies float into the air
and again settle about the tree aud dis
appear.
The fakir then points out the illusion.
The butterflies were not three feet
from the eyes and had 30 mimicked the
leaves when their wings were folded
that the deception was perfect, both in
color and shape. There We're even the
delicate mold spots. the central or mid
rib of the leaf and the delicate lateral
branches from 1t, while the stem of the
leaf was closely initiated by the lower
portion of the wings. which were press
ed against the stem. This mimic,
known to science as ''kallina," IL fol-
lowed by bird simply alights on a
bush or tree and becomes invisible.
Other interesting instances Of MINI
icry are found among the butterflies in
India. A naturalist noted butterfly
there that was not only a remarkable
mimic, but when followed 1t Initiated
the peculiar flight Of butterfly that
was obnoxious to birds. In almost
every group Of insects we find this pro.
tective resemblance. but those among
the walking sticks and walking leaves
are most remarkable. In the latter we
have an example Of an insect SO closely
resembling a leaf that it bears close
examination without discovery. The
insect looks as IL it were made up Of
several pieces of leaf. Still another
cannot be taken for anything other
than dry brown twig or branch, so
closely has 1t initiated the color and
the sharp angles.
In all forms Of life there is tendency
to adaptability to the popularity of it's
surroundings. Gayly tinted birds are
not. as rule, found on white, sandy
wastes, but in forests where there is
deep coloring and the contrast is not
great. The lion. the giraffe, the ostrich,
are forms which asslmilate their sur
roundings. In California the horned
toad is almost as invisible az the sand
on which it lives. The little canyon
toad mimics the rocks on which it
rests, while the frog of the east is
scarcely to be distinguished from the
weeds among which it lives.-New
York Herald.