on of shape, of habits, of colour, or of all
combined. The simplest form of this protection is the aggressive
attitude of the caterpillars of the Sphingidae, the forepart of the body
being erected so as to produce a rude resemblance to the figure of a
sphinx, hence the name of the family. The protection is carried further
by those species which retract the first three segments and have large
ocelli on each side of the fourth segment, thus giving to the
caterpillar, when the forepart of its body is elevated, the appearance
of a snake in a threatening attitude.

The blood-red forked tentacle, thrown out of the neck of the larvae of
the genus Papilio when alarmed, is, no doubt, a protection against the
attacks of ichneumons, and may, perhaps, also frighten small birds; and
the habit of turning up the tail possessed by the harmless rove-beetles
(Staphylinidae), giving the idea that they can sting, has, probably, a
similar use. Even an unusual angular form, like a crooked twig or
inorganic substance, may be protective; as Mr. Poulton thinks is the
case with the curious caterpillar of Notodonta ziczac, which, by means
of a few slight protuberances on its body, is able to assume an angular
and very unorganic-looking appearance. But perhaps the most perfect
example of this kind of protection is exhibited by the large caterpillar
of the Royal Persimmon moth (Bombyx regia), a native of the southern
states of North America, and known there as the "Hickory-horned devil."
It is a large green caterpillar, often six inches long, ornamented with
an immense crown of orange-red tubercles, which, if disturbed, it erects
and shakes from side to side in a very alarming manner. In its native
country the negroes believe it to be as deadly as a rattlesnake, whereas
it is perfectly innocuous. The green colour of the body suggests that
its ancestors were once protectively coloured; but, growing too large to
be effectually concealed, it acquired the habit of shaking its head
about in order to frighten away its enemies, and ultimately developed
the crown of tentacles as an addition to its terrifying powers. This
species is beautifully figured in Abbott and Smith's _Lepidopterous
Insects of Georgia_.

_Alluring Coloration._

Besides those numerous insects which obtain protection through their
resemblance to the natural objects among which they live, there are some
whose disguise is not used for concealment, but as a direct means of
securing th