ny times lost sight of in a bush or tree of dead leaves. On such
occasions they were generally searched for in vain, for while gazing
intently at the very spot where one had disappeared, it would often
suddenly dart out, and again vanish twenty or fifty yards further on. On
one or two occasions the insect was detected reposing, and it could then
be seen how completely it assimilates itself to the surrounding leaves.
It sits on a nearly upright twig, the wings fitting closely back to
back, concealing the antennae and head, which are drawn up between their
bases. The little tails of the hind wing touch the branch, and form a
perfect stalk to the leaf, which is supported in its place by the claws
of the middle pair of feet, which are slender and inconspicuous. The
irregular outline of the wings gives exactly the perspective effect of a
shrivelled leaf. We thus have size, colour, form, markings, and habits,
all combining together to produce a disguise which may be said to be
absolutely perfect; and the protection which it affords is sufficiently
indicated by the abundance of the individuals that possess it.

The Rev. Joseph Greene has called attention to the striking harmony
between the colours of those British moths which are on the wing in
autumn and winter, and the prevailing tints of nature at those seasons.
In autumn various shades of yellow and brown prevail, and he shows that
out of fifty-two species that fly at this season, no less than forty-two
are of corresponding colours. Orgyia antiqua, O. gonostigma, the genera
Xanthia, Glaea, and Ennomos are examples. In winter, gray and silvery
tints prevail, and the genus Chematobia and several species of Hybernia
which fly during this season are of corresponding hues. No doubt if the
habits of moths in a state of nature were more closely observed, we
should find many cases of special protective resemblance. A few such
have already been noticed. Agriopis aprilina, Acronycta psi, and many
other moths which rest during the day on the north side of the trunks of
trees can with difficulty be distinguished from the grey and green
lichens that cover them. The lappet moth (Gastropacha querci) closely
resembles both in shape and colour a brown dry leaf; and the well-known
buff-tip moth, when at rest is like the broken end of a lichen-covered
branch. There are some of the small moths which exactly resemble the
dung of birds dropped on leaves, and on this point Mr. A. Sidgwick, in a
p