Abstract
FROM Mr. Banta's concluding paragraph I am afraid my reference to the disbelievers in mimicry as a dwindling minority hurt his feelings. I hasten, therefore, to explain that it was written in a spirit of “chaff”, without any intention to give umbrage. Apart from this, there is nothing in my contributions to the question of the distastefulness of Anosia plexippus which, in my opinion, needs explanation or qualification. The statistics Mr. Banta quotes to prove that North American birds do not eat butterflies are full of interest. They show at all events that the birds examined had not eaten butterflies within a few hours of being shot, and they justify the belief that the birds in the areas investigated do not trouble themselves to catch butterflies when other insects are obtainable. It would be very interesting to know if the Department of Agriculture found empty stomachs in any birds shot in districts where butterflies of various kinds were plentiful and other insects scarce. That would be a very important piece of evidence in favour of the contention Mr. Banta upholds.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
POCOCK, R. The Distastefulness of Anosia plexippus. Nature 89, 243 (1912). https://doi.org/10.1038/089243a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/089243a0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.